Search results

The Public Advisory Council on Information Highway Policy (PACIHP) project is discussed in terms of activities, difficulties, successes, impact, motivations, and background. This paper is presented in two parts. The first part details how project organizers have attempted to involve the online community in the policy‐making process, the techniques used, and the community′s and policymakers′ response to the initiative. Some preliminary observations about the project′s impact are also discussed. The second part presents an overview of the Canadian regulatory and political environment. The specific trends identified have contributed to the authors′ concerns, providing some of the motivation for the project. In conclusion, thoughts on the future of computer‐mediated communication and its potential for democratizing politics are presented.

An alliance of public organisations from across Canada, including libraries, consumers' groups and trade unions, is demanding that the second round of the Information Highway Advisory Council (IHAC) puts people before profits. The federally appointed IHAC issued its first report last year, and is expected to start a second meeting this month.

States that there has been a recent explosion in the publication of reference works in the field of African American studies which indicates the mature field of scholarship being achieved in this area. Provides a bibliographic guide for those wishing to identify and use research tools for studying African American literature.

Explores and presents an agenda for action in introducing and developing information consultancy and brokerage as an alternative information service in Africa. The agenda focuses on co‐ordination and publicity of the services, research, LIS education, market, trends and problems. The author explores the results of a study he conducted in Botswana in order to compile the agenda and concludes that as long as the African communities increasingly consume post‐industrial and information society or western products and services, “ruralness”, poverty, illiteracy and underdeveloped information infrastructure, alone, cannot alienate the information consumers from exploiting and using information consultancy and brokerage services. This article, based on a paper presented by the author at the 13‐SCECSAL conference in Nairobi in July 1998, suggests a need for a conference or pre‐SCECSAL seminar, on the subject in the near future, for information specialists in Africa. A draft directory of information consultants and brokers in Botswana is appended to the paper.