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The purpose of this paper is to highlight how libraries in Malawi are accessing e‐resources.

The paper adopted a case study approach. Quantitative data were collected and analysed. Data was collected through MALICO and INASP documentary. Usage statistics provided by counter compliant publishers and collated by INASP from 2008 to 2012 was the other source of information. Annual member contributions and e‐resource subscription sheets from MALICO were used for data collection. Qualitative data have been presented and analysed in the form of tables and graphs.

Libraries in Malawi have access to peer reviewed and impact factored journals courtesy of EIFL, INASP, HINARI, OARE, AGORA and other international organisations. Libraries in Malawi contribute towards the e‐resources to the consortia, MALICO, at heavily discounted rates done through negotiations by eIFL and INASP with the publishers. Currently, the libraries are failing to contribute their portion towards e‐resources due to inadequate budgets. Libraries in Malawi have resorted to digitising local content and establishing locally available institutional repositories.

Libraries in Malawi are making enormous strides in building digital libraries and institutional repositories based on local content.

There is little researched information on the funding levels and use of e‐resources in libraries in Malawi. This paper seeks to bridge the gap by providing some information on the state of e‐resources for libraries in Malawi.

The purpose of this research is to ascertain from academic librarians in Nigeria their knowledge of open access online resources (OASOR), how their libraries manage these resources and how they are used by their readers. This is an alternative source of resource provision which librarians needed to adopt, in view of dwindling budgets.

A survey design was adopted for the study. The study was conducted during an annual general meeting/conference of the Nigerian Library Association in June 2014. Interview and eye witness accounts were also used to complement the questionnaire. Random sampling technique was used to select 312 librarians from the 720 attendees from the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria. Data were analyzed using the weighted mean on a Likert scale.

The result of the finding revealed that some of the academic libraries sampled have access to limited open access (OA) resources from AGORA, HINARI, OARE and EBSCOhost databases. The management procedure adopted included downloading of relevant resources for their readers; providing hard copies of some of the downloads; and giving their readers access to the databases via their University websites. Others include offering consultancy services to academic departments and organizing training seminars to their users for direct access to the databases. The OASOR received adequate utility rate by users.

Dwindling economies and coping with current trends of information management in the contemporary world necessitated the use of information communication technology to avail OA resources to anchor education, research and human capital development in Nigeria. This will enable the country attain the Millennium Development Goal.

The dislocation between what people are and what they have to do produces an erosion in values, dignity, spirit, and will (Maslow, Stephens, and Heil (1998)). For educators in the new millennia, these are trying times. The lack of prestige and autonomy combined with exponentially increasing demands contributes to the high rate of attrition, stress, and burnout. To stay the course and remain vibrantly engaged in the profession will require an extraordinary degree of self-care. This chapter offers a lens for viewing systemic factors affecting the educational landscape and underscores the need for educators to employ individual and collective strategies to preserve health and well-being.

Provides a strong basic definition of the Information Highway (IH), including security, hardware and software and discusses the future ramifications. Identifies the four main parties involved: cable companies, telephone companies, Internet and the policy‐makers in Washington, detailing their opinions and interests. Specifies a number of legislative issues involved and discusses the role of the Clinton administration. Finally, discusses the resulting business and economic implications.

The purpose of this paper is to describe the pattern of electronic information resources use and satisfaction with university‐paid resources by the faculty members in eight public universities in Bangladesh.

An online questionnaire was used to assess the contemporary use of, and satisfaction with, university subscribed electronic resources by the faculty members. The major constraints faced by them in accessing online resources were also identified. To analyze the influence of demographic characteristics on overall satisfaction with e‐resources, Mann‐Whitney and Kruskal‐Wallis tests were carried out. The constraints faced by the faculty members were tested in relation to their opinions on overall satisfaction using chi‐square tests.

The results showed that faculty members are not generally satisfied with the current level of university subscribed e‐resources. They identified limited number of titles, limited access to back issues, difficulty in finding information, inability to access from home, limited access to computers and slow download speed as major constraints. These constraints do affect e‐resources use in the public universities. However, these constraints are mainly related to the poor IT infrastructure and limited access to e‐resources, which may also lead to other constraints such as an unwillingness to use the resources regularly and consequently low satisfaction with such resources.

This is the first time an effort has been made to assess the use of university‐paid online information resources by the academic community in Bangladesh. This study could be used to assess faculty needs for electronic resources which may also lead to a more dynamic interaction with such resources.

This is a review of information literacy interventions which focused on fostering information literacy skills for agriculturalists and health practitioners in Tanzania. The purpose of the intervention was to impart information literacy skills to agriculturalists and health professionals based on problem-solving and collaborative approaches through pedagogical theories of Kolb and Vygotsky which emphasize experiential and reflective learning as well as mediated communication. The interventions were based on an integration of knowledge from information behaviour research and educational theory and current Information and library science perspectives of information literacy. This was preceded by a survey which collected data on information literacy needs of agriculturalists and health practitioners in order to determine what should be taught in information literacy courses for both categories of professionals. The interventions were evaluated through exercises, reflective discussions and observations of activities. Diagnostic tests were also carried out before and after the interventions to provide an indication of knowledge changes. It was generally discovered that both categories of practitioners lacked information literacy skills and had a dire need for the same to effectively perform their work. Work experiences of participants as well as problems associated with lack of information to perform assigned tasks in their occupations were motivational factors for their active participation in the courses. Judging from participants’ feedback, the courses were effective. Participants were able to demonstrate their abilities to solve a particular information-related problem through collaborative learning and work experience. It is recommended that information literacy courses in work places should focus on work-related information problems and active participation.

The aim of this paper is to investigate the current status of public universities in Bangladesh in terms of library resources and services, IT infrastructure and training requirements for the establishment of a centralized, networked electronic library for the universities in the country.

A survey was conducted in March-April 2012 to ascertain the level of library automation practices, access to online resources and IT facilities utilized by the public universities in Bangladesh. The survey questionnaire was distributed through post and emails directed to the university librarians. The librarians were also asked to identify the type of IT-related training they had and the type of training they require.

The survey results indicate that there are insufficiencies in library resources, automation practices, access to online resources and IT facilities in the universities. Although the use of computer and network technologies in older universities is reasonably high; newer universities are lagging far behind in the latest technology applications. The results also suggest significant training needs by the librarians across all areas of electronic information processing.

This is the first time an attempt has been made to assess the readiness of the public universities in Bangladesh for implementing IT-based information services. The paper also proposed a framework for implementing an integrated electronic library for the universities in the country to offer them better access to a wide range of online resources and services.

The paper seeks to explore the impact of a fibre optic network and increased bandwidth on access to electronic resources for libraries in Malawi.

This research adopted a case study methodology. Online interviews were conducted with ICT Directors in colleges of the University of Malawi and Mzuzu University. The ICT Directors provided information on bandwidth levels and estimated costs for libraries using VSAT and fibre optics for internet connectivity. User statistics from INASP for the years 2006, 2011 and 2012 were the main sources of information.

Libraries in Malawi have been affected by the fibre optic network. The fibre optic network has increased bandwidth from a maximum of 1,024 in Kbps around 2006 to between 4 and 8 Mbps per month. Bandwidth costs have been reduced from an average of $US3,000/Mbps in 2006 to around US$1,700/Mbps per month in 2012. The number of articles downloaded has increased from 6,075 in 2006 to 50,860 in 2011, representing a 737 per cent increase. Half‐year statistics for 2012 reveal that the number of articles downloaded increased from 50,860 in 2011 to 81,633, representing a 60.5 per cent increase.

The paper has practical implications on the impact of a fibre optic network and improved bandwidth on access to e‐resources in libraries.

There is an information gap on the impact of fibre optic internet connectivity and improved bandwidth on access to e‐resources in libraries in Africa, and in Malawi to be specific. This research paper seeks to fill and bridge the gap.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the growth and changes in Bioline International (BI), a non‐profit scholarly publications aggregator, distributor, publisher, and publishing assistance service founded in 1993 and operated by scientists and librarians who have a strong commitment to the principles of open access (OA) and to broad distribution, by electronic means, of scientific information.

The paper presents a case study of BI.

BI has changed considerably since its early days. Initially, it largely consisted of e‐mailed versions of printed peer‐reviewed scientific journals from developing countries; these versions were generally e‐mailed as ASCII text and could lack figures and graphics. But much has changed, both due to technological capabilities and due to policy changes. BI has increasingly moved toward inclusion of e‐only journals, and has itself tried its hand at publishing a small selection of highly specialized, fully online journals, with OA portions. In January 2004, it converted its entire web site to OA (formerly, some portions were restricted). It has been enabled to become a pure OA provider of scholarly information through a model of grant support and partnerships with other institutions, including many international institutes and foundations and the University of Toronto.

BI success is provides an unusual and successful model for strong support for OA to scholarly research and scientific information, especially from developing countries. It also provides a model of flexibility and adaptability, with minimal resources, and demonstrates the possibilities which emerge from truly broad‐based collaborations, across multiple countries, and between large and small societies, academe, and non‐governmental organizations.