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The purpose of this study is to offer a checklist that can be used for both creating and evaluating digital collections, which are also sometimes referred to as data sets as part of the collections as data movement, suitable for computational use.

The checklist was built by synthesising and analysing the results of relevant research literature, articles and studies and the issues and needs obtained in an observational study. The checklist was tested and applied both as a tool for assessing a selection of digital collections made available by galleries, libraries, archives and museums (GLAM) institutions as proof of concept and as a supporting tool for creating collections as data.

Over the past few years, there has been a growing interest in making available digital collections published by GLAM organisations for computational use. Based on previous work, the authors defined a methodology to build a checklist for the publication of Collections as data. The authors’ evaluation showed several examples of applications that can be useful to encourage other institutions to publish their digital collections for computational use.

While some work on making available digital collections suitable for computational use exists, giving particular attention to data quality, planning and experimentation, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, none of the work to date provides an easy-to-follow and robust checklist to publish collection data sets in GLAM institutions. This checklist intends to encourage small- and medium-sized institutions to adopt the collection as data principles in daily workflows following best practices and guidelines.

This paper aims to review traditional forms of international support for developing schools of librarianship and information sciences, and traditional approaches.

The review draws evidence from the literature and the author's extensive international experience.

The study notes that the traditional approaches have not been entirely successful, and that the sources of support for these approaches are changing. In the light of the growth in the number of schools in developing countries and countries with economies in transition, it suggests that traditional approaches may not be practicable. Alternative approaches suggested in the past have included making teaching materials available, including access to them over the internet, but these may be no more appropriate or practicable. The paper then draws on recent research into the emergence of electronic publishing in Latin America. Whilst there are still flaws in the electronic publishing system, it may suggest a possible new way forward.

The challenge now is to determine how to facilitate similar support for developing schools of librarianship and information sciences internationally.

The paper challenges orthodox thinking about support for new schools of librarianship and information sciences in developing countries, and invites consideration of how new communications media could play a part in this process.