(Fwd) UNESCO World Information Report

["Muennich, Monika" <Muennich _at__ ub.uni-heidelberg.de>]

Liebe Inetbibler, ich reiche diese Mail weiter, weil ich denke, dass 
sie von allgemeinem Interesse ist, Gruss aus Heidelberg, Monika 
Muennich

------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
Date:          Wed, 30 Jul 1997 12:25:00 -0400
Reply-to:      Digital Libraries Research mailing list
               <DIGLIB _at__ INFOSERV.NLC-BNC.CA>
From:          David Green <david _at__ CNI.ORG>
Subject:       UNESCO World Information Report
To:            DIGLIB _at__ INFOSERV.NLC-BNC.CA

NINCH ANNOUNCEMENT
July 30, 1997


UNESCO WORLD INFORMATION REPORT RELEASED

The first World Information Report has just been published by UNESCO.  This
390-page volume provides a comprehensive and topical worldwide picture of
archive, library and information services on the five continents in 1996.
It is divided into three parts:

In Part 1, libraries and information services, together with archives, are
presented in 13 chapters, each devoted to a particular region; audiovisual
archives are the subject of one worldwide chapter.

Part 2 reviews the infrastructures for information work with 5 chapters
devoted to computer developments, multimedia technologies,
telecommunication technologies, the Internet, and design criteria for large
library buildings.

Part 3 offers 8 chapters in which a number of issues and trends are
discussed: the information society, information highways, economic
intelligence, book publishing, access to archival holdings and unique
library materials, presentation of archival holdings and unique library
materials, copyright in the electronic age, international co-operation and
assistance.  The report is edited by Yves Courrier (UNESCO) and ASIS member
Andrew Large (GSLIS, McGill). The 32 authors were drawn from a variety of
countries, but most authors in part 2 and 3 are from the industrialized
countries.

Of the 27 chapters of the report, nine are available online, together with
an Introduction, at <http://www.unesco.org/cii/wirerpt/vers-web.htm>. The
online chapters are as follows:

Introduction, by Yves Courrier and Andrew Large;

Part One, INFORMATION SERVICES WORLDWIDE:
Ch 2: South Asia;
Ch 8: Latin America and the Caribbean;
Ch 10 The Arab States,
Ch 11 Africa;

PART TWO: INFRASTRUCTURES:
Ch 17 Telecommunications Technologies;
Ch 18 The Internet;

PART THREE ISSUES & TRENDS:
Ch 21 Information Highways;
Ch 26 Copyright in the Electronic Age;
ch 27 International Co-operation and Assistance.

Those wishing to pursue issues raised in the report may join a listserv at:
<worldinfo-report _at__ unesco.org>
Orders for the 275FF Report may be made through UNESCO Publishing at
<http://www.unesco.org/publishing/jp2.html#88d6bfd0208436f80a471d3fdd1cc76b>


Below, I include the opening "Presentation" from the report

"The World Information Report provides a worldwide picture of archive,
library and information
services in 1996. This sourcebook not only covers in detail the state of
the art of archive, library and
information services in the five continents, but also addresses the most
challenging issues that they face
at the dawn of the twenty-first century.

"A thorough review of the world of information, from East to West and from
North to South, is offered
in Part I. For the first time , a general picture covering both developed
and developing countries
describes: national archives, libraries and information centres; school,
university and public libraries;
national and international networks; database producers; professional
associations and education; public
and private institutions providing all sorts of information services.
Tables and figures synthesize the
data available region by region.

"The Part II deals with the basic technical components of information work,
which are presented in the
form of state-of-the-art reports. Computers, telecommunication and
multimedia technologies, and
Internet together with library buildings are accordingly reviewed from an
information perspective.

"Part III is concerned with issues and trends of relevance to information
provision. Crucial problems
such as the future of books and copyright, access to archives, preservation
of the archival heritage, and
international co-operation and assistance are presented for the benefit of
the layman. Prevailing trends
leading to the twenty-first century's information world are covered in
chapters such as The Information
Society, Information Highways, and Economic Intelligence.

"Prepared by UNESCO, which secured the contribution of the best specialists
from all over the world, the
World Information Report is an instrument of both diagnosis and decision.
It will provide
decision-makers, government officials, information professionals and the
public at large with a better
understanding of the information world as it is today and a more acute
insight of what it will be
tomorrow. "
------------------------------------
Monika Muennich
Universitaetsbibliothek
Postfach 105749
D 69047 Heidelberg
Tel. +49 (6221) 542574 
Fax  +49 (6221) 542550
E-Mail muennich _at__ ub.uni-heidelberg.de
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