Annual Report 2004
The Information Management Working Group serves as a platform for reflection, discussion and action on development information across Europe. It is the only European meeting place for information professionals with a strong interest in international co-operation and development research. For the past 29 years, the working group has organised annual meetings in close collaboration with its members. New members are always welcome!
Activities
During the year we have been engaged in the following activities:
* February 2004 the conveners of this Working Group - Myriam Gallwey, Danielle Bouhajeb, Chris Addison and met with Bridget McBean of the European Centre for Development Policy , to plan the 29th Annual Information Management Working Group meeting.
* Eland2 Live - August 2004 (5 New databases added to ELAND search system)
* Eland meeting on 8th September 2003
* 9-10 September 2004 the 29th Annual meeting was held at the University of Maastricht, the Netherlands with the European Centre for Development Policy Management as our hosts.
Project Work
One of the ongoing projects of this working group is the El@nd project, the European Library Network for Development. This is a valuable resource of reference material for researchers and information professionals which allows multi-lingual searching of the nine library collections involved in this initiative. To visit the database go to: http://www.eadi.org/eland
A report was commissioned from Hugo Besemer of Wageningen University, who is an expert in database searching solutions and XML standards. He proposed three options for ELAND, continuing the HTML multiple search, developing an RSS(newsfeed) solution and dependant on progress with these approaches planning full cross searching in conjunction with DCISM in Denmark.
On the basis of this an RSS example was developed and prepared for the IMWG meeting where it was demonstrated.
The ELAND team met in September and determined to continue developing the RSS solution in addition to the HTML multiple searching. This application is being incorporated into the EADI website.
Budget and Finance
This year the Maastricht conference was supported financially with support from the following organizations:
The Dutch Ministry of foreign Affairs (research and communication department ) for conference venue, logistics and the publication of an ECDPM InBrief for euro 12000
European Centre for Development Policy management for the sponsorship of a speaker from Pact Zambia , the translation services, conference management and additional logistics for euro 10 000
EADI Secretariat for the sponsorship of the speaker from the ACP Secretariat in Brussels s to the value of euro 546
The Agence Intergouvernementale de la Francophonie for the sponsorship of three speakers (Joseph Akoa from Cameroon, Ndrongo from Codesria, Senegal and Reidel from Poland) to the value of around euro 3000.
This meant we were able to support the participation of five speakers who gave the following papers:
Abou Moussa Ndongo, Codesria, Senegal /Sénégal
Research and information networks in Africa, with an impression of the CODESRIA workshop on electronic libraries (Dakar, 1-2 September 2004) / Les réseaux de recherche et d'information en Afrique, avec une synthèse de l'atelier du CODESRIA sur les bibliothèques électroniques (Dakar, 1-2 septembre 2004)
Sykes Siyumbwa, Pact, Zambia / Zambie
Bridging the technology gap in Zambia: the fine line government must tread when finalizing its imminent ICT policy / Combler l'écart technologique en Zambie : delicatesse et urgence de la formulation de la politique gouvernementale en matière des TIC
Alec Singh, ACP Secretariat, Belgium / Secrétariat ACP, Belgique
Adapting relevant information policies to target groups / Adapter les politiques de l'information spécifiques à des groupes cibles
Dr. R. Riedel, International Studies, Polonia University, Czestochowa, Poland / Études internationale de l'Université Polonia, Czestochowa, Pologne
Information policy in European integration: Polish government's information management / La politique de l'information et l'intégration européenne : la gestion de l'information du gouvernement polonais
Joseph Akoa, AGRO-PME,Cameroon / Cameroun
Information services for the development of Cameroon : is self-financing an option ? Some field experiences / Les services d'information pour le développement au Cameroun : l'autofinancement est-il possible? Quelques exemples du terrain .
Language support
It was also the first time since our meeting in 1999 in Paris when we were able to provide French language translation for participants throughout the meeting.
Publications
Presentations of the Information Management Working Group conference held in Maastricht have been posted to the Information Management Working Group web site, together with the report of the meeting. We are in the process of negotiating the publication of some of the formal papers of these presentations and a publication of the outcome of the meeting will be poublished by ECDPM before the end of 2004.
Convenors
The Working Group has 4 co-conveners. Chris Addison of Communiq.org, Danielle Bouhajeb- Responsable du Centre international francophone de Documentation et d'Information (CIFDI) of the Agence Intergouvernementale de la Francophonie (INTIF) based in Bordeaux, France, Bridget Mc Bean of ECDPM, the Netherlands and Marie-Louise.Fendin of the Nordic Africa Institute, Sweden joined the team. Miriam Gallwey of IUED, Switzerland left the team this year to pursue a new career, we wish her well.
Members
We had 34 Working Group members participating in the Annual Conference in Maastricht held in Sept 2003 representing fourteen countries across Europe and three countries in Africa. The initial Maastricht conference mailing list was to 203 individuals in various European organisations, who has expressed interested in the work of the InfoMan or who have attended the InfoMan conference before.
We continued to involve ICCDA organizations by inviting CODESRIA to this meeting, having previously hosted CLACSO.
This was the first year for some time that we offered two rates for attendance for members and non members. From a total of 57 participants, 34 members and 23 non members attended.
[Report prepared by Chris Addison, Danielle Bouhajeb, Bridget Mc Bean and Marie-Louise.Fendin for the Information Management Working Group, October 2004.]
