Bridging the North�South Divide in Scholarly Communication in Africa: a library and information systems perspective
- Autores: Peter Johan Lor
- Localización: IFLA journal, ISSN 0340-0352, Vol. 33, Nº. 4, 2007, págs. 303-312
- Idioma: inglés
- Enlaces
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Resumen
This article takes a broad, general perspective of scholarly communication in Africa, using a simple systems model based on the Lasswell formula.
The model identifi es and analyses the following components: Creators, Contents, Mediation, Users and Infrastructure. It recognizes that these are to be studied in their cultural, political, economic, legal and ethical contexts. Taking each component in turn, a number of critical issues and problems relevant to the North-South/South-North divide are identifi ed and some observations are made on the position and roles of libraries.
The article presents a list of desiderata and emphasizes that scholarly communication has both digital and analogue dimensions. It is a complex phenomenon that needs to be addressed holistically.
