The Electronic Medium: a panacea for publishing in the Pacific?

Abstract

Paper presented at the Ninth Annual Pacific Islands Association of Libraries and Archives Conference, 15–21 November 1999, Koror, Republic of Palau. As new technologies have reached the South Pacific in recent years, it is appropriate to consider how best to utilise them in order to increase access to and use of information services. At present, print is by far the most common method of distributing library publications. Various non-print formats such as CD-ROM and the Internet have been employed to deliver information resources to remote users and are technically viable alternatives to print publishing. There is no doubt that CD-ROMs are a medium that have long been considered suitable for developing countries, on the basis of price and appropriateness alone. When considering the newer medium of the Internet, it has to be born in mind that in the Pacific, only half the inhabited islands have access to telecommunications. And where there is access to the Internet, cost, accessibility and user skills remain significant constraints. All of these factors contribute to a degree of caution. To find answers to some of these questions, a research study has been proposed to look into both the desirability and viability of publishing in electronic media. In the meantime, distribution of data in the Pacific will continue in hard copy.

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