Development of ICT for library and

information professionals: a training

package for developing countries in
Asia and Pacific from Unesco
The Authors

Susanne Ornager, Adviser for Communication and Information in Asia Pacific, New
Delhi Office. E-mail: s.ornager@unesco.org

Abstract

This short communication describes the development, by Unesco, of a package of six

ICT-related modules that have been designed to be used in “face-to-face” week-long
training courses for library and information professionals in South East Asia. The
modules are freely available for use.

Article Type:

Research paper

Keyword(s):

Asia; Developing countries; Libraries; Librarians; Communications technology;

Information technology.

Journal:

Program: electronic library and information systems

Volume:

37

Number:

Year:

2003
pp:

109-112

Copyright ©

MCB UP Ltd

ISSN:

0033-0337

1. Background

In June 2002 Unesco launched six modules of a training package on Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) for Library and Information Professionals (ICTLIP).
The package can be viewed and downloaded from Unesco’s Web site or can be made
available, for free, on CD-ROM. The six modules are:

1. (1) Introduction to information and communication technologies (David, 2001a).

2. (2) Introduction to integrated library systems (David, 2001b).
3. (3) Information seeking in an electronic environment (David, 2002a).
4. (4) Database design, information storage and retrieval (Talagala, 2002).
5. (5) The Internet as an information resource (David, 2002b).
6. (6) Web page concept and design: getting a Web site up and running (David,
2002c).

To assist in the development of the package Unesco’s Communication/Information (CI)

programme in Bangkok, Thailand brought together, in 2000, a group of experts from
Canada, Estonia, Fiji, Indonesia, Japan, The Philippines, the UK and the USA for a week-
long meeting in Bali, Indonesia (Ornager, 2000). The meeting concluded with an aim to
produce the first two of six modules towards the end of 2000 and to pilot these in the
region in early 2001. A further meeting of the experts (now joined by colleagues from
Australia and Sri Lanka) took place in 2001 in Thailand at which the results of the pilot
were reported and discussed. Following this phase the first two modules were revised and
the remaining four modules were completed. All material has been prepared in English
and the expectation is that material can be translated, as appropriate, by trainers for use
with specific language groups.

The development of some form of package to assist with training in ICT in libraries and
information centres in the Asia Pacific region had been considered for some time. The
development of this package would not have been possible without the financial support
from the Japanese Funds-in-Trust (JFIT) programme. JFIT sponsored the meetings of
experts and Professor Tamiko Matsumura of the University of Library and Information
Science in Japan followed the development of the modules on behalf of JFIT.
2. Pilot training course

As the adviser for Unesco CI, I was asked to follow the progress of the modules closely.
The host institution for the pilot test was the Office of Minister of State for Research and
Technology (RISTEK) in Jakarta, Indonesia. The 27 participants came from developing
countries in the Asia and Pacific region including: Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Fiji,
India, Indonesia, Iran, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka,
Thailand and Vietnam. The participants were librarians or information workers lacking
knowledge and skills in library automation and ICT in general. This pilot group of
participants was carefully selected as the course was to function as a “test bed” for future
module developments. The course also had the aim to train information personnel who
could become, in turn, trainers in their respective countries.

Each module consisted of two books: one for the trainees and one for the trainer. In
addition, a CD-ROM containing the trainee and trainer guides as well as PowerPoint
presentations was available. A pre-test was distributed to the trainees before the start of
Module 1 and the results were passed on to the trainers. The courses were conducted by
two trainers and each session was evaluated by the trainees, the trainers and myself. The
analyses of the evaluations were prepared by the Unesco CI office in Bangkok, Thailand.

3. Second meeting of experts

The second meeting of experts on the development of the modules was held over one
week in Hua Hin, Thailand in February 2001. The objectives of the meeting were to:

• evaluate the documentation from the pilot training course;

• discuss the elements of the training package based on the evaluation;
• outline the development of the last four modules; and
• identify institution(s) with appropriate facilities for the production of the complete
training package.

Ms Utari Budihardjo, assistant to the Deputy Minister for Development of Information

Networking in Indonesia presented a report on the pilot test. The pre-test had shown that
the trainees could have been split into two groups: highly skilled and non-skilled.

Lourdes David, professor of the College of Science Library, University of the Philippines
and author of the first two modules, reported on the scope of the modules. The varying
level of English amongst trainees had been taken into consideration in the module
creation. Module 1, which is the basis for all the modules, is more graphical while
Module 2 includes more text. Both modules could, of course, have gone into more detail,
but a decision was made to keep them fairly simple.

One of the trainers at the pilot test in Indonesia, Ms Deepali Talagala, director of the Sri
Lanka Scientific and Technical Information Centre, talked about the different skills
among the students and how the pilot provided the opportunity to test both the ability to
understand the course material by novices and the ability to use the materials by future
trainers. In her concluding remarks Ms Deepali mentioned that the environment at the
training session (in Indonesia) was satisfactory except for the fact that there was no easy
access to the Internet. She suggested that it would be better to provide some instructions
for the trainers to prepare for the different lessons, or to develop another module solely
for the trainers.

A report on the pilot test based on observation and the questionnaires returned by the
trainers and trainees was also presented. This analysis provided some suggestions for
future actions, such as the inclusion of a glossary of terms in the trainee’s manual, more
practical exercises and more detailed explanations in the trainer’s manual. It also
illustrated that the manuals ought to have more examples and figures, and that more time
should be given for trainees to carry out the practical exercises and to prepare
presentations. In Module 2 the analysis showed that trainees required more group
discussion and a thorough introduction to some of the library software utilised in their
particular home region.

The discussion following the presentations resulted in further detailed suggestions for
amendments. The expert group agreed that more basic instructions to the trainees would
be helpful. The requirement to give more content information in the trainer’s manual was
emphasised, and it was suggested that URLs to specific sites were included. Suggestions
for changing the sequence of lessons were also discussed by the expert group. In addition,
it was decided that it was appropriate to look again at the learning outcomes identified at
the first experts’ meeting in Bali and to modify these in the light of experiences with the
pilot test. In particular it was felt necessary to:

• develop generic and specific criteria for selection of trainees;

• design a trainer’s manual to assist in “training the trainer”;
• develop the teaching material further; and
• develop guidelines to train traditional librarians as trainers.

It was planned that amendments to the first two modules would be completed by mid-
2001 and the remaining four modules completed by mid-2002.

4. The six modules

All the modules were launched on the Unesco Bangkok Web site at the end of June 2002
(www.unescobkk.org/ips/ebooks/documents/ictlip/ictlip.htm). As with other material
produced by Unesco the modules belong in the public domain and can be downloaded
and translated freely to any language. (For further information about Unesco and public
domain information see www.unesco.org/webworld/public_domain/public_inf.html).

Figure 1 shows a screenshot from the Web site with an indication of some of the
activities suggested for use with the first module on introducing ICT. The structure for
the vertical menu of options on the left hand side is similar for all modules.
It is anticipated that each module takes five days to complete and is used by the trainers
for a face-to-face training programme which uses a mixture of instructional techniques –
lectures, demonstrations, hands-on practice, case studies, group discussions, site visits as
appropriate. The modules are designed to be self-contained so that they could be taken
independently of each other.

Since the inauguration of ICTLIP in June 2002 statistics show that within the first month
43.42 per cent or 3,823 of the daily queries for CI’s Bangkok Web site were for the
modules, with Module 1 being the most visited (1,447 queries).

It is generally felt that the package has been a success. One reason for this is the process
of production, which, although fairly lengthy, has resulted in a package thought to be
relevant and useful for trainers in the Asia Pacific region. The stages of the production
process were:

• An initial meeting of experts from the region and elsewhere to outline the content
of the modules.
• An author from the region chosen to write the first two modules.
• A pilot course to evaluate the first two modules.
• A second meeting of mostly the same experts to discuss the good and bad
experiences of preparing the first two modules and the pilot course.
• A plan of action for the production of all the modules.
• The writing of the modules involving two authors in the region.
• The editing of the modules by a native English language speaker from outside the
region.
• The launching of the modules.

In 2003 a further evaluation of the package will be carried out and the results will be
published on the Unesco Web site.

5. Future matters

As stated, the aim of ICTLIP was to produce a training package for developing countries
based on “face-to-face” instruction. Unesco’s next mission is to have a distance learning
package for ICT training. Although ICTLIP is available on the Web it must be
emphasised that giving access to the content of a Web site is not to give access to a
distance learning module.

Distance learning describes a teaching-learning relationship where the learners and

teachers are geographically separated and communication between them is through
technical media such as audio and video tele-conferences, audio and video recordings,
personal computer, correspondence texts, and multimedia systems. The principal
technology of current research interest is the Web, supplemented by CD-ROMs.

Meeting the instructional needs of students is the cornerstone of every effective distance
learning programme, and the test by which all efforts in the field are judged. Regardless
of the educational context, the primary role of the student is to learn. This is a daunting
task under the best of circumstances, requiring motivation, planning, and an ability to
analyse and apply the instructional content being taught. When instruction is delivered at
a distance, additional challenges result because students are often separated from others
sharing their backgrounds and interests, have few, if any, opportunities to interact with
teachers outside of class, and must rely on technical linkages to bridge the gap separating
class participants.

Figure 1A screenshot from the Web site

References

David, L.T. (2001a), in Large, A. (Eds),ICT for Library and Information Professionals:
A Training Package for Developing Countries, UNESCO Information and Informatics
Unit, Bangkok, .

[Manual request] [Infotrieve]

David, L.T. (2001b), "Introduction to integrated library systems: module 2", in Large, A.
(Eds),ICT for Library and Information Professionals: A Training Package for
Developing Countries, UNESCO Information and Informatics Unit, Bangkok, .
[Manual request] [Infotrieve]

David, L.T. (2002a), "Information seeking in an electronic environment: module 3", in

Large, A. (Eds),ICT for Library and Information Professionals: A Training Package for
Developing Countries, UNESCO Information and Informatics Unit, Bangkok, .

[Manual request] [Infotrieve]

David, L.T. (2002b), "The Internet as an information resource: module 5", in Large, A.
(Eds),ICT for Library and Information Professionals: A Training Package for
Developing Countries, UNESCO Information and Informatics Unit, Bangkok, .

[Manual request] [Infotrieve]

David, L.T. (2002c), "Web page concept and design: getting a Web site up and running:
module 6", in Large, A. (Eds),ICT for Library and Information Professionals: A Training
Package for Developing Countries, UNESCO Information and Informatics Unit,
Bangkok, .

[Manual request] [Infotrieve]

Ornager, S. (2000), "Report on Unesco’s meeting of experts for the preparation of a

training package on library automation/ICT for developing countries", Program, Vol. 34
No.4, pp.397-401.

[Manual request] [Infotrieve]

Talagala, D. (2002), "Database design, and information storage and retrieval: module 4",
in Large, A. (Eds),ICT for Library and Information Professionals: A Training Package
for Developing Countries, UNESCO Information and Informatics Unit, Bangkok, .

[Manual request] [Infotrieve]