"The synthesis of literature quoted in the bibliography and the country reports portrays the public library movement in Africa as being very weak, with numerous problems regarding financial constraints, lack of human resources, outdated materials and poor use. The only sector of the African populati
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on that uses public libraries is school children. However, each country report illustrated that children do not use the materials held in the library but use libraries primarily as places for study, because they are quieter and more spacious than their homes. The consensus of opinion seems to be that African librarians need to rethink what a public library is all about, in terms of what is needed, what will be used, and what is sustainable in Africa. Perhaps some new and more viable visions will result. In particular, public libraries in Africa need to start to be more aggressive and introduce services that are attractive to the users. Librarians must begin to know their potential users, and not only assume that they are school children. More dynamism and more involvement of the user community, extended to all users - school children, adults, literates, non-literates and neo-literates - are required for the improvement of public library services." (Synthesis Report Abstract, page 3)
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"Evaluation (or assessment) of impact is generally regarded as an essential part of the project cycle, and is already well known and widely used in many disciplines - for example, environmental and social sciences, social psychology - and there is increasing evidence of its application to agricultur
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al research. The same pressures as are being felt in agricultural research apply in agricultural information: new technology, in the form of information and communication technologies (ICTs) is increasing the ability to access, collect, process and generate information, but there is also pressure to justify investment, and to demonstrate results (benefits). However, while the 'information/knowledge' culture may be burgeoning due to new ICTs, neither the methodology nor the culture of information impact studies is yet fully developed. There are as yet few methodologies and applications relating to information management in developing countries, and even fewer which have been or could be applied specifically to agricultural information management. This selective review seeks to engender wider knowledge, acceptance and application of evaluation in the field of agricultural information management by showing how it has been approached in other disciplines, in agricultural research, and most recently in information science and management, with some key examples relating to information management in developing countries. Finally, to give some indication of how it works in practice, some recent examples as applied to information management in developing countries are summarised as case studies." (CTA Website Sept. 11 2007)
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"This DFID-funded book offers a literature review of sources that have provided insights on research dissemination both in and outside the UK. They conclude that researchers should consider the potential impact of their outputs much more carefully before producing reports. They identify organisation
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al, practical and psychological barriers to the effective dissemination of information and four explanations of how information influences policy: the 'rational' model (making information available sufficient); the limestone model (information trickles like water through porous rock); the gadfly model (information gets through because dissemination is prioritised as much as research itself); and insider model (researchers exploit links with policy-makers). While they found that non-UK researchers planned a strategy for disseminating information, the UK researchers produced lengthy outputs for a homogenised audience with little strategy for influencing. There should be more consultation between information producers and users of research on the types of outputs and strategies required for dissemination. They argue for (and give examples of) the need for dissemination plans, designing different kinds of outputs for different audiences and considering dissemination from the beginning of a project rather than the end. Their very varied case studies illustrate which dissemination strategies work in which contexts, ranging from very practical advice about translating research outputs into local languages, to more abstract principles about how dissemination can be useful if seen as a process of mutual learning. They also offer specific suggestions to contractors and DFID, as well as useful checklists of questions for researchers about planning effective dissemination, plus advantages and disadvantages of different dissemination 'pathways' (e.g. manuals, networks and briefs etc.)." (ODI website)
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"This document contains 667 references and has been organized according to recent findings in our review of the application of current communication frameworks to HIV/AIDS communication. In short, there seems to be a consensus among academics, researchers, and practitioners that a new framework in H
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IV/AIDS communication must not only take into account theoretical and practical frameworks traditionally applied to HIV/AIDS communication (namely theories in social psychology), but also must consider the concept of context, defined as the interrelations of five key domains: government policy, spirituality, gender relation, culture, and socio-economic status. In other words, future HIV/AIDS communication efforts must address individual beliefs and actions within certain contexts that influence HIV/AIDS education and prevention. The first section of this annotated bibliography contains references related to the different theoretical concepts widely utilized in HIV/AIDS communication, and examples of their application in different settings. The theories considered are the diffusion of innovations, the health belief model, the theory of reasoned action, the AIDS risk-reduction and management model, the sense-making approach, and social learning and cognitive theories. The second section of this bibliography covers examples and reports of HIV/AIDS communication campaigns. In doing so, it provides references dealing with traditional mass media campaigns, multimedia campaigns, and the role of interpersonal and small-group communication in media campaigns; as well as more recent approaches to health and HIV/AIDS communication such as media advocacy and entertainment-education. The third section of this document contains references on community response to HIV/AIDS. Culture and context occupy the fourth section, which includes citations that might help users identify key references associated with some of the issues identified as highly relevant to future HIV/AIDS communication, such as language and different ways of knowing and communicating in varied contexts." (Introduction)
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"This international survey of literature on women an mass communications focuses on the 1990s and continues where the first volume (1991) left off. Some pre-1990 works that were omitted in the first volume are included here as well. The work is organized by continents and regions. The first chapter
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provides a global perspective, and the following chapters are divided topically. All genres of publications, such as books, periodicals, dissertations, and conference papers, are examined." (Catalogue Greenwood Publishing 2000)
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"[...] Sieht man von dem Mini-Kapitel 1 Weltüberblicke und Gesamtdarstellungen (64 Titel) und dem gleichfalls kurzen Kapitel 2 Einzelne Kontinente [...] (297) ab, entfällt der ganze Rest von 8825 Titeln auf Kapitel 3 auf nicht weniger als 181 Einzelne Staaten. Unter diesen sind natürlich jene bes
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onders interessant, die nennenswerte deutsche Minderheiten beherberg(t)en, da diese Abschnitte genau genommen eine Fortsetzung der vorhergehenden Bände darstellen und i.d.R. mehr Interesse beanspruchen können, als zahlreiche Kleinbeiträge z.B. über die Presse der USA aus deutscher Feder. Nehmen wir als Beispiel Rumänien. Von den insgesamt 228 Titeln entfallen immerhin 194 auf die Presse der deutschen Minderheit (von ganz wenigen Ausnahmen für andere Minderheiten abgesehen), geordnet nach regionalen Darstellungen, sodann nach Literatur über einzelne Orte, innerhalb nach allgemeinen Titeln, einzelnen Verlagen bzw. Druckereien und schließlich nach einzelnen Zeitungsunternehmen." (Klaus Schreiber, in: Informationsmittel für Bibliotheken (IFB) 6(1998) Nr.3-4)
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"This book combines bibliographic essay and theory construction to provide a perspective on ritual as a special and powerful form of communication. Part one is a critical review of definitions of ritual from anthropology, sociology, communication studies and other literature, ending with a theoretic
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al essay on the contributions of communication theory to understanding ritual. Part two is a critical review of the uses of the term ritual in communication studies literature, covering mediated rituals and ceremonies, ritualistic media uses and audience activities, political, rhetorical and civic rituals, rituals of everyday interaction, rituals of organizational life and finally a conception of communication as ritual." (Publisher description)
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"In diesem Werk werden 44 ausgewählte Materialien zum Thema Umweltkommunikation inhaltlich vorgestellt und in Hinsicht auf ihren Nutzen für EZ-Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeiter bewertet [...] Ziel der vorliegenden Bibliographie ist es, interessierten EZ-MitarbeiterInnen im In- und Ausland wichtige
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Bücher und Materialien zum Thema "strategische Kommunikation in Umweltprojekten" vorzustellen und zu empfehlen. Da für die Mehrzahl der MitarbeiterInnen eine eigene Recherche in Bibliotheken zu zeitaufwendig wäre, soll die Bibliographie eine Vorauswahl ermöglichen, so daß ein einfacher und gezielter Zugang zu einem interessanten Text ermöglicht wird." (Einführung, Seite 6-7)
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"Cette étude et cette bibliographie traitent des attitudes africaines à l'égard du livre, des habitudes de lecture et des politiques de promotion d'une culture de la lecture. La bibliographie fournit des détails sur 218 références bibliographiques, la plupart en français, mais aussi un bon no
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mbre d'articles et d'autres documents en anglais. Chaque entrée fait l'objet d'une annotation descriptive assez complète." (Hans M. Zell, Publishing, Books & Reading in Sub-Saharan Africa, 3d ed. 2008, nr. 2172)
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