Reviews criteria for assessment of appropriate information technology, comparing characteristics of modern information technology developed and applied in industrialized developed societies with constraints for information utilization in developing countries. Options for information technology are suggested. Four references are provided. (EJS)

This review surveys the literature emanating from less developed countries (LDCs) and international agencies that deals with their perception of the needs of LDCs for scientific and technical information (STI) in relation to social and economic development. It explores five major areas: (1) recognition of STI as it is expressed through…

Provides a background for discussion of the lack of information policies in underdeveloped nations. The paper primarily refers to the conditions and problems of less developed countries, although it is observed that all countries are to a large extent underdeveloped in their information policies. (25 references) (MAB)

Discusses legal, ethical, and economic aspects of free flow of information/data across national borders, as related to both developed and developing countries. Also explores the role of Blacks in telecommunications ownership and policy formation. (GC)

Discusses processes involved in development, operation, and utilization of bibliographic databases--design, data collection, processing, access, and use--and assesses their relevance to developing countries. Utilization of other countries' databases, use of services of organizatons in other countries, and participation in a cooperative system are…

This survey and analysis of the literature emanating from less developed countries (LDCs) and international agencies focuses on their perceptions of the needs of LDCs for scientific and technical information for social and economic development. Constituencies represented include both users and purveyors of information, and planners and…

Commenting on the trends toward the interlocking of emerging information societies and the growing interdependence of countries, this paper suggests the role that "informatics" (the rational and systematic use of information for planning and decision making) may play in the transition of societies into the information age. Two paradoxes…

Discussion of the information needs of agricultural researchers in Africa focuses on the potential usefulness of unpublished reports. Reasons for the underutilization of unpublished reports are addressed, including a lack of access resulting from poor bibliographic control, lack of an information policy in most countries, and inadequate and poorly…

Discusses the concept of gatekeepers in the area of information and culture and presents a model for the information-seeking behavior of ethnolinguistic gatekeepers. Highlights include information needs and use models; information inequity in information and retrieval programs; affective and cognitive domains; and research implications for…

The relationship between the social structure of knowledge systems and knowledge syntheses is explored in order to define the social and cultural requirements for effective linkage. Following an introduction (section 1), analysis is divided into 5 additional sections. Section 2 discusses tools for conceptualizing knowledge systems, including…

The product of advanced information technology and digital transmission capabilities, transborder data flow (TDF)--the flow of information across national borders via computer and other electronic communications systems--has considerable political, social, economic, and legal implications. Important issues in TDF include (1) the regulation of…