Applied science and technology research in Egypt, development of Egyptian scientific and technical information services : final report

Final report covers period 9/78-4/82 and is based on document review, site visits, and interviews. Phase 1 of the project was intended to establish a basis for longer-term development of a nationwide system of scientific and technical information services. Four concurrent activities were undertaken: (1) a design study for a nationwide system of STI services; (2) a pilot experiment with a computer-accessed information service; (3) a Stage I planning study to identify the documentary literature for subsequent Stage II acquisition and delivery; and (4) a short-term, non-degree training program in the U.S. for Egyptian information specialists. The design study proposes establishment of a public utility for the management and use of STI; the composition and functions of the national STI system are defined and explained; and a "Council on Information Services and Resources" is proposed and functionally defined. Its "Board" would be representative of the three major autonomous groups comprising the system: users, information services, and document repositories. Outputs of the Phase I design effort included a series of technical and study reports addressing the design and its implementation. Fifteen Egyptian information workers received 105 months of non-degree training in the U.S. A survey was made to assess Egyptian resource institutions (information centers and libraries, etc.) and the quality of their collections; significant lists of primary and secondary documentary sources useful to developing countries were compiled. A database search service experiment was conducted to demonstrate the features and benefits of online access to or search of large computerized bibliographic databases. Satisfactory results were achieved by the project despite difficulties both of a management and a cultural nature. The basic difficulty through Phase I was caused by the lack of continuous on-site (in Cairo) availability of National Science Foundation project management and U.S. contractor technical expertise, essential in a project of this type. A bibliography of 22 technical reports produced in Phase I is appended.