This is one of a series of Education Papers issued periodically by the Education Department of the Department for International Development. Each paper represents a study or piece of commissioned research on some aspect of education and training in developing countries. This study was commissioned by the Overseas Development Administration…

A review of 19 university libraries in 12 African countries compared the benefits and drawbacks of information technology (IT), concluding that IT will not reduce the need for books and journals and that IT's biggest potential is in increasing intra-Africa communication and providing links to the outside world. (PEN)

Discussion of the information needs of rural people in developing countries focuses on rural community resource centers in Africa. Topics addressed include centers run by the local community versus those run by a public library system; rural resource centers in Sierra Leone; community information centers in Asia; information transfer; and training…