Information Retrieval by Using E-Mail Facilities: A Case Study with home-Grown Agricultural Databases in Uganda
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Date
1996-05
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
This study is aimed at designing an improved Information
retrieval system (I RS ) for the agricultural research sector
in Uganda . For this reason, a survey was conducted to
ascertain the information retrieval facilities available in
the libraries of the National Agricultural Research
Organization (NARO), Uganda as well as the information needs
o f the users. The survey was necessary as a basis for
developing an improved IRS.
The Agricultural sector is the engine of growth of the
Ugandan economy . It employs nearly 90% of the country's
population and contributes to over 64% to the government
revenue, over 50% o f the GDP and over 90% of the total
exports . The agricultural research sector, under NARO, has to
meet the challenge o f developing improved technologies t hat
can be used by the farmers.
Findings of this study s how that the existing information
facilities / libraries are not adequate f or the needs o f the
majority of the research scientists in NARO, let alone other
users in the agricultural sector. I n most cases the
information needed is not available in the libraries at their
institutes. Scientists have to search f o r required
information from NADIC, other libraries or use alternative
sources of information such as the invisible college. On the
other hand it was established that there were modest
information resources at NADIC which could be shared by all
research scientists in NARO. For this reason, an Information
retrieval system (IRS) that is based on E-mail has been
proposed. It will enable the users at remote research
institutes to access the information resources that are
available at a central facility located at the National
Agricultural Documentation and Information Centre (NADIC) .
The prototype information retrieval system (IRS) comprises
of three components: NADISRV, a bibliographic information
server which will facilitate the users at remote institutes
to search home-grown databases at NADIC without having to
travel from their stations; and a Selective Dissemination of
Information Service that uses bib serve facilities . By using
the databases that are available at NADIC, the E-mail
assisted SDI service, will periodically update all registered
users about current information in their fields of interest .
These services require as a prerequisite the availability of
active databases . The centralized home-grown databases that
are already existing at NADIC, namely AGRIN, CARIN, AGRINF,
and UT~IST will be used for this purpose . In addition, two
other prototype databases have been established using Micro
CDS/ISIS software. The first one is AGREXP, a database of
profiles of experts in the broad agricultural field, and the
second, is AGRORG, a database of institutions that are
closely or remotely related to agriculture .
The third component of the Information retrieval System (IRS)
is, the NADIC SEARCH INTERFACE, a user friendly interface
which has been developed using the ISIS Pascal interface . The
NADIC SEARCH INTERFACE will allow both the Information
Centre/Library staff and the on-site users to interact with
the system in a friendly way, thus making it easy for the
users to conduct searches for themselves.
Finally, strategies for implementing and managing the
proposed prototype information retrieval system , and
recommendations for further improvements , are suggested.
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Keywords
Information Science