FIFTH APINMAP MANAGEMENT BOARD MEETING
The Fifth Asian Pacific Information Network on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (APINMAP) Management Board Meeting was held in Manila, Philippines from 16-18 October 1996. At the meeting it was decided to continue APINMAP with the support of the National Nodes (NNs) and the Secretariat and Technical Network Center; and to strengthen its income-generating activities to support its operations. The opening session set the tone of the meeting, focusing attention on APINMAP's future operations after 1996, when UNESCO's support may possibly be terminated, and the form in which it will continue to operate. In this context it may be noted that the National Institute of Science Communication is the focal point in India.
The Board agreed that APINMAP networking should continue, as it benefits the member countries, its user communities in the region and those in other parts of the world. The National Nodes will continue to use their internal sources of funds for activities at the national level. The Board recognized the critical role that UNESCO support has provided in upgrading the human and infrastructure resources of the NNs to undertake the production of information products and services.
In order to sustain the continuing operation of APINMAP, the NNs, individually and collectively, will pursue a three-pronged strategy that will generate revenues by selling existing information products and services, engaging in consultancy, and other income-generating activities; prepare specific, time-bound, product development proposals for submission to funding agencies; and develop newer resources that could generate revenues in the future.
The Network will pursue exploiting the revenue-generating potential of its Information Data Banks by putting them on the Internet on a fee basis; and undertaking market studies, and a project proposal on Oral Indigenous Knowledge in the use of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants : Preservation and Accessibility.
Considering that networking is a UN policy, the Board appealed to UNESCO to support its new networking initiatives, submitted as proposals or business plans, through UNESCO's regional and national participation programmes, or by promoting its activities with relevant funding agencies. To strengthen its position, APINMAP will prepare an Accomplishment Report that highlights the impact of APINMAP networking on the user communities at the national, regional and international levels; and distribute this report to the Intergovernmental Council of the General Information Programme (PGI).
14th FID/CAO CONGRESS & ASSEMBLY
Congress and General Assembly of the FID/CAO (The FID Regional Commission for Asia) is being held in New Delhi, India on 20-21 November 1997 hosted by Indian National Scientific Documentation Centre (INSDOC), New Delhi.
Theme : Migrating to Electronic Information Era Related Issues :
* Information transfer
* Text, voice and video mail
* Electronic Newspaper
* Video Conferencing
* Band widh : Availability Vs requirements
* Multimedia information communication
* Intelligent archival navigation
Pre-Congress Workshop : A workshop on Records Management Fundamentals, to be held on 18-19 November 1997.
Programme:
18 Nov 1997 : FID/RAM working session I
19 Nov 1997 : FID/ARM workshop session II
20 Nov 1997
Forenoon : Congress Inauguration
Afternoon : Technical Session I
21 Nov 1997
Forenoon : Technical Session II
Afternoon : General Assembly
22 Nov 1997 : Post-Congress Tour.
Call for Papers
Papers are invited to be presented in Technical sessions on any of the topics listed under the theme. Participants are requested to submit an abstract of 300 words by 30 Sept 1997 and the full paper by 15 October 1997 at the address given below:
Address for Communication:
Smt. Renu Arora, Secretary, FID/CAO
INSDOC, 14 Satsang Vihar Marg
New Delhi - 110 067 INDIA
Fax : 91-11-686-2228
E-mail: Fidcao@sirnetd.ernet.in
National Convention of Medical Library Association of India—MLAI 97
The National Convention of the Medical Library Association of India (MLAI) will be held in the last week of November 1997 at Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow.
Main theme of the convention is 'Health Information in the Modern Age'. Sub themes are : health information sources, services, products and institutions; health information networking; Internet searching; manpower development ; future of medical information, etc. For further information contact:
The Secretary, MLAI or the Organising Secretary at the following address:
Dr. PP Rawat,
Organising Secretary - MLAI 97
Chief Librarian
Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences
Rai-Bareli Road,
Lucknow - 226001