Advanced information library infrastructure: as an important social tool for the prevention of crisis situations in Central Asia

Citation

Rakhmatullaev, M.A. (2002), "Advanced information library infrastructure: as an important social tool for the prevention of crisis situations in Central Asia", Library Hi Tech News, Vol. 19 No. 9. https://doi.org/10.1108/lhtn.2002.23919iaf.003

Advanced information library infrastructure: as an important social tool for the prevention of crisis situations in Central Asia

Marat A. Rakhmatullaev

It is not necessary to prove how much the development of an information infrastructure influences the ideology, education system and culture of any country. Information isolation, restriction of access to knowledge sources and the lack of open information dialogue instill an epidemic of fundamentalist ideology with the limitation of thinking, and Islamic fanaticism. The events in Afghanistan are evident examples of that. The Taliban movement from the beginning of its existence had as a purpose the information isolation of the country by closing access to TV broadcasts, and by destroying the information infrastructure of the country. The events of September 2001 demonstrated the results of fanaticism, born of Islamic fundamentalism, the limitation of a choice of decisions, and an information vacuum for the population.

The geopolitical situation of Uzbekistan determines its special role in the development of the social and political situation in Central Asia. The development of a library and information infrastructure for the Republic has an important meaning not only for raising the cultural level, education and economy, but also for protection of the population from the influence of Islamic fundamentalism.

There are more than 15,000 libraries in Uzbekistan, and about 7,000 of them are public libraries. As libraries are a popular place for supplying information to a wide circle of the population, only libraries can become information and resource centres for rendering information and methodic support to the population by providing open access to objective information.

Development of the Republic's information infrastructure by the introduction of new information technologies in libraries and a distributed library network would provide the population with operative and authentic information on occurring events, and protect them from an alien ideology.

One of the major strategic directions in the development of a library and Information network for the Uzbekistan Republic is the creation of the National Information Science and Education Network (UzREN), designed to provide the population of the Republic with open and cheap access to technology, education, and popular information. The necessity for the realization of such a project is dictated by the following:

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  There are many state and charitable funding programs in Uzbekistan, designed for the development of systems and networks for open access to educational, technological, legal, and other information needs. There is the State Program, "Republic Education Network of Technological Information," resolutions of Cabinet Ministers in the Uzbekistan Republic on Internet development, "Internet", "Education," "Library" programs of OSI-Uzbekistan, programs on Internet support by NATO, IREX, EURASIA Foundation, and others. Their contribution to developing the information infrastructure is very efficient. The NATO project in Uzbekistan increases access to external traffic by a factor of six. But the absence of a unit strategy for the support of an information and education infrastructure does not allow the Republic to achieve its main purposes.

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  Access to electronic databases and the content of publishers of information production is very expensive for Uzbekistan subscribers. Companies with the assistance of international charitable funds are ready to make the significant discounts (up to 99 per cent) for libraries and library consortia of Uzbekistan (according to the eIFL international project). But even such discounts do not allow the provision to libraries of electronic information resources because of the low level of their software and hardware.

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  Internet traffic in Uzbekistan is expensive for the information search for disembodied knowledge and information.

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  The existing telecommunication infrastructure does not satisfy the constantly growing demands of educational organizations, R&D, NGO, commercial and state organizations for access to Internet sources.

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  Existing NGOs, and their initiatives are in an information vacuum (access to the information on their activity is limited or fragmented).

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  In order to activate the development of education, science and culture in Uzbekistan, there is a great need for the creation of an advanced information network to provide cheap access to global and local science and education information sources.

The Science and Technology Center, OSI-Uzbekistan, the Science Committee of NATO, the Ministry of Higher Education, UNDP, the Uzbekistan Library Association and other organizations participate in the development, financing, and realization of the project.

Realization of the project will allow the provision of access for scientific and educational organizations (in Republican intranet) to such important information sources as resources of the international eIFL project (currently there are 84 Uzbekistan libraries participating in the eIFL international consortium), and to other foreign and local databases, and will have a positive influence on the development of science, education and culture.

In 2001 in Uzbekistan the project on development of an information and library infrastructure of regions adjoining Afghanistan was begun. The purpose of the project was to provide online methods to inform the Uzbekistan population about events in the Central Asian region and the world by creation of an advanced computer-based information infrastructure of Uzbekistan, using a basis of the distributed network of public libraries. At the moment the population of Uzbekistan, living in the Surkhan-Darya adjoining the Afghanistan region, needs access to information, which would reflect the various points of view on the Central Asian situation caused by events in Afghanistan. The Surkhan-Darya region is one of the 13 regions of Uzbekistan where about 1,800,000 people live. There are more than 420 rural public libraries in the region, which have the potential and effective tools for wide distribution of information to serve this population. In this connection, the development of a system for the Surkhan-Darya region information provision is most important at the first stage of creation of the information and library infrastructure of the Republic.

Objectives of the project's first stage are:

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  To inform operatively the population of the 21 regions of the Surkhan-Darya region about events in the Central Asia region and the world through the network of public libraries.

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  Technical training to support the 21 rural public libraries of the Surkhan-Darya region for work as information and training centres.

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  To hold a series of seminars and training courses for the Surkhan-Darya region librarians in computer-aided teaching, Internet navigation, learning databases and working with the automated library system, information service to the representatives of small and mid-sized businesses, marketing and management skills for librarians and others involved in these activities.

Expected results of the first stage are:

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  The population of the 21 Surkhan-Darya rural regions can regularly receive access through public libraries, connected to the information library network, to objective information on the situation in Central Asia. An advanced information and library infrastructure of the Surkhan-Darya area will be realized and maintained.

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  Independent thinking and civil self-consciousness of the region population will rise.

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  About 120 librarians of the 21 Surkhan-Darya regions, trained in computer-aided teaching, and Internet navigation, will work with databases and modern library management and marketing.

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  An increase in the general educational and cultural levels of the region's population, which will protect it from the influence of fundamental Islamic ideologies and aggressive Islamic actions.

The Library Association of the Surkhan-Darya region (SAL) with methodical support and monitoring of the Uzbekistan Library Association (ULA) is carrying out the first stage of the project. To kick off the project, SAL together with ULA is taking the following steps:

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  Selecting the librarians to work on the project.

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  Installing computers in SAL educational centres and engaging in the installation of computers in 20 rural public libraries, participating in the project. There will be an educational centre for carrying out educational seminars and training courses for rural librarians.

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  Connecting all libraries to the Internet.

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  Holding training courses, seminars and round tables that will be organized on the following themes: computer-aiding teaching, Internet navigation and work with databases, and with automated library systems; information service for representatives of small and mid-sized businesses, modern library marketing and management for librarians; (ten groups with 12 trainees in each). Highly qualified experts from the International Library Information and Analytical Center (ILIAC), the Russia Culture Institute, ULA, and the Fundamental Library of Uzbekistan Academy of Science will participate in seminars and round tables. Trainers of ULA already have trained two trainers from SAL in the education centre of the Fundamental Library of the Academy of Science.

ULA and OSI-Uzbekistan are carrying out the constant monitoring of the project using the following methods:

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  Utilizing the mission of the experts of Uzbekistan Library Association for rendering the practical help for project realization.

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  Creating an organization of workshops in each regional centre on the theme: "Carrying out the system of access to objective information on the situation in Central Asia and its influence on public development in the region".

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  Holding quarterly meetings of the coordinators of libraries for the monitoring and analysis of the project execution.

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  Having the trainers at rural libraries hold additional training courses for librarians and directors of libraries.

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  Making this the first stage of development of the library-information infrastructure of regions adjoining Afghanistan, which should merge with the projects and telecommunication structures of Samarkand, Tashkent, Tashkent region and other projects.

Now we finally have a first set of results of realizing the goals of the project. All libraries of the region already have received computer equipment. Two trainers, who work in Termez libraries, were trained in the Fundamental Library of the Academy of Science in Tashkent. After that, trainers who were trained in Tashkent , have trained more than 40 librarians from five districts of the region.

Local prefectures help libraries for Internet connectivity and have paid all the expenses for it. And now all 21 libraries of the region have Internet connectivity and e-mail services. For the first time people in remote districts have the opportunity to connect to Internet resources and have e-mail connection with their relatives who live abroad. They can receive information from their children or friends or brothers and sisters who learn and live in the USA, Germany, Russia and other countries. It is a new window to the world for people of the region. In addition, all these libraries receive information about events in the Central Asian region and world from the Uzbekistan Library Association and the Surkhandarya Library Association. The information includes data about the development of library and Internet projects in Uzbekistan and in foreign countries, new information resources, Internet and library training courses, important events of political, cultural, scientific life and others. Librarians arrange stands in foyers of these libraries where they hand out the information papers. People can come to libraries, obtain news and converse with one another. It is a new form of human relations and is important for developing the educational and cultural level of the region's population.

Marat A. Rakhmatullaev (Marat@osi.uz.) is with the Uzbekistan Library Association, Tashkent, Uzbekistan.