Application of information technology for research in Tanzania: feedback from agricultural researchers
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Date
2002
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Abstract
This paper reports results of a study aimed at assessing
agricultural researchers' access to information technology
facilities. It also examines to what extent such facilities are
used in facilitating researchers' access to scientific information.
Data were collected through a questionnaire survey
to 321 agricultural researchers selected randomly at 13
research centres throughout the country. The response rate
obtained was 76.3%. Out of 244 respondents, 170 (69.7%)
reported having access to internet or e-mail facilities. While
79.3% of the respondents having access to the internet
reported using the facility frequently for information search,
the e-mail facility was not popularly used by the respondents
for information requests to sources outside respondents'
institutions. CD-ROMtechnology was found not to be readily
available to many respondents because of the unavailability
of such facilities at their research centres and minimal use
of e-mail facilities for resource sharing with other centres'
CD-ROMdatabases. It is concluded that, along with a low
level of information technology development in the country,
the available information technology facilities have not been
fully exploited to facilitate agricultural researchers' accessto information. Some measures to improve information technology
infrastructure and its use for improvement of
research productivity are recommended.
Description
Journal ofInformation Science 2002, 28 (2) :157-162
Keywords
Information and communication technologies, Information sharing, Scientific information access, Agricultural research