advance. It would also make it possible for these 

 scientists to contribute to the world stream of 

 scientific knowledge without, as so often happens now, 

 having to move to developed countries to find the 

 facilities they need. 



18. Information Sharing 



Systems for effectively gathering, organizing, 

 disseminating, and using data and information are basic 

 tools for conducting research and managing modern 

 economies. Despite evidence that developing countries 

 want both to manage their own information resources 

 more effectively and to achieve better access to the 

 international "knowledge sector," relatively few 

 resources have been devoted to such activities. 



Later chapters in this report suggest that the 

 United States help developing countries build 

 specialized systems to provide data on energy supply, 

 land-use planning, and many other subjects, and that it 

 support specialized information centers or services for 

 weather and crops, germ plasm collection, and water 

 treatment, among others. The need to link 

 international data and information with national 

 development programs — through data banks, repository 

 libraries, referral and extension services, 

 clearinghouses, and use of appropriate forms of systems 

 analysis — is cited repeatedly. 



Information supply and management is becoming a 

 more specialized field. We believe that the United 

 States, with its strong public and private 

 capabilities, can help developing countries in three 

 ways: (1) by helping to strengthen national 

 capabilities in information management, (2) by 

 developing programs to train information specialists 

 and "consumers," and (3) by promoting greater access to 

 U.S. information resources. Considerable opportunity 

 exists for the private sector to become involved in 

 these programs. The important thing is to tie 

 information services as directly as possible to 

 specific user needs. 



In arriving at a national information policy, 

 developing countries are wise to give priority to 

 strengthening information systems in subject areas of 

 greatest importance to them. Nevertheless, certain 

 general services are important to the efficient use of 

 any information resources. These include national 

 bibliographic control, document reproduction and 

 delivery, translation facilities, information 

 processing technologies, training of specialists, and 

 programs to teach "consumers" how to use modern 

 information services. It would be appropriate, 



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