What next?

The model of creating synergism and connections between librarians and computer scientists and focussing their energies on basic digital library projects will be replicated in other parts of Latin America. In September 2000 a group of librarians from Colombia, Bolivia and Peru met in conjunction with the VII Journadas Iberoamericanan de Informatica in Cartagena de Indias (Colombia). They received a whole day workshop on digital theses and dissertations by Ana Pavani (author of Chapter 7) and were exposed to the broader aspects of information science in society and made important contacts for future joint initiatives. Funding were provided by ISTEC, UNESCO, the Agencia Espanola de Cooperacion International and CYTED (Programa Iberoamericano de Ciencia y Technologia para el Desarrollo), Subprograma VII: Electronica e Informatica Aplicadas. This type of joint funding takes a lot of time and effort to organize but is critical for creating opportunities in under-served countries.

The OAS and ISTEC are planning regional digital library workshops in other parts of Latin America and are assisting governments to draft suitable policies to improve access to information, especially in electronic format. Chapter 11 will explore the future role of the OAS in the development of digital libraries in greater detail.