Enhancing Access to Online Information by Researchers and Extension Agents in Rural Uganda through a Voucher System
 
Dramatic changes have taken place in the way academic, research and development communities’ access and exchange information worldwide. Electronic access to information, especially via the Internet, has grown rapidly over the past few years. This development is providing a new opportunity for promoting, exchanging and distributing scholarly and research information. Researchers and extension agents across the world are now increasingly finding it important to have fast and easy access to national and international information resources like journals and other information gateways in order to improve efficiency and enhance their work.
 
The project “Enhancing Access to Online Information by Researchers and Extension Agents in Rural Uganda through a Voucher System” was implemented by The Rural Empowerment Network (REN), in partnership with the International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP) – Programme for the Enhancement of Research Information (PERii) during the period 2009/2010.
It was based on the voucher concept of information service delivery which sought to enhance researchers’ and extension agents’ access to online information. This was done through the provision of knowledge and skills to participants in order to access and effectively utilise online information products and services provided by INASP/PERii Uganda Programme, REN and other online information services.
This approach of information service delivery responds to specific identified information needs using various actors and tools to capture process and disseminate appropriate and timely information. The voucher system is an important tool in enabling information services to gauge the information needs of users and also provide appropriate responses to these needs.
The project covered two districts of Kasese and Mityana. At each site, the training targeted 25 researchers/scientists, and 25 extension agents and it was assumed that all participants had at least a basic appreciation of computers and had used the Internet before.
During the course of the project, two hundred (200) requests were received and responded to. An analysis of the information requests reveals that 103 requests were from Mityana and 93 were from Kasese. 105 of the requests were by researchers and 95 were by extension agents.
The project complemented other initiatives in order to fill the gap created by lack of access to online information and the unavailability of relevant information to end users in most rural areas of the country.
This approach is an effective way to effectively draw out the information needs of users and address them. This is because it:
·        Turns information needs into demand
·        Provides equitable access because vouchers can be targeted to specific target groups – in this case researchers and extension agents
·        Gives high returns for investment as compared to other systems of knowledge transfer because only requested information is made available
·        Ensures the mining of relevant content from various information sources and therefore facilitating the use of research findings.
·        Maps information sources
After the training, 200 information requests (vouchers) were responded to. All 200 questions and their answers were compiled into a database which is downloadable for use in the present and future by different end users of this highly scientific and scholarly information.
 
 
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