The preliminary version of the Directory of Fisheries and Aquaculture Information Resources in Africa was prepared by staff of the Fisheries Library, FAO, in collaboration with the staff of the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) and the RECOSCIX-WIO Project in Mombasa, Kenya. It was published as FAO Fisheries Circular 960 in 2000 and distributed primarily to the 282 organizations for which some basic data had been collected.
The data is available as a CDS/ISIS database, the structure for which is based on the Directory of European Aquatic Sciences Libraries and Information Centres, produced by EURASLIC in 1994.
Establishing contacts and collecting the data gave an indication of the extreme difficulties faced by many institutions with regard to communications, even at the level of postal services. Fortunately, the availability of electronic mail services in Africa has continued to improve, which has a very positive impact on the work of libraries, information producers and information services. However, there is no doubt that many of the libraries listed are still at a disadvantage with regard to the availability of modern information and communication technology.
The preliminary version of the Directory was distributed in order to obtain feedback on its content and to improve upon the data for the updated edition. Thanks are due to the many librarians and other colleagues in Africa who have provided their ideas and positive feedback, as well as assisting in the collection of better data.
Fodé Karim Kaba, Chef de Service de l’Information et de Valorisation (SIVA), at the Centre National des Sciences Halieutiques de Boussoura, Guinea, has provided the information relevant for francophone African countries, as well as valuable input about the organization and dissemination of fisheries information in Africa.
Comments on omissions and suggestions for improvement of the Directory would be welcome. Please send to the FAO Fisheries Library, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy.
