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LanTEEAL 2.0 – bigger, better, and
faster!
We are launching a brand-new version of
LanTEEAL with the 2006 update, which includes an overhauled interface and
improved search capabilities. LanTEEAL 2.0 runs in a browser window, and for
networks running Windows Server, there are no limitations to the number of
simultaneous users!
Access the same quality full-text
scientific literature, but with a look and feel more closely resembling your
favorite research databases such as EBSCO and ISI Web of Science.
The interface is intuitive and
easy-to-use – although of course there will be a full help section included.
Furthermore, all articles in the 1993-2006 collection are now PDFs for easy
opening, viewing, and printing.
All subscribers ordering the 2006
update will receive an entirely new hard drive loaded with the entire database
at no extra charge. Our new hard drives are smaller AND have more capacity, so
there’s no worry about running out of space with future updates.
The expected launch date for the new
software is mid-February 2008.
ITOCA conducting Tertiary Agricultural
Education (TAE) Institutional Survey
ITOCA is currently conducting
interviews on behalf of a major international foundation with significant
grant-making activities in agricultural development. We are carrying out an
assessment to understand the current status and role of Tertiary Agricultural
Education (TAE), research and extension within all Sub Sahara Africa countries.
The aim of the initiative is to assess the gaps, challenges and opportunities
in improving the agricultural productivity for small holder farmers and to
understand ways in which these activities could be strengthened. Our findings
will help to inform the future work of the Foundation in the region.
To date ITOCA has interviewed over 300
professionals from about 100 TAE, research and extension institutions in 20 Sub
Sahara African countries. The data collected and findings will be published on
a new portal for TAE in Africa set for launch July 2008. The TAE-Africa portal
is aimed at informing further investment into human capital and institutional
development in TAE in the region and policy makers, development organizations,
academic and research organizations will benefit from the portal.
121 Trainers trained in 2007
In 2007, ITOCA managed to conduct four
national workshops in Zimbabwe, Uganda, Nigeria and Tanzania. The workshops
brought together a total of 121 participants from 82 institutions which
included, training hospitals, national agricultural research institutions,
health research institutions, and institutions of higher learning. In the past
years the downstream training effect has been around 65% and this is expected
to be even higher as evidence is already showing that more and more training is
happening on the ground as reflected in the feedback reports of the trained
participants.
The workshop model developed in 2004
has continued to be robust and appropriate for the audience. ITOCA continually
updates and modifies the content inline with new improved developments and the
platform for delivery (PowerPoint presentations interspersed with hands-on
exercises) remain appropriate. Incorporating feedback from participants the
workshop duration has been extended from 3 to 4 days. The overall comments from
participants show that the short, in-depth, hands-on , and face-to-face
approach is an effective way of maximizing usage of electronic resources.
More training workshops are being
planned for 2008 and the training calendar is available from https://www.itoca.org/
HINAGOA User Forum kicks-off on a high
note!
The HINAGOA user forum kicked off on a
very high note with a lot of users and interested parties joining the forum.
The past month has been left for the users of the forum to introduce themselves
and get a feel of who is where and doing what in the forum. Its encouraging
that already there has been some networking among the participants which is one
of the objectives of the forum. Beginning of 2008 will see the introduction of
themes for discussion by forum participants .
The goals of the forum are to:
· identify
and mobilize HINAGOA users in Africa and create a formal forum of users that
support the programmes’ development.
· network
and influence the formation of user chapters in each of the initially selected
ten African countries.
· document
the lessons from the project with the aim of expanding the initiative
throughout the eligible countries in Africa and replicating the model through
out other regions of the world.
To join the forum you can go to: https://www.itoca.org/hinagoa_usercommunity.htm
Downstream training at the Infectious
Disease Institute in Uganda by Anselm Olweny
Since my AGORA/HINARI training I have
been able to do some training at my institution. As part of our HIV training
programme, we have a literature search session where I have had the opportunity
to train participants in online literature searches and full text retrieval.
Essentially I conduct training on how to search and retrieve full text
biomedical literature using HINARI through PubMed, Cochrane library, POPLINE. I
also take the participants through ELDIS and search engines like Google scholar
and Google itself and then advise them to use HINARI to access the full texts
if necessary.
Since my Training in April, I have
trained a total of 114 as below.
Staff trainings |
Date of Literature search training |
Number of participants |
Research Department staff |
Wednesday, 16th May 2007 |
6 |
Clinic Department staff (Doctors) |
Wednesday, 23rd May 2007 |
8 |
Training Courses |
||
Core course – A3 |
Thursday, 10th May 2007 |
23 |
Research in HIV care |
Monday, 28th May 2007 |
14 |
Core course – A4 |
Tuesday 4th September 2007 |
22 |
Research in HIV care |
Monday 24th September 2007 |
12 |
Evidenced based medicine |
Tuesday 30th October 2007 |
29 |
Total |
114 |
However the main complaint I receive
after training is that the system is quite slow and this tends to frustrate it
users. There are also some journals listed in HINARI but we are not able to get
full access.
Olweny Anselm
Librarian
Infectious Disease Institute
PO Box 22418
Kampala, Uganda
e-mail: aolweny@idi.co.ug
If you would also like to give us
feebback on your training sessions and the problems you are facing please send
an email to itoca@itoca.org
What they said about HINARI/ AGORA/OARE
and Training Workshops in 2007
My Institution and I have benefited a
lot from your training in Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) which was conducted in the
mid of September 2007.
Basically I attended the Training and eventually transfered the acquired
knowledge and skills to our users.
I have to congratulate you all facilitators, for your recommendable good work,
and hope all the stakeholders in this initiatives will keep on enhancing this
programme.
James Ndege
Librarian
Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority
I have just completed (this morning)a
9.00 am – 12.00 pm training session with 28 students of our Masters in Public
Health Leadership and Save the Mothers programme including 1 of their staff. It
was enlightening to them and they were delighted, “I have learned something new
today”, one of them said. Many expressed appreciation of the new found treasure
of knowledge, and especially for the fact that it is free.
David Bukenya
Uganda Christian University Library
This was a very fruitful workshop and
it will have a positive impact on my work. More of such workshops should be
held through-out Africa so that researchers can benefit from these invaluable
resources
Wilson Yule
Researcher/Writer
Southern Africa Research and Documentation Centre -(SARDC) – Zimbabwe
HINARI Journals access rights
We would like to bring to the attention
of our HINARI users that within the HINARI framework, publishers are entitled
to choose what titles to include and what not to include in countries where
they have significant business or local sales agents. We urge you to please
read the Publishers’ Statement on the HINARI website (http://www.who.int/hinari/statementofintent/en/ )
and pay particular attention to bullet 5. Currently HINARI offers over 3700
titles and even when a publisher does not give you access to their journals,
your country will still have significant access . If for example publisher X
contributes 150 journals to HINARI and due to significant business in country Y
they don’t give access to their titles, Country Y will still access more than
3400 titles free through HINARI.
Please take note that having problems
accessing any full text does not necessarily mean you don’t have access rights.
Should you have problems accessing any journal please do not hesitate sending
an email to hinari@who.int or itoca@itoca.org