South Asia in the Global Electronic Village: Issues and Implications.

This paper discusses issues related to developments in computer and communication technologies in south Asia. The first section considers the Internet and its impact. Paradigm shifts and globalization are addressed in the second section, including the shifts away from stand alone libraries to library and information networks, ownership to access, just-in-case to just-in-time, print-based publications to digital documents, stand alone libraries to networked systems, intermediary model to end-user model, command-based systems to menu-based systems, linear to non-linear mode of access, hierarchical to non-hierarchical systems, one-way dissemination of information to interactive communication, bundling of scholarly journal to unbundling, stability to instability, physical format to formless data, and top-down to bottom-up systems. The third section examines the existing gaps and inequality between and within developed and developing countries. South Asia and its problems are described in the fourth section, including geographical, socioeconomic, and political factors, as well as steps in the direction of regional cooperation and socioeconomic development such as SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) and SAPTA (SAARC Preferential Trading Arrangement). The conclusion points out the need to coordinate and consolidate the resources and services of different types of libraries in South Asia and describes some resource sharing programs in the region. Contains 32 references. (MES)