Sustainable Development Policy Institute

• Development Monitor/Development Database
• Pakistan Environment Digest (PED)
• Population and Environment Digest (POP Digest)
• The Library
  • Library Consultancy
  • Library Networking

Information and communication are vital to SDPI's research program. SDPI has greatly contributed to improvements in the national information and telecommunication infrastructure and also promoted further research in this sector. Activities in this regard are discussed below:

The Information and Communications Unit provides useful assistance in basic research, facilitated tracking of implementation of the National Conservation Strategy (NCS) and contributes to improvement of the information telecommunication infrastructure at the national level.

Development Monitor/Development Database
This unit prepares an index of current economic and other development news on a daily basis. The computer-readable database contains titles of news items, comments, analysis and announcements appearing in the newspapers: The News, The Nation, Dawn, Business Recorder, Financial Post, weekly Pakistan and Gulf Economist and monthlies Herald, Newsline and Economic Review.

The database includes newspaper clippings. Information is available from September 1993 to date.

The main topics covered are:

· Environment
· Agriculture
· Governance
· NGOs
· Industry
· Fisheries
· International trade
· Human rights
· Women
· Public finance
· Education
· Islamic news
· Economic planning and development
· Information and communications
· National security and politics

Photocopies of the full text of articles are also provided for a fee.

The Development Monitor is used to develop a weekly e-mail newsletter that is sent to more than a thousand users. The newsletter can be accessed through the Electronic News Clippings Archival System (ENCAS) on SDPI's website. The Monitor has 170,604 entries.

SDPI has undertaken a pilot exercise to provide various national and other data sets through a computer program. The program utilizes specially prepared abstracts of various data sets/reports, such as from the Federal Bureau of Statistics and Populations Census Organization, to inform the users about their contents, scope, methodology and components. The development database also includes abstracts from reports covering macro-economic issues from national and international journals. About 250 abstracts have been prepared and placed in the database.

Pakistan Environment Digest (PED)
To keep researchers abreast of current research and emerging issues, SDPI compiles and publishes the Pakistan Environment Digest (PED), a bi-monthly digest of environmental news. PED, initiated in January 1996, is a methodical compilation of selected news, comments, articles, and announcements, concerning the 14 programme areas of the National Conservation Strategy appearing in the print media. SDPI plans to make the Digest available on line. This resource is currently accessible to agencies and individuals interested in planning, implementation and monitoring of NCS related programs. Once on-line, the database will be disseminated to an even wider audience. Special PED issues are periodically published on particular subjects or special occasions.

During the year, nine issues of the PED were printed and distributed.

View PED?

Population and Environment Digest (POP Digest)
The POP Digest is a monthly collation of newspaper clippings from English, Urdu, Sindhi and Pushto mainstream newspapers, magazines and periodicals and is circulated to over 1,000 readers.

During the year, ten issues of POP Digest were published.

For further information visit http://pecc.org.pk/publications.htm

The Library

• Library Consultancy
• Library Networking

SDPI's library is a valuable source of information for researchers at the Institute, academic community linked to the Institute and the general public. Developed through purchase, donation and exchange arrangements, it continued to play a key role in raising awareness on sustainable development environmental issues and other issues of social relevance. At present, the library's holdings exceed 10,000 monographs with special strengths in the areas of development, environment and agriculture; specifically, it has 13,234 books and 4,736 documents. During the reporting period, the Resource Centre (RC) acquired 940 new books and 811 new documents. The library database was also launched on the website using WWWISIS.

The library, besides the main section, has three other sections:

Government publications section
The government publications section exclusively deals with publications comprising of statistical documents, gazettes and reports of various departments of the federal and provincial governments.

Serial section
The serial section of the library subscribes to over 40 national and international journals and periodicals, more than 200 serials, six national dailies, and over 200 newsletters.

Audio-Video and CD-ROM section
The Audio-Video and CD-ROM Section has a selective collection of audios, videos and CD-ROMs. Some of the CD-ROM databases available at the centre are: Grolier's Academic American Encyclopaedia; McGraw-Hill Science & Technical Reference Set; OCLC Environment Library; Popline-Population Database; Public Affairs Information Services (PAIS); Readers Guide Abstracts; Toxline-Toxicological Database; and DAI-Development Activities Information. Currently, the resource centre has 63 CD-ROM databases, 145 audio and 63 video cassettes. Additional resources are available through the Inter-Library Loan Program and the Publication Exchange Program.

Library membership is open to all. At present the library has 184 users and an average of 25 users consult it every week. In addition to minimal service charges, the refundable security deposit is Rs500. Library timings are 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday except for national holidays. Photocopy service of material available in the library is provided for a fee.

Library Consultancy
The Resource Centre has trained staff, which offers library computerisation consultancy on payment. Consultancy projects have been carried out with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). These assignments have helped establish SDPI as a pioneer in library automation. The exercise not only generated funds for the Institute but also helped achieve other objectives of SDPI's Resource Centre such as working towards standardisation of systems, services, practices and procedures. The standardisation will help in communicating with different local libraries. In the longer run, this will contribute to developing a union of libraries for resource sharing in Islamabad.

Library Networking
In order to expand the resources available to researchers, the Interlibrary Loan Network (ILL) among libraries in Islamabad was established in 1993. In addition to informal understanding with major libraries of Pakistan, the Resource Centre has signed ILL agreements with The Network (Association for Rational use of Medication in Pakistan) and the National Documentation Centre, Library & Information Network (NADLIN).

The Institute has also arranged a Publication Exchange Program with 16 organisations in and outside Pakistan. Under this program, SDPI publications are offered in exchange agreements. These organisations include, among others, the Gujrat Institute of Development Research, India; ICIMOD, Nepal; Regional Centre for Strategic Studies, Sri Lanka; and Shirkat Gah, Lahore. The Resource Centre is continuing its efforts to expand this exchange programme.

For further information: Shah Farrukh, Coordinator Resource Center.