Networking activities in Southeast Asia

Abstract

This paper is confined to a discussion of networking activities in ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) comprising the states of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Three key factors can be identified as having had a great impetus towards the creation of regional networks, viz.: structural changes in the economies of ASEAN; improvements and growth in the telecommunications and computer industries; realization that information is a strategic resource and that there is a need to achieve some degree of independence in the provision of information. To simplify discussion, networks in ASEAN are discussed under two main headings: library-based networks and subject networks. Within each category, differentiation is made between regional and national networks. The regional networks discussed include the NLDC-SEA (National Libraries and Documentation Centre-Southeast Asia) Consortium and its SEAPRINT Project, AGRIS, fisheries information systems and networks, and APINMAP (Asian and Pacific Information Network on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants). Most of the national networks mentioned are those located in Malaysia and Singapore, and include library networks such as MALMARC (Malaysian MARC system) and SILAS (Singapore Integrated Library Automation Service) as well as a large number of commercial networks providing legal, credit, business and financial information services. Some of the issues and problems relating to regional networks are briefly discussed. These include the adoption of standards, transborder data flow, the language of communication, financial problems and resource limitations. The paper ends with a short note on the appropriateness of the network as a vehicle for the cooperative collection, organization, processing and dissemination of information in the light of current developments in information technology.