Online Discussion: Opening Access to CGIAR Research and Knowledge

From 12 September until 3 October, the CGIAR held an online discussion on its draft strategy "Global Public Goods (GPGs): From Data and Information to Food." The discussion focused on priority areas of the strategy, users and their needs, and on obstacles and methodologies. The aim is to make it easier for CGIAR staff, partners and potential partners to access, use and add value to the research and outputs of the CGIAR.

Read a news item on these discussions, read a report of a face to face workshop.

More on the ICT-KM Program of the CGIAR

Tags: agricultural information cgiar

Open access to IRRI research

In the IRRI Library blog, Mila Ramos of the International Rice Research Institute introduces a paper by IRRI for the International Public Knowledge Project Conference in July 2007.

The article reports on joint initiatives of the IRRI Library, the IRRI Communication and Publications Services and the IRRI Training Center to address information and publishing management hurdles.

The paper demonstrates how the links between these two fields in the middle of the scholarly publishing chain can bridge the gap between public goods (knowledge about rice in this case) and the intended primary users, namely researchers and extensionists in the national agricultural research and extension systems in the developing countries that IRRI serves.

The authors conclude: "Information that will provide impact to IRRI’s constituent clients must be delivered to them through whatever open access form that is appropriate and useful, being it 'cutting edge' digital versions or traditional 'books-on-the-shelf' hard copies."

Check the conference blog post on this presentation

the full text paper is also online

Tags: agricultural information rice irri open access