Two-way traffic: information exchange between the developing and developed world

Over the last ten years there has been an increasing recognition of the gap in information provision between the developed and developing world, and online publishing has enabled many initiatives to provide content at low or no cost. However, access is not the only solution to the problem of the information divide and support is required to ensure use and management of the available resources. Although the current initiatives are to be welcomed, easy access to international information may further weaken national publications - potentially resulting in a loss of indigenous knowledge. To counteract this, several organizations are working with developing-country publishers to give them online visibility and help strengthen their future. This article describes the Programme for the Enhancement of Research Information (PERI), launched by the International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP), and in particular the African Journals OnLine (AJOL) initiative, which supports journals published in Africa.