The Global Development and Environment Institute at Tufts University is distributing a free electronic social science library to 53 universities across Africa, demonstrating the university’s commitment to the UN Decade of Sustainable Development.
The English language library includes articles, reports and book chapters on various disciplines including anthropology, economics, history and political science for a total of 3,400 full-text articles plus full bibliographic references. It is distributed on CD-ROMS and USB drives so that those without access to the Internet can still utilize the resources.
Nena Goodwin, co-director of the project, shared that the countries were selected based on gross national income and Internet access, the goal being the advancement of social and environmental sciences in poorer nations.
While the materials can be shared without Internet access, Goodwin stated, “The only restriction is that the materials should not leave these countries. That is what we have promised to the copyright holders who allowed us to reproduce their materials.”
Goodwin also noted that the library will serve as a resource to educators, students, researchers and writers, and policy makers and citizens, therefore strengthening the ability of people around the world to influence their local politics.
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