Hello Nancy, Let me help get some balls rolling .... from an 'information' user perspective rather than a 'researcher' perspective The short answer is obviously YES! I'm very interested in certain types of information produced by the CGIAR, mainly about the ways in which the CGIAR organises, disseminates and provides access to knowledge and information. I am keen to track interesting developments in this area, to learn what the CGIAR is learning, so I can perhaps borrow and re-use ideas in my work and recommend them to others. I am aware that the CGIAR centers collectively produce and hold massive amounts of data and information, presumably also much knowledge and wisdom. I am aware of some services and systems that would allow me to locate some of this. In recent years, I have seen a gradual opening up of CGIAR information 'systems' so it is now easier to track information about some areas that interest me. I can search more easily (across web sites and libraries), I can keep up with ICT/KM and KS activities via blogs, feeds, newsletters and web sites with more content in them than before. I even meet CGIAR staff now and then, by email or face to face, so I can tap into what they are doing. CGIAR staff seem to be more open to documenting and making available what they are doing with information management. [though today when trying to find a set of 2003 web pages from a defunct part of the CGIAR, I discovered that the information I needed had been removed from the CGIAR part of the Internet. Luckily the wayback machine had a copy! So while my need to track current activities seems to be met ok, this experience makes we wonder whether a search for old information would still produce results. I do sometimes find older reports not in digital form that makes me wish they were.] That said, I do not know how much of the total information available in this area in the CGIAR is available to me .... I access what I can find, and what the CGIAR helps me, or allows me, to find. Could 'opening access' give me even more than I have now, or even better than I have now?
Submitted by Nancy White on Fri, 09/07/2007 - 14:51
Greetings! I'm Nancy White, one of your hosts and facilitators for the coming weeks. I'm an "old friend" of the CGIAR, especially their online events. I'll be here all weeks to support the dialog, and assist you however I can. Please feel free to let me know if I can help. If you want to know a bit more about me, you can check out my [url=http://www.fullcirc.com]website[/url]. But the two most important things are that I am passionate about using our ability to connect online to make the world a better place, and I LOVE chocolate! :D