Africa and Digitisation

Innovation, journal of appropriate librarianship and information work

in Southern Africa.

No. 34 (June) 2007

The Politics of Digital Initiatives Concerning Africa

Contents

Summary of issues and decisions – David Easterbrook

Initiatives Concerning Africa, August 4-5, 2007 – Al Kagan

Freedom Struggle -- Christopher Saunders

and African control of African digitisation -- Peter Limb

archives of the Liberation Struggles in Southern Africa -- Premesh Lalu

universities -- Cliff Missen

African survey -- Charles Masango,

Conduct in Research and Other Professional Undertakings in Africa

(2005)

Innovation is an accredited journal; articles are indexed in Index to

South African periodicals and abstracted in Library and Information

Science abstracts. Articles are available from African Journals Online

and the British Library for Development Studies Document Delivery

Service.

See also http://www.innovation.ukzn.ac.za/innovationbase.htm for a

selection of online articles.

South Africa

The Electronic Communication Act No. 36 of 2005 recently came into

effect. It provides for discounted rates for public schools and public

further education and training institutions. It, however, does not

extend to universities or libraries.

See Clause 73 below :-

E-rate

73. (1) Internet services, provided to all public schools as defined in the South African

Schools Act, 1996 (Act No. 84 of 1996), and all public further education and training

institutions as defined in the Further Education and Training Act, 1998 (Act No. 98 of

1998), must be provided at a minimum discounted rate of 50% off the total charge levied

by the licensee providing Internet services to such institutions.

(2) The discount is applicable of the total charge levied by the licensee which includes

but is not limited to the following:

(a) Any connectivity charges for access to the Internet;

(b) charges for any equipment used for or in association with connectivity to the

Internet; and

(c) all calls made to an Internet Service Provider.

(3) Where the licensee, who provides Internet services to the

institutions as contemplated in subsection (1), obtains its electronic communications

facilities for the provision of Internet services from a electronic communications network

service licensee, the licensee is entitled to a minimum of 50% off the retail

rate charged to it by the electronic communications network service licensee for the

facilities in question.

(4) The implementation of this section must be in the manner

prescribed.

(5) The Minister may, in consultation with the Minister responsible for

Education,declare categories of independent schools or private further education

and training institutions to be entitled to the discount mentioned in subsection

(1).

The implementation of the section will probably only take place during

2007.

Empowering libraries through Open Source solutions: launch of eIFL OSS program

PRESS RELEASE

November 7, 2006

eIFL Open Source Software kick-off meeting Cupramontana, Italy, 29-30 October 2