Subject: African Digital Library On-Line (Africa) Centre for Lifelong Learning November 8, 1999 http://www.africanews.org/science/stories/19991108_feat7.html A digital library for the benefit of users throughout Africa, went on-line today, 3 November 1999. In response to the need for library books in Africa, Technikon SA (TSA) has provided an initial sponsorship of R1m to set up the African Digital Library. The library is being established by TSA and the Association of African Universities in collaboration with netLibrary, a private American company. It will provide Internet access to African users throughout the continent to a library of full-text books at no cost to the user. Over 60 publishers will provide full-text books. Encryption will ensure that only one user will access a book at any one time, and loan periods will be a few hours as users work with the books. "The cost of establishing physical infrastructure, purchase and maintenance of books makes the provision of an acceptable level of support a daunting task. The cost of joining virtual libraries is out of reach for many African institutions. Accordingly, the COLISA (Confederation of Open Learning Institutions of South Africa) partners are coming in to provide support. TSA's Centre for Lifelong Learning is approaching private and public sector institutions," says Paul West, the Centre's Director. Sponsorships will be on a per-book basis, and sponsors will be able to advertise by means of banners per book sponsored. As far as use is concerned, persons in any Africa country with a server having an African domain, will be able to access the library via http://www.AfricaEducation.org/adl/. Servers such as those with a .com suffix which cannot be identified as African should provide the Director of the Centre for Lifelong Learning with their IP address range so that the service can become accessible free of charge to their subscribers also . Users will then be able to open an account with the library free of charge. The library will be made available to people using the Internet in Africa only. As Internet access expands in Africa, the e-book collection will grow and accommodate user needs. "At this point the library contains 3000 books, and the collection will be built as fast as funds permit," said West. "The African Digital Library is yet another venture initiated by TSA's Centre for Lifelong Learning to bring learner support to learners in Africa. It is an exciting step which will open doors for many who would previously have had limited access to resource material. Technikon SA has great hopes for development of this service for the benefit of the peoples of Africa." For further information, contact Paul West, Director CLL at Technikon SA at e-mail address LibraryAdmin@AfricaEducation.org ------------ Also in this issue: - House extends stalking law to cyberspace (US) WASHINGTON -- The House has voted to extend federal anti-stalking laws to cover those who use e-mail, the Internet, the telephone or other interstate communications to pursue their victims. - Surfing the Net (Israel) (November 7) -- I am not pregnant. -- This was confirmed by The Online Pregnancy Test, which purports to reveal if you're "knocked up/preggers/in a family way" at the push of a button, "regardless of your gender." - User Friendly (Israel) (November 7) -- A Netscape/IE alternative -- Like any kid, I liked to anthropomorphizeimagine inanimate objects, imagining them as anthromorphizing themselves into walking and talking creatures. Ideas, too. Like, what would that statue of George Washington say if it could speak? - E-Commonwealth Nets A New Community On The Web (Africa) Johannesburg - The Commonwealth Institute, a pan-Commonwealth agency based in London, is previewing a new internet initiative at the Commonwealth Business Forum being held in Sandton. - African Digital Library On-Line (Africa) Centre for Lifelong Learning A digital library for the benefit of users throughout Africa, went on-line today, 3 November 1999. In response to the need for library books in Africa, Technikon SA (TSA) has provided an initial sponsorship of R1m to set up the African Digital Library. - West Africa Rural Foundation Speeds into the Information Age (Africa) Dakar, Senegal - Only a little more than a year ago, the West Africa Rural Foundation (WARF) had one email address that it used sporadically. Today every employee at WARF has email and Web browsing capabilities at their desktop and, according to the CEO of Senegal's largest private Internet Service Provider, they are the second most active user of the Internet after the United Nations Development Program. - Dubai announces plan to launch the worlds first free trade zone for e-business (UAE) A revolutionary global initiative to establish Dubai Internet City was announced on October 29 by General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Defence Minister. - LatAm en route to be next e-commerce frontier (Latin America) MEXICO CITY, Nov 12: Latin America, until now mostly a backwater in the new technology of cyberspace, is witnessing the birth of an Internet revolution that is setting it on the path to be the next electronic-commerce frontier, says IPS. - Pitfalls in the e-shop (Ireland/EU) E-commerce: Una Tighe on EU attempts to level the legal playing field If an Irish consumer buys defective goods over the Internet, can he sue the European supplier in Ireland? If so, can an Irish court apply Irish law to the contract? - The wonderful Wizards of Oz (Ireland-Australia) Are you sick of Irish newspaper supplements and magazine inserts telling you about technology? Count yourself lucky. Get over to Australia, where you wade through the inserts to try and find the hard news. - The virtual classroom (US) For more than a year, the students in Concordia University's program on school-age care traded questions and answers in an e-mail chat room, always ending their correspondence with a simple command: /quit. - New Lists and Journals * ADD: allabouthome * ADD: LITTLE-HOUSE-L * NEW: LadiesAuxiliary - Sunday Supplement EDITORIAL Europe is in two minds about the Internet economy and consequentially a digital divide has emerged. Sorcha Ni hEilidhe in "Digital Divide Crosses Europe" ADVERTISING :Consumer Goods Test Online Ad Waters :Net Companies Spend More On TV Ads CUSTOMER SERVICE :New Features May Discourage Consumers DEMOGRAPHICS :Divide in European Internet Experience :12.97 Million Using Net Services in Japan E-COMMERCE :Internet Economy Worth USD1 Trillion in 2001 :Real Numbers Behind Net Profits '99 EMAIL :One Third of All Spam is Pornographic GOV/LEG :European Ministers Ponder Ecommerce Laws :Consumer Ecommerce Bill Sparks Controversy :Irish Politicians - Poor Grasp of the Internet HEALTH/MEDICAL :Net to Radically Change Health Care Industry INFRASTRUCTURES :More Than 8 Million Sites Online INTERNET TRADING :Online Security Traders Double in Size PRIVACY :90% of Consumers Want to Control Their Data - Computer & Internet law news and updates courtesy Mishpat Update * AOL sued by the blind * * ICANN approves NSI deal * * First domain name dispute in the Philippines * * Intel wins Intergraph suit * * DVD Hacked * * Male - Male part II * * Newspapers win FreeRepublic lawsuit * * Haiti shuts down largest ISP * * Class action over RealNetworks privacy breach * * New Mexico anti-pornography law - unconstitutional * * Windowing Patent * * UK: downloading child porn is illegal * * Yahoo! hit with patent suit * * Associated Press web site hacked * * Wall street firms sued by online trading company * * Oral argument in COPA case * * PainWebber sues NetRatings * CA executives order to return 550 million * * School boy sues school * * Disney sues 3Com * * Entrust wins "hash-and-sign" patent suit * * Hackers in Singapore sentenced to jail * * Microworkz sued over failing to refund customers * * Microsoft Case * On-line Learning Series of Courses http://www.bestnet.org/~jwalker/course.htm Member: Association for International Business ------------------------------- Excerpt from CSS Internet News (tm) ,-~~-.____ For subscription details email / | ' \ jwalker@hwcn.org with ( ) 0 SUBINFO CSSINEWS in the \_/-, ,----' subject line. ==== // / \-'~; /~~~(O) "On the Internet no one / __/~| / | knows you're a dog" =( _____| (_________| http://www.bestnet.org/~jwalker -------------------------------