The Two Days Joint Seminar of Indian and ASEAN Experts to Evolve Work Plan for Establishment of ASEAN-India S&T Digital Library was held in Bangkok, Thailand on 29-30 May 2007. The activity implemented with support from the ASEAN-India Cooperation Fund, was attended by two delegates each from Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam. The Seminar was organised by the National Electronics and Computer Technology Centre (NECTEC) Thailand as the host. The Indian experts from relevant institutes in India and a representative from the Ministry of External Affairs of India were also present in the Seminar.

The Seminar aimed to increase the understanding among ASEAN Officials and Experts on the concept of the S&T Digital Library as well as to exchange views on various aspects relating to the establishment of Digital Libraries, particularly pertaining to their technical, financial and management aspects.

The experts from India shared their experiences, and lessons learned in their effort to establish a Digital Library. A global perspective of Digital Library Initiative, ICT tools and technologies for creation of S&T Digital Library, acquisition/access of Digital Contents for S&T Digital Library are some of the topics discussed during the Seminar. The ASEAN Member Countries delivered perspectives and plans for creating digitised knowledge as well as the initiatives of Digital Library in each their respective country.

Some recommendations which were agreed by India and ASEAN Member Countries are put forward to sustain the initiative in establishing the S&T Digital Library in ASEAN Member Countries:

• The Digital Library will be established in ASEAN Member Countries;
• Each ASEAN Member Country shall identify its Nodal Persons by 30 June 2007. The Nodal Person consists of 1 senior officer (manager) and up to 2 junior officers (librarians) shall be identified as the focal points of this project;
• The training of the Nodal Person would be conducted in India tentatively in October or November 2007 subject to endorsement of the ASEAN Standing Committee on the follow-up project proposal;
• Hardware such as 1 server (Terabyte capacity), 1 scanner and 2 high-end computers and software would be provided to each ASEAN Member Country;
• India would support developing basic infrastructure content digitisation centre for national language of ASEAN Member Countries as well as Collaborative Research and Development in language technologies;
• The S&T Digital Libraries in ASEAN Member Countries will be supported by ASEAN-India Cooperation Fund for 3 years only. The ASEAN Member Countries are expected to sustain the Library after the completion of the project by utilising their own resources.
  

India will develop project proposal to implement the recommendations as above for submission to the ASEAN Secretariat for appraisal process.

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