We all know that one can spend hours and hours on the Worldwide Web searching for information. As information officers, we do, however, need to be mindful of the amount of time spent on Internet research. In the SAIDE Resource Centre we have identified sites that we find particularly useful and refer back to these regularly for information.

Other than surfing, useful strategies for identifying useful documentation is of course via word of mouth and by following list servs. One of the most active list servs in the field is DEOS-L, a service provided to the distance education community by the American Center for the Study of Distance Education, based at the Pennsylvania State University.

Two online catalogues of collections for the professional development of distance educators are available from the International Centre for Distance Learning – at http://www-icdl.open.ac.uk – and the Commonwealth of Learning’s (COL) Information Resource Centre http://www.col.org/. Both sites also try to make resources available online whenever possible. An example of this is a recent study of current trends in the virtual delivery of education conducted with funding provided by the Department of International Development in London, entitled The Development of Virtual Education: A Global Perspective. This report, edited by Glen Farrell, is freely available on COL’s site.

From the United Kingdom, a useful website is that of the Department for Education and Employment http://www.dfee.gov.uk, which often contains useful information. Recent additions to their site are the Green Paper Teachers – Taking Forward the Challenge of Change. Response to the Consultation Process and Learning to Succeed – A New Framework for Post-16 Learning.

Another site we recently discovered is the London Guildhall University’s Deliberations Project at http://www.lgu.ac.uk/deliberations/. This project aims to support library staff, academic staff, educational developers, and computing staff concerned with the innovative design and delivery of courses. The philosophy behind it is that the incorporation of information technology and other changes into the learning process is inevitably changing. In re-modelling that process, it is essential to devise a mechanism through which the main players can rapidly evaluate their work and share good practice.

The International Institute for Educational Planning – http://www.unesco.org/iiep/ – is a UNESCO agency committed to capacity building in educational policy-making, planning, and management. Their research publications cover a wide range of topics, such as economics of education, curriculum development, non-formal, adult, and rural education to name just a few. Online orders for their publications can be made.

In a way linked to the above site is the Communication Initiative http://www.cominit.com, which is a partnership venture including BBC World Service, the European Union, the Rockefeller Foundation, South Africa’s Soul City, and others. Their mission statement is to advance the extent and quality of communication and change information; to improve strategic communication thinking on development issues; to expand dialogue, debate and review of key communication issues and programmes; and to effectively advocate the importance of communication for sustainable development. The Initiative focuses on developing countries and disadvantaged people, looking at issues such as health, nutrition, equity, gender, and education. It also has a weekly email news service to which interested parties can subscribe by visiting their website.

In conclusion, we would also like to encourage our readers to visit our own website at http://www.saide.org.za/. It contains information about SAIDE, the Resource Centre, the National Association of Distance Education Organisations of South Africa (NADEOSA), the Southern African Global Distance Education Network, and Telematics for African Development. Some of our research reports and an archive of our newsletter are also available online.