Contents

Introduction

What Is Feasibility?

Methodology

Summary of Results

A Closer Look at Each University:
Zambia
Makerere
Ghana
Cheikh Anta Diop

Recommendations

Conclusions and Next Steps

Acknowledgements

Conclusions and Next Steps

Despite difficulties in some locations, it is clear that online journals can work in Africa as part of an overall electronic information access strategy. This feasibility study has established that online journals are quite easily accessible at Makerere University and the University of Ghana. At University of Zambia and University of Cheikh Anta Diop, technical feasibility might well be achievable after certain modifications of the existing respective systems. The difficulties that were experienced are not insurmountable, and could likely be ameliorated through a combination of network management alterations and strategic use of mirror sites, even without increasing the available bandwidth (although increasing bandwidth would help any of the universities to accommodate more users).

Having established technical feasibility, a logical follow-up project would be one that would investigate the financial feasibility and sustainability of online journals and other electronic resources. The ideal follow-up activity would include:

• a broad exploration of the full range of electronic information options, including online journals, pay-per-article services, CD-ROMs, and virtual conferencing, in order to determine the usefulness, relative priority, and limitations of each;
• a sufficient length of time for experimentation and meaningful data collection, e.g., at least two to three years minimum; and
• support for improved connectivity, e.g., initial capital costs of upgrading Internet services.