Pacific POPIN

c/o Pacific Information Centre
Library, University of the South Pacific
P.O. Box 1168, Suva, Fiji
Tel: (679) 313900
Fax: (679) 300830
E-mail: Fong_e@usp.ac.fj
Access to the lnternet: Yes
Web address: http://www.usp.ac.fj

Pacific POPIN, the first population network of its kind in the South Pacific, was established in 1991 through the Library of the University of the South Pacific (USP). Pacific governments meeting at the High-level Ministrial Meeting on Population and Sustainable Development in Port Via, Vanuatu in 1993 formally recognized it as a subregional network in Asia-Pacific POPIN.

Staff members of the University of the South Pacific Library make preparations for a training workshop that will involve other members of Asia-Pacific POPIN.

Pacific POPIN comprises Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu, with participating institutions being the Pacific Community and the University of the South Pacific. The subregional centre is based in the Pacific Information Centre of the USP Library, which serves as the secretariat responsible for coordinating the activities of the Pacific POPIN subregional network.

The national centres in this subregional network are based mainly in the statistical offices of the respective national governments. In two countries, they are based in the government's planning department.

The long-term and immediate objectives of Pacific POPIN are as follows: (a) to raise awareness of the importance of population information directed mainly at decision- and policy-makers, politicians and planners; and (b) to provide access to timely and accurate population information for a broad cross-section of the community, including the media, health workers, teachers, researchers, students, academics and consultants.

The immediate objectives of the subregional POPIN centre are: (a) to coordinate among the national POPIN centres in each country; (b) to encourage and promote the use of population information for the integration of population variables and issues into national development planning; (c) to identify gaps in population information and find ways and means to close these gaps; and (d) to coordinate and collaborate with Asia-Pacific POPIN, global POPIN, NG0s as well as regional and international organizations.

The functions of the Centre are to: (a) identify, collect, organize and disseminate a core body of population information and data from national POPIN centres and other regional information producers; (b) liaise with and act as a central link with population information users and producers on the collection and dissemination of population information; (c) improve the production, repackaging and dissemination of population information products and services to targeted groups of users; (d) provide national POPIN centres with support in training and advisory services; monitor and review activities at the national level; establish standards; carry out TCDC (technical cooperation among developing countries) activities; undertake cooperative activities in acquisitions, inter-library loans, document delivery etc.; improve communication skills such as report writing and presentation skills, library and information skills and the repackaging of information; (e) liaise with other population development information personnel, experts etc., within the region; (f) seek financial and human resources for the establishment and maintenance of the national and regional POPIN centres; (g) improve the flow of population information through the production of publications such as directories, bibliographies and current awareness services from a centralized facility; and (h) liaise with other regional organizations involved in population information activities.

As a result of previous training, Pacific POPIN has a core of personnel trained in CDS/ISIS, which is the standard software for Pacific POPIN work, primarily in the production of various directories.

The Centre makes available to users the POPLINE database on CD-ROM, and PASIFIKA, the online database of the Library of the University of the South Pacific. Requests for searches from these two databases are accepted by fax, airmail and satellite through USPNET, the University's satellite network. E-mail communication is available within the USP Network and is therefore a facility available to Pacific POPIN members. Five of the national coordinating units have Internet access (Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa, Vanuatu) and two institutional members, USP and the Pacific Community.

Pacific POPIN

Purpose of organization:
Educational and training are the major functions of the University

Resource base

Size of collection:
1,000 book titles, 15 periodical titles on population (USPL collection is 750,000 volumes)

Classification/cataloguing systems:
Library of Congress (LC)/AACR 2

External databases:
Commercial databases

lnformation-handling equipment:
Personal computers used for acquisitions, bibliographic information storage and retrieval, book catalogue, selective dissemination of information, production of publications, letters and correspondence, desk-top publishing

Products and services

Publication and services:
Acquisition lists of books/periodicals, current awareness/current contents, topical bibliographies, directories, newsletters, brochures, flyers, posters, audio-visual materials as well as services such as enquiry/reference, referral, repackaging of information/production of publications, routing of periodicals, borrowing privileges, inter-library loans, photocopy services, micro-filming and/or copying of microforms, SDI, literature searches, document distribution/redistribution service, user education/training/briefings, organization of meetings/training courses, briefing programmes

Types of users served:
Policy makers, programme planners and decision makers, tertiary students, researchers, academicians/teachers, regional and international information centres

Other:

Information exchange:
University of the South Pacific Centres based in 12 countries of the South Pacific Region; Pacific Community; IPPF (South Pacific Office)

Area of expertise that can be shared with other centres:
Information networking, library automation, library resource management, collection development

Training courses that can be provided to other centres:
Basic library skills, integrating information skills in school curriculum, information technology, Certificate and Diploma courses in Library and Information Studies