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Thai Population Information Centre (TPIC) was established
in 1978 as the national focal point for bibliographic and
statistical population and reproductive health information.
In line with the National Information System Policy, TPIC's
aim is to integrate demographic factors as an effective
strategy in development planning. Such factors include the
population growth rate, fertility, mortality and the like,
the effect of population structure on children, youth and
the elderly, population distribution, migration and the
growth of large cities, the role and status of women, and
reproductive health as it concerns family planning, maternal
and child health, AIDS, reproductive tract infections and
malignancies, sex education, abortion and its related complications,
adolescent reproductive health, infertility, and post-reproductive
age and old age care.
Thailand is another of Asia's success stories
in terms of its family planning programme. its effective
policies and programmes have had a solid basis in the data
and information provided by the Thai Population Information
Centre.
It currently collects, organizes, analyses
and disseminates up-to-date scientific and technical information
on these issues in original and repackaged formats. The
target audiences comprise policy makers, administrators,
decision makers, researchers, programme personnel, including
staff of population and communication units.
The aim of TPIC's work is to facilitate the formulation
of population policies and implementation of programmes.
To meet information requirements for the first decade of
the next century, TPIC has introduced a multidisciplinary
approach to the provision of the information needed for
these purposes.
TPIC has four main functions: namely, resource base, information
research and analysis, information service, and production
and dissemination. Its objectives are to (a) collect and
organize population and health related data systematically
and provide the capability for easy access and analysis;
(b) serve as the national focal point for bibliographic
and statistical population and reproductive health data
and information; and (c) promote an inter-country and intra-country
flow of materials and information by serving as a centre
for the collection and redistribution of population and
reproductive health information. It also provides a link
between Thai POPIN, East and South-East Asia POPIN and Asia-Pacific
POPIN.
TPIC provides the following services:
Enquiry Services. The Centre answers written and verbal
requests for information and materials, and makes referrals
to its networks.
Information Services. TPIC conducts literature searches
through its computerized databases; prepares bibliographies,
abstracts and review materials on requested topics; supplies,
duplicates and photocopies materials; and produces and disseminates
publications.
Current Awareness Service. The Centre issues a quarterly
list of new arrivals, a semi-annual accessions list and
a semi-annual abstract-bibliography service.
Selective Dissemination of Information Service (SDI). The
Centre analyses, transforms and distributes information
materials in original and repackaged formats to various
audiences highly interested in selected topics.
Technical and Advisory Services. TPIC assists in developing
population and reproductive health collections/ information
units or libraries with supporting manuals and kits if required.
Training and Internship Programme. The Centre provides
training for members of Thai POPIN in basic technical library
skills, information services, SDI, production and dissemination
of materials, evaluation, networking, and information automation.
In-service training courses are held for Thai POPIN network
members at least once a year. More than 300 staff working
for network outlets centrally and provincially have received
training in these courses.
Computerization. Information technology enables TPIC to
extend its reach in providing users with access to TPIC
databases and POPLINE (CD-ROM) as well as the Internet,
and e-mail and facsimile services.
Dissemination. As part of its efforts to increase awareness
of information resources and to utilize its resources to
the utmost, the Centre widely disseminates data and information
relating to population and reproductive health programmes.
The following are various types of TPIC publications: acquisition
lists, bibliographies, directories, inventories, reproductive
health information, indexes, newspaper clippings, newsletters,
surveys, study/research reports, reports on seminars, meetings,
workshops and training courses, and translated publications.
These publications are designed primarily to serve the needs
of population and reproductive health personnel at the senior,
middle and grassroots levels.
Besides its 38 network members, TPIC includes among its
information users staff at high and middle levels of the
Thai Population Programme, provincial health offices, provincial
hospitals, district hospitals, selected governmental units
in other ministries, municipal health centres, private hospitals,
private agencies with population and reproductive health
activities and units attached to academic or research institutes,
libraries and departments in various medical schools and
hospitals. It also works cooperatively with personnel in
various international organizations in Thailand, professionals
and experts in the population and reproductive health fields
in other countries.
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Thai Population Information
Centre
Purpose of organization:
To serve as national focal point for population and reproductive
health information, maintain resource base, conduct information
research and analysis, provide information services, and
produce and disseminate population data and information
Personnel:
4
Resource base
Size of collection:
21,395 book titles, 695 periodical titles, 8,956 area files,
5,800 microfiches and 670 audio-visual materials
Classification system used:
POPIN Multilingual Thesaurus/AACR 2
External databases:
POPLINE
lnformation-handling equipment:
Personal computers and related equipment
Products and services
Databases:
Thai POPIN
Publications:
TPIC acquisition lists, bibliography compilation, directory,
reproductive health information, inventory, index, newspaper
clippings, newsletter, survey, study/research, report on
seminar/meeting/workshop/training, and translated publications
Services:
Enquiry services, information services, current awareness
services, selective dissemination of information services
(SDI), technical and advisory services, and Training and
Internship Programme for Thai POPIN members
Types of users served:
Policy makers, programme planners, decision makers, programme
administrators and project managers, field workers and extension
officers, researchers, academicians/teachers and the general
public
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