Internet-based Technical Assistance Project (TAP)

Sabre has expanded the concept of book donation by offering delivery of electronic information to sites in the FSU, using the structures, networks, and on-line resources available on the thousands of computer networks interconnected in a global web known as the Internet. This project has been supported by funding from the National Endowment for Democracy and the U.S. Agency for International Development through The Eurasia Foundation.

Academic and non-commercial computer users in the FSU typically have limited access to the rich resources available on the Internet. Most users, limited to basic electronic mail functions, lack the powerful FTP (file transfer protocol), TELNET (remote log-in) capabilities, and World Wide Web (WWW) access. This lack of full connectivity to the Internet restricts access to Western information sources even though legal and political barriers are lowered.

Growth of the Internet (Source: The Internet Society, ftp://nis.nsf.net/statistics/nsfnet)

One part of the TAP project aims to help the information needs of selected institutions in the FSU, working in a variety of fields: public policy research and formulation, business management training, computer telecommunications networking, etc. Using Internet search-and-retrieval tools, as well as commercial on-line information services, Sabre staff respond to specific queries from project clients, while also suggesting and offering relevant resources based on client profiles.

The second component develops repositories and archives of full-text electronic documents in selected topic areas, such as: library development; Western higher education systems; Internet information; small business development plans; and copyright principles and laws. These materials can be provided in a variety of electronic formats--on Sabre "InfoDisks" (subject-oriented diskettes), via e-mail, and at a WWW or Gopher-FTP accessible site. Dissemination is indirect, via Western NGO/PVO intermediaries, or direct to institutions and organizations in the FSU. Other TAP initiatives include:

• Ukraine: FAQ Plus, an Internet-based archive containing documents related to many aspects of Ukraine, including business, language, publishing and law. Documents included provide general and specialized reference materials for audiences in both Ukraine and the West (publications catalogues, course syllabi, bibliographies and much other valuable material).

Rebecca Schneider, Reference Librarian for the Internet-based Technical Assistance Project

• Equipment and Book Purchase. With grants from the National Endowment for Democracy and the United States Agency for International Development through The Eurasia Foundation, Sabre bought computer equipment, including CD-ROM players, modems and software, for institutions in the FSU, identifying recipient sites able to use the donations most effectively. The USAID/Eurasia grant also enabled Sabre to purchase Internet books at a discount from mail order houses, or through the Reduced-Cost Purchase Program (in which Deborah Wiley, Vice-Chairman of John Wiley & Sons, was especially helpful).

• Training on Internet Resources and Tools, as well as intellectual property laws and practices, was provided for overseas clients by staff at the Sabre office in Cambridge. Such services will be expanded to include in-country training abroad as funding becomes available.

Sabre's annual report is available on the Internet at gopher.std.com/Non-Profit Organizations/Sabre Foundation Inc. and via Sabre's World-Wide-Web site http://www.sabre.org/