The Southern African Research and Documentation Centre (SARDC) is an
independent institution involved in the collection, analysis and dissemination of
information on social, political, economic and cultural issues of the southern African
region. SARDC's objective is to improve the base of knowledge about these issues and their
implications by making this information available and accessible to policy-makers,
governments, diplomats, the private sector, researchers and research institutions, civic
society, and the media in the region and internationally.
SARDC is also a regional documentation centre with computerised and comprehensive
databases on social, political, economic and cultural issues of the Southern African
Development Community (SADC) region with more than 15000 subject files. It's major
programmes are: the India Musokotwane Environment Resource Centre for Southern Africa
(IMERCSA), Women in Development in Southern Africa Awareness (WIDSAA), Sustainable
Democracy, and Editorial/ Documentation, including SADC Today. Each has bibliographic
databases of books, periodicals, magazines, primary documents and newspaper clippings, a
contacts database and library facilities.
All SARDC databases use CDS/ISIS software for the storage of bibliographic information.
SARDC's libraries are equipped with a reading room and computer terminal which assists
researchers in bibliographic searches and information retrieval.
Documents contained in the bibliographic databases are catalogued using the
Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules. The documents are classified using an internally
designed alphanumerical classification scheme (UDC) number building principles. Our
classification scheme emphasises country and subject.
SARDC libraries issue a quartely acquisitions list, and a bibliography of SARDC
publications. A statement of availability is added to facilitate quick access to the
documents. This acquisition list is widely circulated to libraries, research institutions,
other interested organisations and individuals in southern Africa and beyond.
REGIONAL DOCUMENTATION CENTRE
Acquisitions Database
Contains bibliographic refrence to SARDC library, by author, title, publisher and date of
publication.
Bibliographic Database
It contains 900 records of SARDC special reports and news features published in Southern
African News Features (SANF) produced by our staff. This database enables SARDC to keep
records of what the centre has produced since 1987, and provides easy retrieval.
Bibliographic details such as the Author, Title, Date of Publication and Abstract of the
features are included and a printout of the database is made every six months.
Index Database
There are 1400 entries providing a catalogue of entries from periodicals and books of
relevance to SARDC's mission. This database is a useful reference source for research
purposes.
Press Clippings
Another useful database contains press clippings of articles and stories from a wide range
of publications from the region. It is maintained annually through classification and
filing of relevant clippings.
OnLine Databases will be available soon...
IMERCSA ENVIRONMENT RESOURCE
CENTRE
This is the most comprehensive environment resource centre in the SADC region, and
contains more than 8,000 holdings and a bibliographic data base of more than 4,800
entries. The experts data base has more than 2,200 exntries on different environmental
expertise available in the region.
Interaise Database
Interaise database has more than 300 records on environmental and natural resources
assessment in southern Africa. The database is aimed at identifying and locating key
national environmental and natural resource assessment documents and making information
accessible to users ranging from researchers, to policy makers. All the documents and
publications are available at IMERCSA.
SOE Database
This contains notes and references for the original book on State of the Environment in
Southern Africa.
Water Database
This contains references cited during research for the book Water in Southern Africa, and
has more than 1,700 entries.
Biodiversity Database
This includes references for the book Biodiversity of Dryland Forests in Southern Africa,
and has more than 460 entries.
News and Periodicals
The newspaper clippings and periodicals databases contain the most current information
sources.
DMIP Databases
A Catalogue of all the documents published and unpublished, that the Project has so far
collected from various sources throughout the world. The database currently holds 2115
entries on disasters and disaster management issues.
CLIPPS Database
This is a record of newspaper and other periodical clippings on disaster issues. The
database holds 1900 records.
CORR Database
This is a directory of more than 460 individuals and institutions involved in the
management of disasters throughout southern Africa. These experts offer a variety of
services such as consultancies, research, documentation and training.
WIDSAA Information Resource Centre on Gender
This includes references and documentation collected during preparation
with national partners of the national profiles of each SADC country as well as the
forthcoming regional report Beyond Inequalities: Women in Southern Africa. The
resource centre contains over 2000 documents.
WIDSAA's bibliographic database of over 1,300 entries covers a cross-section of
gender-related issues, and a gender contacts database contains more than 500 entries.
WIDSAA collects information through publications produced by networking partners,
through exchanges, donations and purchases. From these acquisitions, the Resource Centre
periodically produces bibliographies, and acquisitions lists as a current awareness
service. Current acquisitions appear in WIDSAA's quarterly newsletter, The GAD Exchange,
as well as in SARDC's institutional Bibiliography and Acquisitions List, published
quarterly.
SUSTAINABLE DEMOCRACY
Information Resource Centre on Democracy and Governance contains a consequential
bibliographic database on relevant publications and periodicals, and is currently
expanding its regional contacts database, as well as establishing a database of related
projects being implemented in southern Africa. Maintains current information on elections
in all SADC countries, and is developing a data base on conflict resolution.
CENTRE DE DOCUMENTAÇÃO E PESQUISA PARA AFRICA AUSTRAL
The SARDC office in Maputo, Mozambique was established in 1987, and has a library of books
and documentation in English covering the past two decades, as well as a stock of SARDC
regional publications. A chronological database of events in Mozambique has been
maintained in English since 1991; and the office holds a current database of Mozambican
consultants, also available on internet, linked to the Mozambique national homepage. The
library contains references and documents used in producing the Mozambique National Human
Development Report 1998, Peace and Economic Growth: Opportunities for Human
Development. The office also maintains a library of current Commonwealth publications,
for reference and sale.
Box 5690,13 Bath Road, Belgravia, Harare, Zimbabwe
Tel:263-4-738694/5/6 Fax:263-4-738693
E-mail sardc@sardc.net
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