Electronic library and the former Soviet Union and Mongolia

Abstract

Economic difficulties facing the countries of the former Soviet Union and Mongolia as a result of recent political changes are constraining funding for education. However, there is a growing provision of facilities afforded by the electronic library in these countries. Evidence afforded by three European Union funded projects at Yaroslavl’ State Pedagogical University (Russia), Tashkent State University (Uzbekistan) and the Mongolian State Pedagogical University, shows that the Internet is already firmly established in such countries and that users are poised to maximise the benefits. These are not all dependent on western information sources. World Wide Web sites, for example, are rapidly developing in the former Soviet Union bringing an unparalleled window on Russian resources. Difficulties in the introduction of the electronic library in these countries include reliability and performance of systems, sceptical attitudes of many academics, and cost. The latter is the most serious long‐term factor as externally funded projects come to an end and institutions struggle to meet even their salary bills. Economic development especially in Mongolia and Uzbekistan may overcome this problem before very long, endorsing the global nature of the electronic library.