Editor R.N. Sharma's travels to Asia, Africa, and the Middle East on library assignments have shown him that libraries in those regions are still far behind technologically as compared to the United States and other developed countries. In the his new book, sixteen well-known scholars, library educators, and librarians from Asia, Africa, and the Middle East write about the impact of technology on library collections and services in their countries. Furthermore, three authors from the U.S. contribute articles about Asian, African, and Middle Eastern Collections in the U.S. and the impact of technology on these collections and services. Through this collection of essays, a clear picture of these countries' libraries is given, as well as the ways to bridge the gap between developed and developing countries of these regions.

R.N. Sharma, Ph.D. is Dean of Library, Monmouth University, West Long Branch, New Jersey. He has won many awards and honors, including the Academic Research Librarian of the Year Award in 2005 from the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) and the Humphry/OCLC/Forest Press Award from the American Library Association in 1997 for his significant achievements and contributions to International Librarianship. He has been the editor of Library Times International since 1984.

Part 1 Introduction Part 2 Part I: Worldwide Chapter 3 1. The World's Treasure Is One Click Away at the Global Memory Net Part 4 Part II: Asia Chapter 5 2. OCLC Library Information Services and Libraries in Asia and the Pacific Region Chapter 6 3. The Impact of Information Technology on University Libraries in India Chapter 7 4. The Digital Age and Information-Poor Societies: The Case of Vietnam Chapter 8 5. The Impact of Technology on Chinese Library Collections and Services Chapter 9 6. Information Technologies and the Development of South Asian Collections and Services in U.S. Libraries Part 10 Part III: Africa Chapter 11 7. The Role of Libraries in Combating Information Poverty in Africa Chapter 12 8. The Impact of Information Communications Technology on Academic Libraries in Sub-Saharan Africa, with Specific Reference to Botswana Chapter 13 9. The Impact of Technology on Library Collections and Services in Nigeria Chapter 14 10. Bridging the Technological, Language, and Cultural Gap: Partnering with an Academic Library in Francophone Africa Chapter 15 11. The Impact of Information Technology on Africana Scholarship and Library Collections in the United States Part 16 Part IV: Middle East Chapter 17 12. The Impact of Technology on Libraries and Collections in the Arab Countries of the Middle East and North Africa Chapter 18 13. Information Technology Applications in Information Work in Egypt: A Puzzle Missing Some Pieces Chapter 19 14. The Impact of Technology on MIddle Eastern Collections and Services in the United States Part 20 Part V: Barriers Chapter 21 15. Barriers in Introducing Information Technology in Libraries Part 22 Appendix: Status of Indian Universities-Connectivity Established as of September 30, 2004 Part 23 Index Part 24 About the Contributors Part 25 About the Editor