contacts

Linkages with other organizations/partners

CIVIC, an urban-based NGO that primarily looks at issues of governance, urban planning and urban environment requested us to make a special information package for them, on an on-going regular basis. This package covers the various areas that they work in. This means we go through a range of files and select what is relevant to them and order it in such a way that the package becomes an integrated whole. We are also helping them to organize this material in such a way that they can access the information as and when they need it in future. We are now contacting other urban bodies and citizens groups to see if they would also be interested subscribing to this service.

Another project that we are working on is for Human and Institutional Development Forum. HIDF wishes to setup a library of resource materials on specific subjects related to HID, based on the expertise and experience and support of their working groups. Books, reports, information, journals and articles on HID will be acquired and maintained in a systematic manner and made accessible for the members of the Forum and other interested persons. This will help in creating a knowledge database at HIDF. CED is providing the consultancy on the library system and set up the library of the current materials numbering approximately 2000, on a turnkey basis, in three phases, over a period of six months.

HIDF has also approached CED and we have agreed to setup their website. They feel that the website will be particularly useful because they are a ‘virtual' organization – in that many of the people working with them are located in different places.

In February 2001 CED staff did a five-day in-house training programme for two members of the Documentation Research & Training Centre - Goregaon. Some of the areas covered were an overview of `development work', documentation systems, sources and procedures. Various CED staff members were involved with the training by explaining their work and demonstrating how the systems at CED function in maintaining the day-to-day documentation.

A small group in Belgaum interested in Documentation in regional languages contacted us for ‘How to set up a Documentation centre.' We shared the various systems and sources with them.

Rashmi, Deepa and Kishore, who together run a small reading- room in Jogeshwari (Mumbai), visited the centre to discuss the possible enhancement of their activities.

Two activists from a Human Rights organisation in Assam called MASS, visited the centre and we have worked out an arrangement to regularly get their material for publication .

Networking
CED is being a part of various networks such us Indialink, The Bangalore Platform Against Nuclear Weaponisation (BPANW), The National Campaign for People's Right to Information and Jan Vikas Andolan.

Meetings/workshops
Besides being a part of various networks and organising meetings and workshops, some of us have been the resource people at meetings.CED has also organised some Book Releases at its premises on important issues. Besides generating publicity for the book and increasing its circulation, these events trigger discussion and debate on the subject and enable people engaged with different pre-occupations to come together. CED is seen as an ideal place for this because it attracts diverse people (activists, academicians, trade unions, journalists, and other concerned professionals).