New online search tool for slow connections:

A search tool optimised for less than optimal conditions, such as slow Internet connections, is now being tested in Africa and Asia. The Electronic Library Information Navigator speeds up access to scientific publications through a single user-friendly interface.

Known as [email protected], the navigator has already been developed in cooperation with a wide range of publishers and information providers. It allows more than ten million records to be accessed and is now being adapted to meet the conditions faced by researchers in universities and research institutions in developing countries.

A version of it is now being optimised for use with low bandwidth Internet connections through a collaboration between the UK-based International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP) and Lund University Libraries in Sweden.

"The availability of thousands of journal titles from hundreds of publishers has become overwhelming," said Carol Priestley, director of INASP, who added that she was "delighted to be working with [email protected] in adapting their highly successful model for use in areas where Internet access is costly and bandwidth is limited."

The new version of [email protected] will be tested under various conditions in Africa and Asia. If the trials are successful, it will be made available for free downloading and use by libraries in developing countries.