Information ExchangeLIBRARY/INFORMATION SERVICES The REC's library and information specialists assisted more than 200 visitors in 1996 and responded to nearly 700 information requests, 89% of which were answered within five days. Though requests ranged widely, from air pollution in Hungary to the status of the peat industry in the Baltics, queries regarding funding sources and environmental legislation, accounted for an increasingly significant number of the requests. In order to address this clearly emerging information need, the REC produced an extensive directory of funding sources for environmental NGOs in the region and is rapidly developing its collection of CEE legislation.
Additional space at the REC's new facility in Szentendre also offered the opportunity for the library to expand and improve its services in 1996. The library collection now totals nearly 7000 books, periodicals, pamphlets, videos and reference guides covering basic environmental topics for all the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The REC collection also boasts CD-ROM resources and an expanded set of in-house databases including the regional environmental experts database (REED), which contains 1000 contact profiles, and an on-line searchable version of the environmental funders directory.
The Regional Environmental Cooperative Network (RECNet) promotes the exchange of information, networking and cooperation among diverse stakeholders, by improving access to environmental information and supporting the development of systems which are compatible with EU standards. The project has improved connectivity status between the REC Head Office and all thirteen of the Local Offices, enhancing the Center's ability to transfer information and services around the region and maintains several on-line discussion lists which provide a forum for users around the world to exchange experiences and environmental information.
"The Internet as a tool of democracy will play a more important role than all of the assistance for environmental protection and democratic education coming from Western countries to Eastern Europe," said Maria Anna Jankowska, editor of the Electronic Green Journal. The ability of the Internet to shift power to the people however, depends heavily on access to the resources and capacity to utilize it. In order to level the playing field for emerging "voices" in electronic communications the REC provides WebSpace for environmental NGOs to help them create their "window to the world," offers hands-on Internet training throughout the region and supports various electronic networks.
RECNet usage soared in 1996. In total the number of visitors accessing the REC's on-line resources nearly broke the 500,000 mark for the year and more than 70 different countries were served. Electronic databases were searched more than 50,000 times and fully formatted copies of The Bulletin were accessed by more than 1,500 readers.
Convinced that the Internet will play an integral role in the future of sustainable development in the region, the REC entered a partnership with the International Institute for Sustainable Development in 1996. The joint initiative dubbed "Spinning the Web" aims to expand the delivery of sustainable development information on the Internet and to find innovative ways to use technology to help decisionmakers at all levels in their work for global and local environmental sustainability.
PUBLICATIONS In addition to the nearly 20 manuals and policy reports published by the REC last year, the Information Exchange Department also produced the third edition of the Government and Environment Directory. The directory is a one-of-a-kind resource for contact information for environmental decisionmakers in each of the CEE governments and has proven to be one of the REC's most effective tools for facilitating public access to environmental information and increasing information exchange between different groups and governments.
The REC's quarterly English-language newsletter, The Bulletin, continued to provide coverage of important environmental issues as well as news and information about the REC's programs and services to readers throughout the region and the West. New for 1996, The Bulletin's color cover and more in-depth feature articles were well-received by the readership, which now totals nearly 3000. In addition, the monthly local-language newsletters produced by the Local Offices reach another 2000 constituents with information about the REC and news about local and regional issues.
