Location: 5th floor in the Capital Centre building, Levinson Arcade, Independence Avenue, Windhoek. Opening hours: Mondays to Fridays, 08:00-13:00 and 14:00-17:00 The Resource Center of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) focuses on providing information on the environment to the Namibian nation at large, but especially to the scientific community and students. The MET Resource Center is located on the premises of the Directorate of Environmental Affairs (DEA), but represents the whole MET. A small satellite centre is located at the Etosha Ecological Institute in Okaukeujo, Etosha National Park. Facilities The Resource Center consists of three sections containing different kinds of resource materials according to format, topic, and classification scheme, and one study area. Mini-conferences and meetings can be hosted in the Resource Center, please contact the Environmental Education and Information Service unit beforehand to book the venue. Facilities for group study, as well as computers for the typing of study assignments are available in a peaceful and quiet setting, facilitating academic learning. Only MET employees qualify to become members of the Resource Center and borrow books. For students who need to take study materials out of the Center, we can assist you by photocopying a limited amount of pages from books relevant to your studies. Resources Access to the following literature: 1. Environmentally related and Socio-economic literature 2. Feasibility study reports and reports of MET activities 3. Environmental impact assessments on mining and other infrastructural developments 4. Literature on chemistry and its relation to environmental conservation 5. Journals on environmental topics 6. Research discussion papers of the MET Directorates 7. Environmental legislation, both local and international 8. Maps, posters, brochures and newsletters 9. Digital information products like CD-ROM`s, databases, as well as digital maps and pictures This Center is also the library resources guardian of the Namibian Environmental Education Network (NEEN) The NEEN resources are strictly for reference use only. For utilizing the NEEN resource collection, please consult the Resource Center staff. The digital information resources can be utilized on any of the two user computers. Note that we do not provide internet facilities. Databases MET Resource Center Database Electronic records of the MET`s intellectual resources have been combined into a single database which is maintained by the main Center at the DEA in Windhoek. To view the contents of the MET Resource Center database, the above link will take you to a guided search engine by which means you can see which resources we have available depending on the keywords you type in the spaces provided. (Please note that the resources contained at the Etosha Ecological Institute is for the use of their staff as well as students and researchers visiting the Etosha National Park only. It will not be available for borrowing) NAMIBIAN LIBRARIES ENVIRONMENTAL DATABASE The Center offers a wealth of digital information services. Having accumulated a total of fourteen digital library databases from different subject-related institutions since 2001, the Resource Center staff can at any time determine the location of almost any environmentally-related intellectual resource in the country in just a few minutes` time. Seven of the fourteen digital databases utilized by the Centre have been combined into a union catalogue, from where the intellectual resources of institutional specialized libraries can be accessed and browsed. The compilation of this union catalogue was made based on subject-related matter from various libraries of participating institutions. These institutions include: 1. Namibian Agriculture and Water Information Centre 2. National Botanical Research institute 3. The National Museum of Namibia 4. The National Library of Namibia 5. The Namibian Economic Policy Research Unit 6. Namibia Scientific Society 7. National Marine Information Resource Centre - Swakopmund The union catalogue offers an interactive search engine facility to a digital database of almost 58 000 record entries. It was created for the utilization of a national- and international audience as we can readily provide in the service requests of the environmental conservationist, the farmer, the botanist, the biologist, scientist, economist, and even the politician. The search engine works on the exact same criteria as that of the MET Database. Inter-Library Loans The Namibian Library Interlending System ensures that all libraries can utilize this database and data access system. This is the first time since independence in 1990, that Namibia now has its own national Interlending System between libraries. The establishment of the Namibian Library Interlending system was initiated in April 2003, when representatives from Specialized libraries (Ministerial and NGO), Public libraries (rural and regional), libraries from Educational Institutions, the National Library- and the National archives of Namibia met to discuss the viability of such a system for Namibia. The Resource Center staff will assist you, should you wish to utilize resources using the Inter-library Loan System. Partners and links in Namibia Below are web links to libraries in our partner organizations that handles related materials to us, and are there for the building up of especially young energetic people: · Geological Survey of Namibia · University of Namibia Online Library · Polytechnic of Namibia Online Library International links The British Library National Library of Malaysia Library of Congress (United States) Die Deutsche Bibliothek Department of Environmental Affairs & Tourism, Republic of South Africa National Library of Australia Kenya National Library Service The National Library of Finland The National Library of India National Library of Brazil If any of the resources contained in the various MET databases (not just that of the Resource Center!) interest you, please contact the Center`s staff to assist in any enquiries, or to arrange accessibility to those information resources. Please note that in most cases, the borrowing of materials from these libraries and institutions may not be possible, but relevant information, assistance and care always is. The MET Resource Center is supervised by Ms. Natalia Hamunyela librarian/development planner and Mrs Emily Shaketange senior library assistant Tel: +264 61 2842716 Fax: +264 61 240339