ASTINFO: Science and Technology Information Exchange in Asia-Pacific

Across the Asia-Pacific region, scientists, librarians and policymakers have long faced a common problem: valuable scientific and technical information existed in scattered pockets, but there was no easy way to share it across borders. To solve this, UNESCO created a cooperative network that connected national libraries, documentation centres and research bodies into a single information-sharing system. That network is ASTINFO, short for the Regional Network for the Exchange of Information and Experience in Science and Technology in Asia and the Pacific. This post explains what ASTINFO is, who participates in it, what it set out to achieve, and how it has evolved into the modern digital era.

What is ASTINFO? 🔗

ASTINFO is a regional cooperative programme set up by UNESCO to promote the exchange of scientific and technological information among countries in the Asia-Pacific region. It grew out of a clear policy need. During the 1980s, UNESCO worked to connect information systems and services so that knowledge could flow more freely between national, regional and international levels, concentrating on subject areas that mattered most to the region’s development.

The programme was a direct follow-up to a recommendation made at the Second Conference of Ministers Responsible for the Application of Science and Technology to Development in Asia and the Pacific, widely known as CASTASIA II, held in the Philippines in 1982. Acting on that recommendation, ASTINFO was established in 1983 and became operational from 1984. UNESCO maintains its Secretariat for ASTINFO at its Regional Office in Bangkok, Thailand, which coordinates assistance across the region and publishes a quarterly ASTINFO Newsletter to keep members updated.

The idea behind a single regional umbrella 🔗

ASTINFO was designed as an umbrella organisation for the whole range of information activities in the Asia-Pacific region. Before it existed, many information projects were small, isolated and underfunded. By grouping these scattered efforts into larger coordinated units, ASTINFO aimed to attract financial support from international agencies and to reach the critical mass needed for projects to become self-sustaining. This UNESCO-supported network was conceived to promote socio-economic development, strengthen regional cooperation, and improve mutual understanding by sharing information resources and experiences available within the region.

Member states and associated centres 🔗

ASTINFO functions through the participation of governments in the region. Fifteen Member States took part in the network: Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. Each participating country contributes through its national libraries, research councils and documentation centres, making the network genuinely collaborative rather than centrally controlled.

Beyond the member states, the real working strength of ASTINFO lies in its network of associated centres. In total, 82 associated centres operate together across the region. Each centre acts as a node within the larger network. A node both contributes information generated within its own country and helps redistribute information received from other parts of the network. This combination of a coordinating centre and active national nodes is what gives such networks their reach and resilience.

The role of associated centres in practice 🔗

The associated centre model can be seen clearly in India. The National Information System for Science and Technology, known as NISSAT, served as the coordinating centre for the ASTINFO programme in India, while the Indian National Commission for UNESCO acted as the official channel. The Indian National Scientific Documentation Centre, INSDOC, operated as an associated centre for ASTINFO and also handled national functions such as assigning ISSN numbers to Indian serials. These bodies show how a single institution can simultaneously serve national needs and plug into a wider regional system.

Specialised sub-networks under ASTINFO 🔗

ASTINFO did not try to handle every subject through one channel. Instead, it spawned specialised information networks for particular fields. The Asian-Pacific Information Network on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, APINMAP, was set up to handle information on medicinal and aromatic plants. In the field of social sciences, UNESCO launched the Asia-Pacific Information Network in Social Sciences, APINESS, in 1986, working with the Association of Asian Social Science Research Councils. To carry data between members, UNESCO also planned a data communication network called ASTINFONET, intended to support messaging, electronic mail, document delivery, and access to databases both inside and outside the region.

Key objectives of ASTINFO 🔗

The overall purpose of ASTINFO was to support development, regional cooperation, and better use of information and data. To reach those broad aims, the programme pursued several concrete and practical objectives.

Computerization of library services 🔗

Modernising libraries was a central goal. In many parts of the region, especially in rural or underserved areas, libraries still relied on manual processes for cataloguing and circulation. ASTINFO encouraged the introduction of computer systems to automate these tasks, which made information faster to retrieve, easier to manage, and simpler to share across countries. As scientific resources increasingly moved into digital formats, this push toward computerisation helped libraries stay relevant and connected to global research.

Training of library and information personnel 🔗

Building human capacity was treated as just as important as building systems. Technology alone achieves little without skilled people to run it. ASTINFO organised training courses, workshops and seminars to develop information professionals across member states, and it encouraged the exchange of expertise between countries. This emphasis on practical action, pilot projects and the sharing of know-how mirrored the wider approach of UNESCO’s General Information Programme, which prioritised training of information personnel and the development of information infrastructures.

Developing national information policies 🔗

Policy development formed the third pillar. A well-functioning information system needs a supportive policy framework behind it. ASTINFO helped member states formulate and apply national information policies, alongside standards and integrated library and information service projects. UNESCO’s broader information work has consistently supported the formulation of national information policies, bibliographic control, and the application of standards, and ASTINFO carried this approach into the Asia-Pacific context.

Strengthening bibliographic control and databases 🔗

A further objective was to strengthen national bibliographic control of science and technology output and to build computer-based bibliographic databases in subject areas of interest to the region. ASTINFO also worked to develop the structures and capabilities needed for cross-border exchange of data and the sharing of processing facilities. Together, these efforts aimed to make the region’s scientific output easier to find, organise and reuse.

India’s contribution to ASTINFO 🔗

India played an active and substantive role in the network rather than acting as a passive recipient. Beyond hosting an associated centre, India executed projects in areas of national strength. A well-known example is the chemical reaction database developed at the National Chemical Laboratory in Pune, contributed as part of an international chemical information programme. Indian experts also served as resource persons at ASTINFO-supported workshops and seminars, sharing experience with other countries in the region. This two-way relationship, where India both received support and supplied expertise, reflects the cooperative spirit the network was built on.

Recent developments: ASTINFO and the APIN programme 🔗

Like any long-running programme, ASTINFO has had to adapt to changing technology. The most significant shift has been its integration into UNESCO’s broader Asia-Pacific Information Network, known as APIN. APIN is a wider framework that promotes information sharing and technological advancement across the region. By aligning with APIN, ASTINFO sharpened its focus on Information and Communication Technology literacy and on knowledge sharing through digital tools.

This direction was already visible in the network’s later consultative meetings, which discussed handling many types of science and technology information, including bibliographic, patent, standard and full-text data, and stressed the need to facilitate training and the exchange of expertise on the use of ICT tools. The integration with APIN supports digital literacy programmes, with particular attention to rural and underserved communities, and connects member states to broader global goals around digital transformation.

UNESCO’s Bangkok office continues to anchor information cooperation in the region. Its successor networks, such as the Asia-Pacific Network of National Information Centres coordinated by UNESCO Bangkok, carry forward the same core idea that ASTINFO pioneered: that countries achieve more by sharing information than by working in isolation. The UNESCO Regional Office in Bangkok remains the hub for communication and information programmes across Asia and the Pacific.

Seen as a whole, ASTINFO represents an early and important model of regional information cooperation. Its work on computerising libraries, training professionals, developing information policies and building shared databases laid groundwork that remains relevant in the age of open data and digital research. The programme demonstrated that scientific progress depends not only on producing knowledge but on making that knowledge findable and shareable across borders.

What do you think? How can regional networks like ASTINFO help smaller or developing countries close the gap in access to scientific information? And as research becomes increasingly digital, do you think ICT literacy among library professionals matters as much as the technology itself?

References

1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/international-information-systems
2. https://uia.org/s/or/en/1100000525
3. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/026666698800400404
4. https://www.ifla.org/past-wlic/2012/96-lor-en.pdf
5. https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?repid=rep1&type=pdf&doi=8763d1dfac350f0fe4091bf6e5a5fcc20aed144e
6. https://apnnic.net/
7. https://www.unesco.org/en/fieldoffice/bangkok