Library

Development Theory and Practice

Online Databases and "Virtual Libraries" of Current Development Research

• A good place to start: The IDS Knowledge Services guide to finding development information online, IDS (2008). (853K pdf)
• Agridea: Rural Development News, rural development magazine.  Articles from 2000-present.
• Changemakers Library, a community of action collaborating on solutions.
• The Development Gateway, World Bank.
• ELDIS, comprehensive database of information from IDS and other development agencies.
• Ford Foundation Library, reports of projects funded by Ford.
• Human Development Resource Network (HDRNet) is an information gateway on human development and international co-operation.
• ICTs for Development, the Communication Initiative Network.
• Impact Alliance Resource Centre contains capacity building related resources.
• International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) serves co-operatives worldwide by promoting the co-operative identity and ensuring its ability to compete in the marketplace.
• Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) strives for global change by working with scholars, practitioners and governments on the desired reforms to governance issues.
• The Microfinance Gateway
• New Zealand Digital Library, development collections on agriculture, health, environment and social issues.
• OneWorld.net contains the latest news from organizations promoting human rights awareness and fighting poverty worldwide.
• World Bank e-Library, access ebooks, journal articles and working papers on international development.

Conferences

• Rethinking Development Conference Papers, June 20-24, 2005, Antigonish.

Country-Specific Resources

• ELDIS Country Profiles
• Kidon Media-Link links to newspaper and radio from most countries.
• Library of Congress Country Studies, description and analysis of most countries.
• UNDP Human Development Report 2011, past years back to 1990 also available on this site.

Journals

• Canadian Journal of Development Studies, (STFX only), issues available: 18(1997)-current.

Networks

• CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation
• Commonwealth of Learning (COL), encourages the development of open learning and distance education knowledge, resources and technologies.
• Directory of Development Organizations is a resource guide to development organizations and the internet.
• Global Development Network promotes policy of multidisciplinary knowledge for the purpose of development.
• Kabissa, a network of African civil society organizations.
• The NGO Café contains links to various NGO resources on the internet.
• Pambazuka News is a forum for social justice in Africa.
• PASCAL promotes the exchange of best practice research, ideas and policies about place management, social capital and learning regions.
• South Asian Women's Network (SAWNET) is a medium of communication by and for South Asian women.
• Third World Network is a network of organisations and individuals involved in issues relating to development, Third World and North-South affairs.

Organisations & Research Institutes

• BRIDGE supports gender advocacy and mainstreaming efforts by bridging the gaps between theory, policy and practice.
• CEDPA: Centre for Development and Population Activities works with women by giving them the tools they need to improve their lives, families and communities.
• Centre for Sustainable Community Development, Simon Fraser University.
• Institute for Development Policy and Management promotes development by enhancing the capabilities of individuals and organisations through education, training, consultancy, research and policy analysis.
• INTRAC (International NGO Training and Research Centre) designs training, consultancy and research services to organizations involved in international development.
• Oxford Poverty & Human Development Initiative (OPHI) is building an economic framework for reducing poverty grounded in people's experiences and values.
• PANOS London promotes the participation of poor and marginalized people through media and communication projects.
• United Nations System of Organizations, official website locator for UN agencies.
• Young Lives: An International Study of Childhood Poverty tracks childhood poverty through the lives of children in Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam over a 15-year period. Publications include working papers, technical notes, policy briefs and country reports.

Statistics

• Behind the Brands is part of Oxfam's GROW campaign and aims to provide people who consume the products of the world's largest food and beverage companies with the information they need to hold these companies to account for what happens in their supply chains. The Behind the Brands Scorecard assesses the agricultural sourcing policies of the world's ten largest food and beverage companies.
• Colin, D., et al. (2010). 2010 Latin America and the Caribbean selected economic and social data. Washington, DC: USAID. (5.49 Mb pdf)
• Commitment to Development (CDI) Index rates rich countries on how much they help poor countries via aid, trade, investment, migration, environment, security and technology.
• Genuine Progress Index for Atlantic Canada.
• Arundel, C. & et al. (2009). How are Canadians really doing? A closer look at select groups. Institute of Wellbeing. (2.62 Mb pdf)
• The World Bank Open Data catalog provides free access to thousands of indicators from World Bank data sets.

Thematic Areas

• Indigenous Knowledge

Tools, Methods and Issues

• Arts for Global Development, resources on the use of visual and performance arts in development.
• BC Healthy Communities, toolkits and articles.
• Community Problem-Solving Project provides tools useful for problem-solving in the community or field. It is part of an ongoing project launched at Harvard University and now based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
• The Faces of Exclusion is a micro-documentary series that uses audiovisual technologies and film documentary resources to illustrate situations of social exclusion.
• Follow the money: A resource book for trainers on public expenditure tracking in Tanzania. (2.75 Mb pdf). Created by Hakikazi Catalyst, Research on Poverty Alleviation (REPOA) & Tanzania Gender Networking Programme (TGNP), (2008). With this toolkit local communities can track the inputs, outputs, and outcomes of particular government services, and determine the gender-specific distribution of benefits from those services.
• IFAD. (2009). Good practices in participatory mapping: A review prepared for the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). (1.83 Mb pdf)
• Measuring Human Development: A Primer is a tool for those working on sub-national, national and regional Human Development Reports. Its guidelines and tools support the production of reports that support policy making and advocacy.
• Monitoring and Evaluation News focuses on developments in monitoring and evaluation methods related to development projects and programs pertaining to social development.
• The Story of Stuff, a video developed by Annie Leonard. This 20-minute film examines the real cost of our consumer driven culture.
• University of Kansas. (2011). Community tool box. A resource that promotes community health and development by providing essential skills for building healthy communities.
• Volunteer Service Overseas (VSO). (2009). VSO Facilitator Guide to Participatory Approaches. The guide is divided into three sections: Methods, principles, and tools.

Internet and Communications Technologies (ICTs)

• Background paper on ICT-for-Development in Africa for the United Nations ICT Task Force, J. Okpaku, (2002). (447K pdf)
• Better connected: empowering people through communications technology, Panos Media Toolkit on Communicating Research - No. 5, (2008).
• CIDA. (n.d.). CIDA's Strategy on Knowledge for Development through Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). (804K pdf)
• Digital Opportunity Channel provides education on the use of ICT as a tool for promoting digital opportunity for all.
• Free and Open Source Software Portal is a gateway to resources related to free software and the Open Source Technology movement.
• Chapman, R. & Slaymaker, T. (2002). ICTs and rural development: Review of the literature, current interventions and opportunities for action. (ODI Working Paper 192). (262K pdf)
• ICTS for development, Eldis' resource guide.
• ICTs for Development in Africa, Soul Beat, no. 69.
• Information and Communication Technologies for Development in Africa: Volume 2: The experience with community telecentres, edited by F. Etta and S. Parvyn-Wamahiu, (2003). Book is available for download. 
• ItrainOnline provides computer and Internet training resources for development and social change.

Funding Sources and Fundraising Strategies

• Association of Fundraising Professionals, news releases, directories, and a resource center.
• Charity Village, Canadian site for the nonprofit sector. It contains news, jobs, information and resources.
• Directory of Development Organizations lists organizations working in international development by country.
• Foundation Center works to strengthen the nonprofit sector by advancing knowledge about U.S. philanthropy.
• Foundations & Grantmakers Directory, alphabetical listing of foundations and grantmakers based in the United States.
• Global Fund for Women. (2007). Fundraising for change: A practical guide for women's rights organizations. This handbook describes the preparation and strategies for fundraising available to women's organizations.
• Fundraising for NGOs, manuals and toolkits from Eldis.
• Fundsnet Services: International Grants and Funders
• Grants for libraries, from the United Nations Library Network.
• Guide for writing a funding proposal, features a selection of recommended books to help with the preparation of a funding proposal.
• How to write Logical Framework Analysis (LFA) in grant proposals: A simple guide for NGOs provides simple explanations to assist NGOs and other development professionals to understand and develop this framework.
• Imagine Canada, Canadian Directory to Foundations and Corporations.
• International Grant Resource Guide, directory of organizations concerned with providing grants.
• Margaret McNamara Memorial Fund provides scholarships to women from developing countries who are enrolled in academic programs in North America.
• The Resource Alliance builds the capacity of not-for-profit organisations to mobilise funds and local resources for their causes.
• Scherer, L., with Raaber, N. (2009). WITM's compilation of Resource Mobilization tools. AWID's Where is the money for women's rights initiative has reviewed existing online resources and produced this document. (91K pdf)
• Urgent Action Fund, for women's human rights. The organization provides grants that enable strategic interventions and participate in advocacy and research.
• The Virtual Foundation provides space for community development organizations seeking funding to post project proposals on the website for potential donors to read. 

Other Handy Websites

• Babel Fish Translation - translate blocks of text and webpages into various languages.
• DevelopmentArt, a website for copyright-free drawings, created by professional artists in Asia and Africa.
• Images of the social and economic world - world maps with social and economic aspects applied.
• Loband, access websites in text-only format.
• Maplecroft Maps analyzes global risks and issues to provide a collection of interactive maps, reports and other resources.
• Maps and Geographic Information Resources, United Nations site containing a wide range of regional, country, thematic, and political maps.
• New York Public Library (NYPL) Digital Gallery, free access to thousands of digital images.
• World Time Zones and calender information
• Xpeditions Atlas, National Geographic. Customize maps for printing and copying.