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 | (left): Participants at the expo looking at the displays.
(right): The Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and International), Professor John Bythell gives his opening address. |
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An exposition aimed at encouraging research through the promotion of archival and data repositories as integral sources of information for researchers began at the University of the South Pacific in Suva on 24 October, 2012.
Facilitated by USP's Faculty of Arts, Law and Education, the event was supported by archival and data repositories like the National Archives of Fiji, Fiji National Museum, Ministry of Information, Fiji Bureau of Statistics and the Pacific Collection of the University’s library.
The two-day expo saw displays of materials and artifacts from the different repository and archival/data collection agencies as well as information sessions for the general public to benefit from including University staff and students.
During the opening of the expo, the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and International), Professor John Bythell said that while data collection and archiving is an enormous task, it is also a powerful and valuable tool in answering some fundamental questions that help us understand regional and global issues.
“It is not only the existence of data sets that are important, but our ability to search and find the information we need to be able to answer specific questions,” Professor Bythell reminded those present.
He briefly spoke about the importance of the knowledge economy and the drivers behind the changing rules of business and national competitiveness. These included factors like globalization, information technology, new media and computer networking and connectivity.
Professor Bythell said that USP is looking to develop the Pacific Regional Knowledge Hub.
This, he shared, will be a suite of data storage, archiving and dissemination facilities to also enable and develop the capacity and use of data in novel and innovative ways.
He urged people to take the opportunity to know more about data repositories from the expo, as such agencies are at the heart of the knowledge economy and drive significant change in the way the region and the world does business in the future.
The expo concluded on 26 October.
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