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Information resource is going to play a key role in social, cultural and political progress as well as in productive and sustainable economic development. The ease and speed, with which new knowledge is produced, organized , packed, retrieved and disseminated through IT based systems and applied together with old knowledge our traditional libraries store, will be the strategic determinant in whether the country, state, a region, an institution or individual prosper or lag behind in the new services-based economy. This book, putting together papers, presented at the special session on Information and Local Administration of the National Seminar on Right to Information, attempts to deal with the various aspects related to information technology for participatory development. It should be of interest to development professionals who are government officials, academics, or those from civil society; information professionals; librarians and managers of community information centres as well as all readers interested in IT application in participatory development programmes. About the Author Prof. R. Raman Nair has designed the Multimeda Library Automation System (McLAS 1993) and also the Building LAN of KAU Library which is one of the largest multimedia library and information systems in the country. He has 14 books which includes Public Library Development, Computer Application to Library and Information Services, and Internet for Library and Information Services, 120 research papers and articles and many national and international conference presentations to his credit. He has organised various seminars and conferences including the National Seminar on Right to Information and all India IASLIC Conference 1998. Prof. Nair has associated with many expert committees formed by professional organizations, universities and government. He is a research fellow of American Biographical Institute and is the founder member of Centre for South Indian Studies, life member of Rural Development Forestry Network (ODI, London), Asian Watershed Management Network (Katmandu, Nepal), ILA, IASLI and AGLIS. In reconginition of the support provided by him for diffusing geographic knowledge and promoting research and exploration; the Board of Trustees of National Geographic Society (Washington) have also enrolled him as its member. Presently he is the Librarian of Kerala Agricultural University.