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Home » Ask a librarian

If you are struggling to find information related to economic and social change, our trained librarians can guide you to useful sources.

We will reply to your e-mail within two working-days, and we can provide the following;

• General advice about using our services and visiting the library
• Brief answers to factual questions concerning international development, using resources
• Links to relevant online resources and organizations
• Bibliographic references
• Help with internet and library search strategies
• Information on other IDS Knowledge resources

Examples of questions that we get asked:

• "I'm looking for general information about decentralisation in Uganda. Can you suggest any books or articles?"
• "When was the term 'Third World' first used?"
• "Can you give me figures for the percentage of Parliament made up of women in Tanzania and Pakistan?"
• "Where can I find free e-journals?"
• "Can you suggest organisations working on occupational health in a development context, and give me their contact details?"
• "What laws does Ecuador have in place to guarantee (or restrict) freedom of expression?"
• "My research topic is accountability in the mining sector in Mongolia and I'm having trouble finding enough information. Can you suggest any sources I could use?"