HAIN Resource Center serves and responds to information needs of CBHPs, partners NGOs, researchers and policy makers on health and related issues. HAIN gathers and publishes information that is useful in program development, support for advocacy work, academic requirements and policy development.

HAIN offers thousands of special collection in health and related issues including HAIN publications containing critical analysis of issues and hard-to-find research materials.

 

In 2004, HAIN published a Resource Center Manual which is primarily intended for relatively small NGOs that plan to establish or are currently maintaining a Resource Center. It aims to provide users with the basic skills and knowledge in organizing materials to enhance their collection, improve the delivery of information, and effectively disseminate information to their partners. The manual also covers the processes involved in organizing a resource center such as ordering materials, recording, organizing and promoting services, and presents them in a simple way.

Collection
HAIN’s Resource Center has a collection of more than 4000 books, 120 current periodicals and thousands of vertical files that include issue papers, newspaper clippings, research reports, thesis and dissertations and IEC (information, education, communications) materials. The Resource Center has collection of videos (VHS, VCDs), CD-ROMs, and slides. The collection covers the following subject areas:

• Environmental health
• Family planning
• Gender and sexuality
• Health and development issues
• Health policy reform
• HIV/AIDS/STIs/RTIs
• Primary health care
• Rational drug use
• Sexual health and reproductive health
• Young adults

Services

Information retrieval
Provides assistance in information through its website, visit in the resource center, letter, email, and fax

Reference and referral services
HAIN maintains linkages with a number of partners both locally and internationally. In case where information is not available at the resource center, HAIN will refer you to appropriate resource centers where information may be available.

Resource sharing
HAIN allows lending of multimedia materials to partner organizations (within the country), upon submission of written request and the purpose of borrowing. Fees may apply to non-print materials.

Selective dissemination of information
Information is disseminated according to the needs and topics of interest of key partners. If you wish to avail of this service, write to HAIN and indicate your topics of interest.

Technical Assistance
HAIN provides technical assistance in managing resource centers. It includes assistance in collection development and information needs assessment for those who wish to establish or develop their collection through consultation.

Fees and other charges
Accessing HAIN Resource Center does not require admission or membership fees. However, charges may apply to photocopying, bulk mailing and for some publications. HAIN accepts donations to sustain resource center operations.

Schedule
HAIN Resource Center is open from Monday to Friday, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. We request visitors to call first before coming. Check the directions on how to get to HAIN.

We welcome inquiries through letters, fax, and email. Check our contact details.

RCNet

PinoyRCG is an electronic forum for people working in Resource Centers in the Philippines but not exclusive to librarians. It is an offshoot of the “Resource Center Management Training-Workshop” conducted by Health Action Information Network (HAIN) with support from The Ford Foundation last May 4-7, 2004, in Antipolo City.

This electronic forum aims to -
* continue the sharing of experiences of participants in resource center management
* discuss and address issues encountered in resource center management
* expand the partnership
* facilitate information exchange
* extend technical assistance among members for increased access to information and for better information delivery. (Launching of Resource Center Manual photo)

PinoyRH
Pinoy RH is an electronic forum on sexual and reproductive health in the Philippines.

Pinoy RH aims to address issues relating to reproductive health, such as family planning, maternal mortality, unsafe abortion, STDs and HIV/AIDS. It would also allow members to share ideas and experiences with other members and discuss issues that are important to the members’ programs. The exchange of information and experiences could help reduce duplication of efforts, and would benefit the larger community.

Pinoy RH is for the Filipino community, and so messages may be either in English or Filipino, or both.

Pinoy RH was initially envisioned by a core group of organizations involved in information technology initiatives. The core group members are the Philippine National AIDS Council (PNAC), Remedios AIDS Foundation, Health Action Information Network (HAIN), UNAIDS, and Ford Foundation.

 

Skills building activities

HAIN conducts training and consultations intended for key persons in the resource center from different local and international organizations, the academe and local government units. This exercise provides a venue for key people to discuss issues related to the Resource Center management, update and share experiences and resources, expand partnership and to strengthen networking among resource centers.

The training/workshop/consultations are conducted on the following rationale:
• Need for consultation in the light of information overload, rapid evolution of technology, control over quality of information
• Voluminous information does not equate to quality information
• Organizations doing good work are always too busy to write up their experiences
• Decentralization/isolation of issues
• Spread of accurate information is not as fast as the spread of the disease resulting to misinformation, stigma, human rights violation, etc.

The following were the series of training conducted by HAIN Resource Center:

Resource Center Management Training-Workshop for NGOs, May 4-7, 2004, Villa Virginia Resort and Conference Center, Antipolo City

An expanded training-consultation, containing a more comprehensive topic coverage with improved module based on previous trainings. Aside from cataloging and indexing, it also covered other important technical matters as well as topics on integrating working principles, understanding the role of resource centers in the organization and its community, addressing issues, empowering staff, and monitoring and evaluation.

1st National training Consultation on PinoyRH, Feb. 1-3, 2001, Antipolo City
As the group expanded, and topics becoming more focused on HIV/AIDS, key stakeholders expressed the need to strengthen the sexual and reproductive health information sharing. Key organizations from different regions were convened to discuss a more pro-active participation in the information highway through the PinoyRH or Philippine Reproductive Health.

Clearinghouse Project: Partners’ Training, Feb. 28-29, 2000, Antipolo City
The EU-funded “National Program on the Prevention of HIV/AIDS/STDs” project identified the need to establish a clearinghouse for information that would serve as a venue for updates and sharing of information particularly from the countryside. NGOs, GO and other key organizations running a resource center or producing information were convened to form such group. The result of which was an egroup which was later expanded and formed the core members of the PinoyRH.

Resource Center Management and Information Technology Skills Building/Workshop, April 15-17, 1999, Subic, Olongapo City
As a result of the two consultations conducted in 1998, HAIN realized the need the need for more capability training specifically on bibliographic databases, use and understanding search engines in the Internet, and on IT, specifically on communications technology.  This workshop was conducted among resource center personnel from the NGOs, GOs and Academe.

2nd Librarians’ Consultation-Workshop, November 19-20, 1998, Manila
With a similar objective to the first consultation, the second consultation-workshop also expanded its reach to librarians from the NGOs.

1st Librarians’ Consultation-Workshop, July 24-25, 1998, Quezon City
A meeting of librarians from the academe and NGOs to explore possible linkages, identify information and skills needs to increase access to health and health related information.

Regional Consultation on Resource Center and HIV/AIDS, Nov. 26-28, 1996, Manila
Organized to bring together participants from Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines and New Caledonia to discuss issues of information provision and the role of resource centers in HIV prevention efforts. The workshop had a “virtual” component with daily proceedings posted on email to widen participation. The workshop was important in bringing out the need for resource center to evolve beyond to being a library and providing a supportive environment for communities.