The authors have been involved in the design and delivery of several LIS training and education programs in Vietnam in recent years. This activity has led them to become aware of library developments and initiatives taking place within Vietnam, and of issues that will affect future development of the library and information industry. Some of these developments have been documented, primarily in Englishlanguage sources. The literature review in this article has attempted to draw together these sources to present a summary of library development in Vietnam to the present time. In order to collect input from Vietnamese information professionals currently in the workforce, in early 2008 ten young information professionals who were undertaking postgraduate studies in education and librarianship were interviewed. Their viewpoints on the critical factors in library development in Vietnam over the next decade are discussed in this article. Information about current library initiatives was also provided to the authors and is reported on, supplementing that which appears elsewhere in the literature. Realistic options for the Vietnamese library and information industry are discussed, together with a framework for the assistance that could be provided by the international library community.

No abstract

No abstract

Aims Research on drug dependence often involves the administration of drugs of abuse to experienced drug users under controlled laboratory conditions. The primary objective of this study was to assess whether participation in such research alters the frequency of heroin use by non-treatment seeking opioid-dependent volunteers after study completion. Design Data were examined from four inpatient studies involving controlled opioid administration. Setting Substance Use Research Center at Columbia University, New York State Psychiatric Institute. Participants Sixty-nine heroin dependent volunteers. Measurements Participants’ self-reported heroin use prior to and one month after study participation was compared using a Wilcoxon test. Because a number of participants reported that they had stopped using heroin, a logistic regression was used to identify correlates of heroin cessation one month after study completion. Findings One hundred one participants entered laboratory studies and 69 completed them. Self-reported heroin use significantly decreased one month after study participation [1.7 (+/− 2) bags per day] compared to baseline [6.8 (+/− 4.2) bags per day], p < 0.001 among the 69 completers. In addition, 42% of the completers were heroin abstinent one month after study completion. Being African American, having a history of opioid dependence treatment, reporting heavier heroin use at baseline, and a longer history of heroin use were correlated with cessation of heroin use. Conclusions These findings demonstrate that participation in opioid administration studies does not increase subsequent heroin use and for some individuals leads to accessing opioid dependence treatment and cessation of heroin use in the short term.

No abstract