EXPLORING ALTERNATIVES TO PAPER; A CASE FOR ICTS AND E-RESOURCES

Anita Acon

Abstract


The use of paper based resources have afforded many people over generations the ability to access information that they previously might not have had the means to. The increasing reliance on paper for dissemination of information has, however, had a negative effect on the environment in the way of deforestation for the purposes of manufacturing paper. This paper critically examines existing literature to determine how ever emerging technologies in the way of ICTs are enabling societies to move away from complete reliance on paper, and towards increasingly paper free environments. The paper highlights some of the opportunities and challenges experienced when looking at the possibility of using ICTs and e-resources such as e-books, as well as providing insights and recommendations in light of growing studies from around the world as they relate to the issues of environmental degradation for paper manufacturing.


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