When Helen Callaway and I began our travels in search of Flora Shaw, our very first encounter was with a man who threatened to set his dogs on us. We carried on, however, for our model was Flora Shaw, herself an adventurous traveller as well as the highly influential Colonial Editor for The Times in the 1890s. Like Flora Shaw, Helen was also a widely travelled woman of high spirits.

Before I talk about my “Travels with Helen,” I want to thank Maria Jaschok, director of the International Gender Studies Centre (aka Centre for Cross-Cultural Research on Women) for inviting me to give this talk and to thank all the members of the Centre for their warm hospitality to me for over twenty years. This has been my Oxford “home.”

Finding the most worthwhile information for one's purpose today is no easy task. An array of information providers has exploded. The Internet, twentyfour hour television channels, numerous magazines and journals provide facts and opinion. But which source is more credible? How can one formulate one's own opinion or position, especially when working with nuanced or topical subjects? It is believed that specialised research requires a different approach to accurate information gathering.

The role of information managers and providers is paramount. They have the ability to search and structure interesting resources for use of a range of users. This paper maps some of the principle sources of information about the Cotonou Partnership Agreement, including the core texts such as the Agreement, and also sources supplying analysis; facts and comments on the content, process and progress of the Agreement.

2004 marks the 50th anniversary of Book Aid International (BAI), the major UK support for libraries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Since 1954, BAI has reached out to readers in some of the world's poorest countries, creating learning opportunities for millions of adults and children. Book Aid International's work demonstrates the power of books in making a significant practical difference to improve people's lives. The charity provides short-term solutions to crisis situations - sending out English language books to help fight illiteracy. Book Aid International is equally committed to longer-term, sustainable solutions and works with communities worldwide to build up local publishing and bookselling projects.

One of the biggest challenges facing BAI now is ensuring that adequate resources are supplied to keep up with the huge expansion in education that is taking place around the world.

It is well known that during the Cold War Britain was regarded as an unsinkable aircraft carrier; much less well known is the fact that this idea of the island as ship was first thought of by the British over a hundred years earlier when Ascension Island in the South Atlantic was officially regarded as a “Sloop of War of the smaller class.” The Bodleian Library of Commonwealth and African Studies has recently acquired a logbook of this “ship” for 1835, which sheds a fascinating light on life on the island during this period of naval occupation.

Ascension Island was first discovered by the Portuguese in the early 16th century, but as it was so dry and barren (it was many years before a supply of fresh water was discovered on the island) it was neither settled nor much used as a source of supply for the East India fleets of Portugal, Holland or England.