This ESCAP training manual was developed under the Women’s Information Network for Asia and the Pacific (WINAP) to strengthen the collection, processing, dissemination and use of information concerning women in development throughout Asia and the Pacific. It provides practical guidance for establishing and managing women’s information centres, including acquisition of materials, bibliographic description, cataloguing, database development, indexing, thesaurus use, abstracting, networking and automation. The manual also explains techniques for repackaging information into newsletters, brochures, reports and other communication products intended for policymakers, researchers and grassroots women. A substantial section addresses the collection, analysis and presentation of statistics on women, including use of the United Nations WISTAT database and socio-economic indicators for measuring women’s status and participation in development. The publication further promotes participatory research methodologies that enable women to analyse their own circumstances, identify problems, generate solutions and support evidence-based advocacy for gender equality and development.