Libraries and Technology in the Developing World
Vision. Beyond Access. Web. Accessed 23
October 2017.
Internet access, books, databases
of all kinds and mobile devices are all resources that we take for granted here
in Canada. Accessing these resources and the important information they contain
is still a luxury in many developing nations across the world.
Most libraries in developing
countries contain only books, and the selection is often limited. Librarians do
not have training or access to technology. However, there are many organizations
who are working hard to provide internet access, books and knowledge to
developing nations. An organization I discovered in my research, called Beyond
Access, is “a group of people and organizations who believe that libraries can power social and economic development”. (Beyond Access 2017) They are responsible for
many different programs to bring literacy and technology to developing nations.
They spent three years in Myanmar, bringing technology and literacy to
different communities through libraries and studying the affects. I have
personally been to Myanmar, and have spent time teaching in Mali (West Africa) and
travelling across developing nations in Asia and Africa. I can tell you that
many of these communities don’t have access to clean water or electricity, and
I taught in a classroom without books, paper or lighting. Having access to information
and technology in a safe space would be an amazing opportunity for learners.
An image of me teaching grade 1-2 in
Mali, 2012.
During their time in Myanmar, Beyond Access increased library visitation by 86% and the librarians were able to share their IT knowledge through the use of mobile tablets. Beyond Access was able to accomplish this by "train[ing]
librarians to manage public access technology and develop new services that focus
on digital skills training.” (Beyond Access 2016) They also equipped “libraries with tablets and
mobile internet connections, which built “a community of practice for these
libraries turned community technology hubs.” (Beyond Access 2016) In so doing, they created an
environment which enabled “self-guided and peer-based skills development, actively
engag[ing] communities and offer[ing] skills training” (Beyond Access 2016) as well as skills
development for people of all ages. Over time, library users made a shift from
consuming content, to creating it. This was due to factors such as: access to
the internet, proper training, and comfort with digital technologies that
developed over time. Mobile tablets played an important role the project, as
they were the main source of technology that the librarian’s used to spread
their IT knowledge. Learners were able to conduct research, become computer
literate and join peer networks, such as Facebook. This project, among many
others, is just one example of the amazing things that this organization is doing
to help spread IT knowledge and information in the developing world.
I feel that the best way to continue these initiatives is to train local people with the necessary IT skills, so that the programs can continue long after the organization has left. This way, the locals can best find ways to help the community and meet the needs of others.
There are also many other organizations, such as Librarians Without Borders, who support medical libraries in developing nations. This allows doctors to stay current about new technologies and other important medical information that could be crucial to saving lives.
Access
to Reliable Information
Computers and IT skills are not a main
priority in many of developing countries, where more pressing human needs are
paramount. But having “simple, reliable access to targeted information meeting basic
needs” is essential. (Witten & Loots 2001) Having mobile tablets would
allow access to information/ research that would be extremely useful, and available
to all people. I believe that “digital libraries will compensate[e] for the
failure of traditional distribution mechanisms to address local needs and get
information where it is needed.” (Witten & Loots 2001) A library full of
books and only books is a wonderful thing, but it does limit the available
information to what is contained inside the library. Having full access to the
internet and all of its’ databases and search engines allows people to have
vast resources that may not be inside the books available to them. Many
countries have their information censored or limited in some way, although
there is growing opposition to government involvement in internet censorship. (Witten
& Loots 2001) Therefore, the limited books available to them in their local
libraries may not be sufficient for their needs. If the internet is unfiltered
and uncensored, it would allow people to research, learn and improve their
skills in any way that they so choose. Simply having access to a tablet or
smart phone is improving education, health care, governance, banking and even
agriculture in developing nations. (CTA 2017).
Also, “mobile phones and tablets are bringing teachers to students in
underserved regions like never before, thanks to dropping hardware costs.
Rumie’s low-power tablets, pre-loaded with entire libraries, first got sent into
action during the Ebola crisis, when schools in Liberia were shut down for
months.” (CTA 2017) It is beneficial for teachers as well. There is a “program in Pakistan provided instructors with videos on
teaching methods that they could download at free hotspots. (CTA 2017)
Therefore, having access to mobile devices has infinite ways of helping and
connecting people across the globe.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I feel that libraries require
more than just books (although I will always prefer the feel of a book to that
of tablet). The simple reason why, is that the internet and skills required to
navigate the IT world properly are becoming so important in our world. Having
full, uncensored access to the internet is important here in Canada, as well as
developing nations in the world. I feel that there is a place for tablets and iPhones
in the classroom, in Canada and around the world, as long as there is proper instruction surrounding its use. With donations, fundraising and the help of
organizations like Beyond Access, hopefully more and more people around the
globe will have the ability to have full access to the internet and developing
their IT skills.
Useful
Links to learn more about global initiatives:
Works Cited
Beyond Access, beyondaccess.net/
Elsevier Foundation. YouTube,
YouTube, 20 June 2011,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFVo1LerpiE&list=PLgjy_hPsl0kXFK5P9VgBBUscxRYSgMqLw&index=6.
“Emerging and Developing Nations
Want Freedom on the Internet.” Pew Research Center's Global Attitudes
Project, 19 Mar. 2014,
www.pewglobal.org/2014/03/19/emerging-and-developing-nations-want-freedom-on-the-internet/.
“How Mobile Phones Are Changing
the Developing World.” CTA,
www.cta.tech/News/Blog/Articles/2015/July/How-Mobile-Phones-Are-Changing-the-Developing-Worl.aspx.
Witten, Ian H., and Michael Loots.
“The Promise of Digital Libraries in Developing Countries.” Communications
of the ACM, vol. 44, no. 5, May 2001, pp. 82–85.,
doi:10.1145/374308.374357.
Hi Katelyn,
ReplyDeleteWow what an amazing opportunity to have been able to teach in West Africa. This week's topic has made me wonder about books that we donate to Africa. Before I came to my library all books and old textbooks were donated. These books were weeded because they were not longer current, in rough shape or no longer appealing to readers. The question I have is should we be donating them if they are not good enough for our library? When I box books I donate only the ones that I think are still valuable but even then should they be receiving something better than this? I wonder about the cost of shipping these books? Maybe mobile devices are more cost effective? Lots to thinks about:)
Very interesting read! I stumbled across Librarians Without Borders too in my research and I agree that the training of ICT skills to local teachers and TL's is key to ensuring continuing access and improvement of libraries in the developed world. The use of tablets and digital libraries you described is similar to what has been implemented in Senegal, which was the region I explored for this blog topic.
ReplyDelete- Cara
Excellent post with tons of great insight and take-aways from the more successful programs and initiatives to improve the lives of people living in underdeveloped countries. Your research in finding this organization, as well as the papers and theorists that support these initiatives was very well done. Providing enough support to train the Librarians, helps the entire community. A great overview of a successful program!
ReplyDelete