Bridging between libraries and information and communication technologies for development

Sears, Rebecca; Crandall, Michael

doi:10.1177/0340035209360394

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 1 publication

(1 reference statement)

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“…This excitement is perhaps natural -public libraries and development organizations do share many common goals that make them strong potential partners (Benson et al 2016;Hart and Nassimbeni, 2015). Both groups seek to build strong community partnerships as they implement educational programs (Mahwasane, 2017), expand access to information and communication technologies (Ifijeh et al, 2016;Sears and Crandall, 2010), support improved community health practices (Emojorho and Ukpebor, 2013;Sow and Vienkar, 2012), and much more.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Data challenges for public libraries: African perspectives and the social context of knowledge

Lynch

Young

Jowaisas

et al. 2020

Information Development

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This article sheds light on the collection and use of data by libraries in sixteen countries across Africa. It highlights the challenges that librarians and library organizations face in gathering, analyzing, and presenting data of various types for self-advocacy. In this study, qualitative data from a meeting of library representatives was analyzed to identify main challenges including: data integrity in terms of completeness, accuracy, credibility, and relevancy; infrastructure; capacity; local investment in libraries; time; and participation of data collectors and respondents. Implications for those collecting data on African libraries as well as those supporting the use of data in these contexts are discussed. The purpose of this paper is not to feed into representations of African libraries as chronically under-resourced and lacking in capacity, but rather, to constructively engage with first-hand accounts of how librarians are experiencing and navigating barriers in order to offer potential avenues forward for the field.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Data challenges for public libraries: African perspectives and the social context of knowledge

Lynch

Young

Jowaisas

et al. 2020

Information Development

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“…Importantly, this also highlights that "allowing participants to work together on the map fosters discussion and allows more hesitant participants to engage in a less direct way" (Quill, 2018: 5, emphasis added), also evidenced by Champion reports of engaging reticent librarians and their managers. Holley (2010) and Quill (2018) support the fact that engaging in this work builds capacity in technology and literacy skills, which is fittingly a shared goal of many development organizations (Sears and Crandall, 2010), further highlighting that the library is a "natural home for this type of activity" (Quill, 2018: 2) and an important player in development. As a result, the role of the Champions can be seen as more analogous to "virtual community managers" who "nurture, stimulate, and moderate online interaction" between volunteers to ensure the success of a crowdsourced project (McKinley, 2012: 6).…”

Section: Observation That Map Warpermentioning

confidence: 80%

Benefits of crowdsourcing for libraries: A case study from Africa

et al. 2020

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Many libraries in the Global South do not collect comprehensive data about themselves, which creates challenges in terms of local and international visibility. Crowdsourcing is an effective tool that engages the public to collect missing data, and it has proven to be particularly valuable in countries where governments collect little public data. Whereas crowdsourcing is often used within fields that have high levels of development funding, such as health, the authors believe that this approach would have many benefits for the library field as well. They present qualitative and quantitative evidence from 23 African countries involved in a crowdsourcing project to map libraries. The authors find benefits in terms of increased connections between stakeholders, capacity-building, and increased local visibility. These findings demonstrate the potential of crowdsourced approaches for tasks such as mapping to benefit libraries and similarly positioned institutions in the Global South in multifaceted ways.

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“…Nonetheless, the work that African libraries do often matches the goals of development organizations expressed in agendas such as the United Nations SDGs and African Union Agenda 2063. From educational programming (Mahwasane, 2017) to community health (Emojorho & Ukpebor, 2013;Sow & Vinekar, 2012) to expanded access to information and communication technologies (ICTs; Ifijeh et al, 2016;Sears & Crandall, 2010), libraries and development organizations share common goals that make them natural partners in development.…”

Section: African Libraries In Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

African Libraries in Development: Perceptions and Possibilities

Lynch

Young

Jowaisas

et al. 2020

International Information & Library Review

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Across Africa, libraries are contributing to development in their countries. However, this work remains largely unrecognized by international stakeholders in development. To bridge this gap, this research examines the current perceptions of libraries among development organizations and asks how libraries may gain visibility as partners. Interviews with development practitioners indicate that perceptions of libraries remain low and limited but allow for possible roles for libraries as community-embedded institutions and development resource hubs. To engage these roles, the collection of output data is important in order to demonstrate the capacity of libraries to participate meaningfully in development work.

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Bridging between libraries and information and communication technologies for development

Cited by 7 publications

References 1 publication

Data challenges for public libraries: African perspectives and the social context of knowledge

Data challenges for public libraries: African perspectives and the social context of knowledge

Benefits of crowdsourcing for libraries: A case study from Africa

African Libraries in Development: Perceptions and Possibilities

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