Global Information Inequalities. Bridging the Information Gap

215 Pages·2008·3.519 MB·English

by  Deborah Charbonneau (Eds.)

Global Information Inequalities
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Global Information
Inequalities: Bridging the
information gap
E
DITED BY
D H. C
EBORAH HARBONNEAU
Chandos Publishing
Oxford · England
Chandos Publishing (Oxford) Limited
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First published in Great Britain in 2008
ISBN:
978 1 84334 361 5 (paperback)
978 1 84334 362 2 (hardback)
1 84334 361 4 (paperback)
1 84334 362 2 (hardback)
© D.H.Charbonneau and the contributors,2008
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List of figures, tables and boxes
Figures
3.1 Map of Malaysia: location of Sarawak 33
7.1 Iceland consortia: number of downloaded full-text
articles by year 99
13.1 Map of sub-Saharan Africa 191
13.2 Sub-Saharan Africa Internet users 197
Tables
3.1 Types of usage 37
4.1 Information needs of CRC users 50
Boxes
1.1 Chapter overview 4
2.1 Chapter overview 20
3.1 Chapter overview 32
3.2 Additional challenges for providing equitable access to
information through ICT in Sarawak 38
4.1 Chapter overview 42
5.1 Chapter overview 62
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Global Information Inequalities
6.1 Chapter overview 78
6.2 Selected topics for round table discussions 86
7.1 Chapter overview 96
7.2 Countrywide access in Iceland (subscriptions in 2007) 97
7.3 Five main objectives of the Icelandic Government’s
vision of the information society 104
8.1 Chapter overview 112
8.2 Frequently cited challenges 123
8.3 Towards a national network 125
9.1 Chapter overview 130
9.2 Laws addressing the sensory disabled in various countries 133
9.3 Barriers to information access 137
10.1 Chapter overview 152
11.1 Chapter overview 160
12.1 Chapter overview 178
13.1 Chapter overview 190
13.2 Information and communications technology (ICT)
in Africa 193
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Introduction
The disparity in access to information is a worldwide phenomenon and is
often characterised as a complex social problem with educational, cultural,
economic, and political underpinnings. An important concept underlying
this framework is the notion that such inequalities do not exist in isolation.
Rather, information inequalities are embedded in and shaped by social and
contextual aspects. Building on this approach, the contributions in this
book help to illustrate that unequal access to information is rooted in
historical, institutional, economic, cultural, and social conditions that are
ever-changing and dynamic. Therefore, the focus of this collection of
contributions is to present a global examination of issues related to
facilitating improved and equitable access to information.
Chief among the challenges to creating and sustaining equitable
information access are geographical barriers, the unequal distribution of
resources, political systems, and the lack of information literacy skills that
contribute to these unequal divisions. Not surprisingly, individuals around
the world are unable to access information because of a multitude of
intersecting and overlapping factors. Some of these factors are well known
and include poverty, lack of education, poor communications technology,
or language issues, just to name a few. Despite these challenges, there have
been remarkable efforts to improve access to information for all citizens.
The contributions in this book provide examples of international
initiatives that are underway to address some of these challenges and call
attention to interesting perspectives emerging from library practitioners
from around the world. By exploring initiatives in various parts of the
world, the contributions in this book seek to contribute to the global
conversation and shed light on how such global information inequalities
can be understood and addressed. As the reader might anticipate, the
contributions in this book offer unique perspectives, in-depth discussions,
and numerous examples reflecting the political, economic, social, and
cultural landscapes of various countries across multiple continents.
Moreover, the contributions bring a broad, multifaceted approach to bear
on the issues regarding social and information inequalities.
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Global Information Inequalities
The contributions in this book also address a number of core
professional issues, including information literacy, access to information,
library services, collection development, global collaboration,
intellectual freedom, and digital information. The contributors are from
Argentina, Canada, Chile, China, Iceland, Malaysia, Peru, South Africa,
Tanzania, the USA and Zambia, thereby providing a wide range of
perspectives on librarianship. Furthermore, each contribution is an
opportunity to enhance our understanding of what it means to facilitate
equitable information access. Moreover, the insight gleaned from these
lessons contributes to our collective voice and success.
The book is organised into four sections: information mobilisation,
information empowerment, social inclusion and information divides.
Each section contains a number of chapters on the section topic. As
noted, each contribution provides a unique examination of specific issues
in a global context. Furthermore, these issues are presented and situated
in various library settings (e.g. public, academic and specialist libraries).
The first section of the book on information mobilisation consists of
four chapters addressing issues related to information access for both
social and economic development. The first chapter, by Jansen and Sellar,
sets the stage with a discussion of the nature of access inequality on both
a local and global scale. In addition, Jansen and Sellar detail the progress
of their experiences in building a community library in Angola.
Furthermore, Jansen and Sellar note that sustainable equitable
information access requires a comprehensive, holistic approach and that
the provision of information resources is just one dimension of any
strategy. The three subsequent chapters in the first section elaborate on
various considerations required to sustain equitable information access.
Chao discusses efforts to bring information technology to selected
counties in rural China and highlights a working model for library
resource sharing within local rural communities. Bolhassan and Razali
share library development initiatives in Malaysia that build on
collaborations with government and non-governmental agencies to
provide public libraries in Sarawak with information and
communications technology (ICT) facilities. Although a main goal of
their library development project is to provide access to Internet services
throughout the country, Bolhassan and Razali also emphasise the
importance of local content developed by local communities. As such,
Bolhassan and Razali describe how local content is collected and
featured on newly created bilingual websites in English and Malay. For
readers interested in efforts to address the information needs of rural
communities, Mcharazo describes the introduction of Community
xiv
Introduction
Resource Centres (CRCs) in Tanzania and examines their usefulness and
the efforts that have been invested in building the centres.
The contributions in the second section on information empowerment
focus on efforts to create equitable access and encourage civic
engagement. Dunn and Saavedra present the experiences of the Centro
de Conocimiento Compartido Library Project and discuss information
reception, flow, and use in rural villages on the Amazon River Basin of
Peru. The contribution by Yanez discusses efforts by the Chilean Library
of Congress to promote citizen participation and facilitate the exchange
of information between citizens and legislators. Finally, Olafsson
describes a consortia model in Iceland in which countrywide access to
bibliographic databases was established.
The contributions in the third section on social inclusion highlight two
initiatives for inclusive library services for those with sensory and
learning disabilities. Bobier and Paterson discuss a Canadian public and
private sector partnership strategy to support accessible library services
for people living with vision loss who cannot access regular print
resources. Bobier and Paterson highlight some of the common challenges
and opportunities presented by technological advancements in the
provision of equitable library services to patrons with vision loss. Next,
Nicholson outlines various problems with access to information that are
often encountered by persons with sensory disabilities and discusses how
copyright legislation has become a barrier to accessing information in
South Africa and in other developing countries.
The contributions in the final section on information divides discuss
both the opportunities and challenges for the provision of equitable
library services. Meadows starts off the discussion by explaining how
libraries are using bookmobiles to serve patrons and discusses
opportunities for bridging the information gap through mobile outreach
library service. Civallero examines “information divides and ditches” and
describes a number of library initiatives in Latin America, noting that the
smallest of experiences are numerous and are not always reflected in the
professional literature. Therefore, Civallero presents a range of library
initiatives in Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Brazil, Columbia,
Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela. Next, Healy describes the development of
MedlinePlus Go Local projects in the USA, the role that these directories
of health service information can play in locating health services for
at-risk persons, and also the role that librarians can serve in educating
their communities about MedlinePlus Go Local. Kanyengo and Mufalo
conclude the collection of contributions with an overview of the barriers
to free and equal access to information in sub-Saharan Africa.
xv
Global Information Inequalities
As noted, the purpose of this book is to examine issues of information
access by organising a collection of contributions spanning the globe. As
such, the contributions demonstrate the uniqueness of the library issues
under discussion from the global perspectives of various library
environments. I would like to thank each of the contributors, as this
book would not be possible without their efforts. I am grateful to these
authors for their hard work and for sharing their reflections and
expertise. The value of their collective work emerged in exciting ways
and it is proudly demonstrated in this book. Most important, their ideas,
insight, and commitment continue to inspire me.
As I close with these acknowledgements, I gratefully express my
appreciation and admiration for the international collaborative nature of
this endeavour. This project served as a reminder of how enjoyable it can
be to work collaboratively toward common goals. I value the insight,
diversity of thought, range of experiences, and synergy that emerges
from such collaboration.
Deborah H. Charbonneau
Wayne State University
Detroit, Michigan, USA
xvi