January 11, 2017
In November 2016, TASCHA Research Analyst Chris Rothschild and I visited Kenya to explore working with EIFL and Kenya National Library Services (KNLS) to develop mobile information literacy curriculum and training for Kenya’s public library staff and patrons. Our visit was a jam-packed week full of meetings with EIFL and KNLS staff, various individuals and…
January 3, 2017
The spread of information and communication technologies (ICTs) alone does not necessarily lead to a well-informed society. As TASCHA’s Data for Democracy (D4D) project substantiated during its first year in Myanmar, implementation of new technologies and technical skills to support the use of data for better decision making is only as effective as the data…
November 29, 2016
Remember when we used to read magazines– real, tangible, print magazines? Sometimes we’d pick them up at the dentist’s office, sometimes we’d have them delivered to our doorstep, but most of the time we’d be waiting in line at a grocery store check-out line and peruse the day’s headlines to pass the time. There were…
November 1, 2016
TASCHA, along with the EIFL Public Library Innovation Programme (EIFL-PLIP), Kenya National Library Services (knls), and the African Library and Information Associations & Institutions (AfLIA), will attend a series of meetings on mobile information literacy needs in Kenya in early November 2016. The aim of the meetings is to develop a Mobile Information Literacy (MIL) curriculum for…
October 26, 2016
We are often asked how students can get involved with the work that we do at TASCHA. During Winter Quarter 2017, TASCHA is leading a Research Seminar in the Information School (INFX 571), offering students a chance to get real world ICTD and research experience. INFX 571: TASCHA Research Seminar How can information and communication…
October 25, 2016
Are you interested in the effects of technology on economic and social development? Do you wonder if smartphones will replace PCs? Interested in the role libraries play in community development? Curious about questions that can be addressed through big data? Passionate about digital inclusion & literacy, access to technology, communication, and information resources? Well, we…
October 6, 2016
The advent of Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) boded major shifts in alternative education across the globe; suddenly anyone with access to the internet could take a course from a world-leading university, usually free of cost. The implications for education and international development were wide and complex, opening a new channel of fresh questions for…
October 5, 2016
Three regional libraries – officially called Regional Study and Resource Centers (RSRCs) – designed to promote a “learning culture” through services and activities, opened two years ago in regions across Namibia as an outcome of the Compact between the Government of Namibia and the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). The Technology and Social Change Group (TASCHA), contracted…
September 27, 2016
Access to information is a critical tenet of successful community and international development, and in many places around the world, public libraries play a vital role in providing access that is universally and freely available. With this in mind, the Technology & Social Change Group (TASCHA) and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions…
Myanmar is undergoing unprecedented changes — politically, culturally, digitally — all while moving from a highly-censored information environment to embracing openness and freedom of information. The country’s digital revolution includes leaping over numerous “digital divides” propelled by the widespread use of smartphones and growing pervasiveness of the internet. TASCHA co-sponsored a Myanmar information symposium just…
