April 29, 2021
Deconstructing ICT Skills and Employability
Economic empowerment for marginalized people is one of the core interests driving ICTD practice and scholarship. Many non-governmental organizations state that improving the economic livelihood of their communities is one of their most important missions. Many training programs, from those which are donor- and public-supported to those which are privately operated, have been built with…
Introducing the Essays of the Harvard Forum II
This special edition contains reports from the Harvard Forum II, a two-day event held September 2009 at Harvard University. Sponsored by Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and hosted by the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University, the Forum assembled a prominent group of thinkers and practitioners from around the globe, including…
Libraries, Telecentres & Cybercafes: an international study of public access information venues: Performance Measurement and Metrics
This paper aims to offer early insight into ongoing research comparing public access venues such as libraries, cybercafe´s and telecenters in 25 countries around the world. The authors studied information needs and uses of information and communication technologies (ICT) in these public access venues, with a particular focus on underserved populations. Understanding trends, differences and…
Using Open Data to Inform Public Library Branch Services
November 9, 2020
This article describes the curation and use of open demographic data to inform public library services. A case study of census data curated for the Seattle Public Library (SPL) system is described. To understand the information needs of library branches, a set of SPL regional managers were interviewed, a set of use cases were created,…
The Role of Libraries in Misinformation Programming: A Research Agenda
October 27, 2020
Misinformation, or fake news, has exploded across social media platforms and communities over the past few years, with serious social and political implications. Many library practitioners and organizations have argued that libraries can and should play a central role in educating the public about this emerging issue. However, serious gaps exist in understanding how libraries…
Benefits of Crowdsourcing for Libraries in the Global South: A Case Study from Africa
October 9, 2020
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 in which governments collect little public data. Whereas crowdsourcing…
African Libraries in Development: Perceptions and Possibilities
October 3, 2020
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…
