July 31, 2014
We’ve developed numerous resources to help answer the overarching question, “Why do public access ICTs matter for development? The goal of the resources listed below is to help make the study’s findings and data more accessible and relevant to the international development, public library, and public access communities. It is our hope that you’ll find these materials useful in understanding the study’s key findings and recommendations, as well as for use in your own work
Early on in the digital divide conversation, myriad donors and governments invested in telecentres — public spaces where people could access computers and learn about the internet. Fast forward to today, where billions have personal internet in their pocket and use Facebook daily, and there is a real question — do we still need public access to information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the age of the mobile phone?
A recent IREXtech Deep Dive discussion sponsored by IREX’s Center for Collaborative Technology and co-sponsored by the University of Washington’s Technology & Social Change Group (TASCHA), brought together a group of leading public access technology experts and development practitioners to debate this question and envision various public access futures. Highlights of the discussion follow.
July 23, 2014
TASCHA’s research is supporting the active engagement of its partners, Association of Progressive Communications (APC) and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), in the post-2015 agenda development process. Together with APC and IFLA, we have prepared a briefing paper, “Public access: Supporting digital inclusion for all – Maximising the impact of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for inclusive social and economic development.” Two different versions of the paper were presented in Geneva at The Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD), Seventeenth Session, May 12-16, 2014 and the WSIS+10 High-Level Event, June 9-13, 2014
May 21, 2014
TASCHA is excited to release a new infographic based on findings from the Global Impact Study of Public Access ICTs! Many thanks go to the team at JumpStart Georgia for helping us design what we think is a pretty cool visualization of why public access is so important and why it matters to development. Please feel free to share, promote, and use widely.
May 6, 2014
TASCHA is excited to announce that we’ll be participating in an upcoming event on public access ICTs, hosted by the Center for Collaborative Technologies at IREX in partnership with Kurante. Below is a description of the event (originally posted on ICTworks by Wayan Vota); space is limited, so if you’d like to join us in DC for this event, please RSVP now.
April 30, 2014
TASCHA’s Global Impact Study of Public Access ICTs wrapped up last year with the publication of the final research report, Connecting people for development: Why public access ICTs matter. In addition to the final report, we have also released research reports and summaries of the Global Impact Study’s in-depth studies, which were designed to answer more specific questions about the public access phenomenon, such as whether we even need public access ICTs anymore since everyone has a mobile phone (spoiler alert: yes, we do!).
November 14, 2013
eInclusion – access to ICTs, ICT skill development, and digital literacy – is becoming increasingly important in both developed and developing contexts for social and economic participation. Strategies for shared access (telecenters, libraries, cybercafes, etc.) by eInclusion actors are particularly important for including marginalized populations. Successful investment to support eInclusion actors requires an understanding how venues operate. Commissioned by the European Union’s Joint Research Centre Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS), Telecentre-Europe and the Technology & Social Change Group conducted an online survey aiming to provide a ‘map’ of telecentres, libraries, and other eInclusion actors operating in the European Union (EU). The report presenting the findings of this survey, the first of its kind in Europe to collect data from eInclusion actors, is now available.
November 5, 2013
The use of ICTs, such as mobile phones, text messages, and various applications, increases with every emergency situation and disaster we see. The organization Libraries Without Borders (Bibliothèques Sans Frontières) recently held an international symposium, The Urgency of Reading, which brought together experts from all over the world to discuss innovations and good practices in providing access to information, ICTs, and culture in emergency humanitarian situations. Among participants from the United Nations, UNESCO, and various humanitarian foundations, TASCHA’s Maria Garrido was invited to discuss her research on the role of public access ICT venues, such as libraries and telecenters, in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake and tsunami in Chile. Maria presented the main findings of this research, as well as the recommendations based on the findings. Maria focused particularly on the importance of the physical space libraries provide in the aftermath of disasters.
October 5, 2013
Join the Global Impact Study team at USC’s Annenberg School on Monday, October 7, for a review of what they learned, and to discuss how their findings should shape ICTD policies and programming in the years to come. If unable to attend in person, please follow along on Twitter at @TASCHAGroup.
July 2, 2013
While you’re likely reading this on your personal computer, enjoying reliable and fast internet, millions of people around the world still lack private access to this increasingly necessary resource to function and prosper in today’s world. How do those people connect to digital society? For many, digital inclusion is found at a library, a telecenter, or a cybercafé – their local public access ICT venue. For over a decade, significant investments have been made in these venues. However, their ability to contribute to development agendas has come into question in recent times, spurred by the spread of mobile phones and other new technologies and applications. The Global Impact Study was designed to address this debate by generating evidence about the scale, character, and impacts of public access ICTs.
Today, TASCHA is excited to announce the release of the study’s final report, Connecting people for development: Why public access ICTs matter.
