Module 8

Developing World Libraries

In our discussion group, we defined world libraries as global libraries; libraries which are accessible on a global scale.  A library that is meaningful and applicable to all people.  Once we decided on what a world library should look like we examined way to develop these libraries.  Our group took a few standpoints looking at this issue, from a collection perspective by the addition of diverse resources or from an accessibility perspective by improving infrastructure for developing nations.

Multilingual resources
A method for developing a world library collection would be in the inclusion of multilingual and multicultural resources.  We looked at examples of world libraries and examined the types of items that were included in their collection.  We explored the International Children’s Digital Library website.  We found that they had a wide range of literature in various languages.   An interesting note that was brought up was the different languages available for their interface: English, Spanish, French, Mongolian and Russian.  Mongolian!?!  Not one of the most used languages on the internet.  We discovered that the International Children’s Digital Library Foundation’s first branch was in Mongolia, hence the Mongolian.  Although a good source of multilingual and multicultural literature, their collection composed predominantly of picture books which would be more suited for the elementary level.

Access
Another dominant discussion in our developing world libraries brainstorm was accessibility.  We can develop the library by increasing the amount of people that can access it.  We thought how can we improve digital accessibility to the students in poor and developing countries?  I found an article from the Bill and Melissa Gate Foundation and their efforts funding public library, in Botswana, Latvia, and Lithuania, to provide them with free internet and ICT training.  Through their grant they hope to increase access to expand global libraries.  But someone pointed out, in rural communities where there’s no running water and no electricity, how does building modern technological infrastructure in fact benefit the citizens living there?  As a group, we struggled with the idea of the applicability of such technology.  Will the people have the knowledge to sustain and maintain the technology?  Will it be integrated into the society and will people continue to use it after the grants are gone?  Next we discussed how laptops and computer are still expensive and beyond the reach of average citizen in developing countries, but cell phone use and ownership is on the rise.  Would there be a shift to a mobile app world library?  We didn’t really come to a proposal or conclusion on the topic of accessibility and the world library.

In the end, we arrived with more questions than answers…