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DIGITAL LIBRARIES FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

Explore the potential impact of digital libraries in India and other developing nations, addressing issues in access, costs, and content diversity. Learn how these libraries could revolutionize education and knowledge sharing, with emphasis on local needs and cultural nuances.

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DIGITAL LIBRARIES FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

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  1. DIGITAL LIBRARIES FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES • Current status of libraries in India • education system largely does not encourage use of libraries • almost entirely paper-based • academic libraries often difficult to access, use • financial limitations • access to latest papers/articles very difficult • a digital library could help address some of these issues, but it needs to be part of a change in the way university education works

  2. DIGITAL LIBRARIES FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES • How would a digital library help? • theoretically enable anyone with access to a computer to get to latest international research/publications • could be part of larger program to document and digitize local knowledge, research, publications, and make them more accessible to wider national & international community • could be part of Schoolnet-type project for rural areas • but…

  3. DIGITAL LIBRARIES FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES • Potential hurdles/problems • costs – access plus infrastructure (computers plus high-speed connections) • what about all current material (e.g., books) that is currently not digitally available • would this be yet another elitist facility, open only to English-educated upper-class people? Can it be any different, and if so how?

  4. DIGITAL LIBRARIES FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES What are the issues in designing a digital library? - How might an Indian library differ from, say, the UC digital library? - Cultural differences in the material included (customary knowledge, religious issues, politics…) - “Practical” resources not easily put in text form, but that could be digitalized (images, video, spoken records…) - Adaptation to locally variable needs (different parts of India may have different needs) - Multiple languages (not a single dominant language)

  5. DIGITAL LIBRARIES FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES What are the practical issues in designing a library? - Where would the library be based? - How would the library be accessed, in the great variety of Indian communities (cities, villages…), and in the realities of literacy and living conditions? - How would the library be updated and maintained? - How would paper materials be digitalized? - Who would have input into the design and management: villagers, schools…?

  6. DIGITAL LIBRARIES FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES How to build such a digital library? - Need significant funding ($50 million? $200 million?) and control by Indian actors - Potentially, foundations such as the Gates Foundation or the Packard Foundation - Role of Indian governments?

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