Sobhagyawati Gupta Assistant Librarian

1. Digital Divide and Digital Library Environment: Bridging the Gap through Information Literacy and Role of Academic Community Sobhagyawati Gupta Assistant Librarian Central University of Rajasthan Kishangarh-305801, Ajmer, Rajasthan (India) Rajneesh Library In-charge Apaji Institute of Mathematics & Applied Computer Technology Library Banasthali University, Rajasthan Madan Singh Rana University Librarian H N Bahuguna Gharwal University Srinagar, Gharwal, Uttarakhand

2. Introduction • Though information is being considered as basic ingredient for the society, ICT has, however, rejuvenated a new dimension to information i.e. as commodity. Connection of networks, further, strengthen to a fast communication with a real time feeling among people across the world. Impact of ICT on libraries • Changing traditional library to digital library by building of digital collection which is leading to transformation in the society, academic environment in particular. Thus, the academic libraries are moving into a critical take off phase: • They are in between modernization and transformation phase, and would be progressing as largely digital in next few years. However, development in academic libraries and recent technological advancements has emerged a kind of divide or gap between information seekers and the environment. • It divided society into two worlds of information seekers: born digital; and born in the world struggling for survival in the digital world. • Therefore, all possible efforts need to be made to fill up or close this gap in the society for making sustainable world in the digital environment. Information literacy programmes can be a trustworthy technique in order to reduce this gap in the present academic environment.

3. Digital Library Environment • ICT has brought notable transformation in many factors, particularly in the area of disseminating information speedily. As earlier people were reluctant to make use of power of ICT, however, today apparently seen a complete change in peoples’ mindset in the society. • Moreover, the present generation of students is more comfortable with ICT in their everyday life. Now, most of the students rely on technology to collect information and to communicate with others. • On the other hand, in this age of information overload; the availability of more than 17 million internet sites, three billion web pages, and more than a million items in typical medium-sized academic library and more importantly, unorganized information available on Internet, so it is critical to get desired information easily from internet and it affects academic success and personal learning. • In addition, there are many students they do not possess the basic skills required in the digital environment including-the core technology based skills- “do not necessarily translate into sophisticated skills with other technologies or general information literacy”. Only few students are having “high level of competence across a wide range of applications” (Kennedy, et al., 2008). • Therefore, this is creating a kind of divide among the students in the academic environment. Here, the role of library would be major in filling up this gap and making favorable academic environment for students in the digital era.

4. Digital Divide • IT has made an intense impact on the society and also influenced on lives of people immensely. The unequal access to ICT has led the society, India in particular, to a massive divide digitally; digitally rich & digitally poor, like: • Communities those haves access to computers and the internet and those have-nots; • Similarly, no uniformity for accessing information through effective use of ICT in the academic environment. Challenge: Creating the equal access to information and technology to the academic community. Appropriate step: Bridging this gap in the country through digital and information literacy programmes for the learners community would be an apt solution.

5. Reasons for Digital Divide • Internet is used by only 35% of the world’s population and that some 85% of all uses and 90% of all hosts are in developed countries. Internet penetration in India is only 10% of total population. Reasons for digital divide are: (http://www.uneca.org, 2007)

6. Contd… • Economic status • Lack of appropriate ICT infrastructure • Lack of political will in governments to do what is needed to enable the integration of technology throughout society; • Lack of awareness & literacy of technology • Lack of interest and aspirations of individuals • Lack of confidence and skills necessary, fear of technology and fear of change in technologies have also been large contributing factors. • Lack of training and orientation for use and access the online resources; • Lack of intellectual capital having appropriate skills in understanding how to make use of technology and resources in digital environment • Unsustainable, inconsistent and partial funding to community-based initiatives; and lacking the focus on local requirements means lack of localization efforts.

7. Contd… And, the above reasons may lead to: The plan to achieve the 8 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015 will also be affected. Academic community will have to recognize and play their leading role and responsibility as strong pillars in establishing the building of all academic affairs and achieving the set goals.

8. Information Literacy • Not only the ICT literacy is responsible for this fragmentation in the society in the present digital environment, but, all types of literacy are responsible, including- media literacy, computer literacy, visual literacy, tool literacy, resource literacy, social-structure literacy, research literacy, publishing literacy, critical literacy and emerging technology.

9. Information Literacy Education In the ICTs environment, modern methods have been emerging in the class room teaching and learning, so the instructional and learning needs of learners has changed noticeably. There is a need to prepare students in different ways like- making them comfortable with technology and digital environment, and working with different people and ideas collaboratively. Information Literacy Education is a collective responsibility of all educators and information providers. Thus, the need of collaboration & cooperation among teaching faculty, administrators and library & information science professionals to initiate information literacy programmes.

10. Role of Academic Community All the players have a specific role to play in reducing the digital divide in the academic environment through information and digital literacy.

11. Role of Teaching Faculty • The faculty can talk about academic competencies, methodology, problem definition, research, the use of resources, etc. • In the universities, a provision in the curriculum itself may be made to learn about information literacy by the students to become lifelong learners and also to fulfill the specific needs, both professional and personal. • For strengthening information literacy in digital era, the training programmes, courses, workshops and tutorials need to be designed and implemented by the experts, including-librarians and subject specialists, faculty. This would be a major step in providing information literacy education in digital environment (Konnur & Rao, 2009). • Information literacy education based on faculty-library collaboration will also help students to access the information intellectually and use it critically, creatively and ethically. It can reduce the faculty’s burden of having to deal with issues such as plagiarism, referencing and critical evaluation of information (Torras & Skagen, 2006).

12. Role of Library Professionals • The library and information centers have a distinctive role to play in the present democratic society in order to reduce the gap between those who haves and those who have-nots through information literacy and other programmes, particularly in digital environment. • Librarian, now being more proactive information provider, should think of designing digital resources guides on various subjects, which include- search strategies for locating e-resources, and preparing a list of useful reference materials, high-quality websites, and so on.

13. Role of Learners • Most of the time, students are in trouble in understanding the materials available in digital form, however, they cannot use it in a right context, so they just copy the contents. Therefore, in the present environment, students should have to be academically skilled, methodologically competent, a team worker, creative and information literate. • So, the students can discuss the need of relevant material, how to move forward in this process, about frustrations in writing the projects and information seeking and the related problems like teaching, consulting, research, and so on. They should also collaborate in the design, application, and maintenance of information access systems.

14. Apart from the teachers and librarian’s role, the role of administrators and the information learners itself is also very important in reducing the gap among digital information user and the advancements of digital information society and bridging the digital divide. Thus, we should facilitate to provide an encouraging environment in libraries to have collaboration among all the stakeholders to satisfy their requirements.

15. Conclusion can be drawn: • Collaborative research projects on designing the information literacy programmes; so that the right kind of strategies may be developed in conducting these programmes in digital environment successfully. • A regular monitoring system may be evolved to ensure the utility as well as the quality of programmes. This information literacy assessment programmes would be helpful to improve the ability to access digital information by the users. • Organizations like INFLIBNET may offer a leading role to support such programmes and to ensure proper and effective use of technology in the libraries. More workshops and training programmes must be conducted by them in this area.

16. Contd… • For running information literacy programmes successfully, library should have an Information literacy department with dedicated team of staff. The authority must determine if such programmes are worth the investment and help the library’s mission. For establishing programmes accountability, use assessment on regular basis should be monitor in order to report the results. This would also help to ascertain the visibility of the programmes. • Localization efforts:Language obstacle is one of the most important barriers in using the technology for fulfilling the individual’s information needs, as 70% of website pages are in English whereas 70% of the worlds population doesn’t speak English as their primary language Therefore, one of the most important initiatives to reduce the digital divide would be initiating localization activities. • Collaborative efforts in information literacy programme with teaching academics and computer professionals would ensure students be more information literate, so that they can access information properly, select carefully and evaluate critically and use creatively and means accurately.

17. To become an independent learner in a democratic way, the economic, legal and social issues relating to the use of ICTs would also be explained to the learners through such programmes. At last, actual meaning of information literacy will really work when they would also understand the use of information ethically by acknowledging the works of others, giving credit aptly, citing information properly and in turn, they would also understand the feeling of sharing information with others, which is actually needed in the present academic environment.

18. “It is dangerously destabilizing to have half the world on the cutting edge of technology while the other half struggles on the bare edge of survival”. -Bill Clinton

19. Thank you!