Digital Inclusion in Library Context: A Perspective from Users with Print Disability

Digital inclusion is a strategy pursued to foster social inclusion of those who have been sidelined from the mainstream of information society due to lack of access to digital technologies and the skills to use them. Libraries have been working to close the gap by providing access to computers, the Internet, digital content, and digital literacy programs. However, research reveals a new type of divide where digitally competent people could be digitally excluded. This shows the need for a better conceptualization of access and literacy. This paper commits to exploring the concept of access to digital content from the perspective of people with print disability. It involved in-depth interviews with ten participants with print disability where the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health was used as a framework for data analysis. The overall analysis shows that digital inclusion would be more meaningful if it involved providing content in alternative formats and empowering users to make informed choices. Issues such as flexibility and adaptability in content presentation and design of content discovery tools are among those discussed.     

优化高校师生信息素养 消弭社会性数字鸿沟——论高校图书馆在消弭数字鸿沟中的作用

数字鸿沟是信息技术开发与应用领域中的障碍,目前它已成为构建和谐社会、实现社会公平正义的巨大障碍。通过加强信息资源共享、提高广大用户的信息素质、优化图书馆的服务质量、提升馆员自身的信息素养,高校图书馆可以而且应当在缩小甚至消弭社会性数字鸿沟中发挥重要作用。     

美国数字素养教育现状及启示

[目的/意义]通过对美国数字素养发展现状的梳理,引发对我国数字素养教育的思考,并提出相应的对策和建议。[方法/过程]针对美国的数字素养网站、教育资源、政府法案以及行业项目进行全面阐述,美国的数字素养教育在政府部门的大力支持、行业协会制定行动计划、各类图书馆各司其职的情况下,呈现出社会化、全民化的特点;其教育手段数字化、公开化同时强调公平获取、隐私保护和数据安全。[结果/结论]提出我国教育部门、图书馆界应紧跟互联网行业飞速发展的脚步,制定数字素养教育框架、标准与长远的行动计划,呼吁政府的支持,以求在数字素养教育中担当关键角色,全面推进公民的数字素养。     

从互联网报告看我国数字鸿沟的政府治理

针对第19次互联网报告探讨了我国数字鸿沟的现状,指出数字鸿沟所反映的突出问题。针对这些问题,在信息政策、政策的法制化建设以及信息素养教育方面提出了一些想法。     

The role of IT literacy in defining digital divide policy needs

This article expands our current understanding of the digital divide by examining differences in individuals' IT skills acquisition. In the last two decades scholars have gradually refined the conceptualization of the digital divide, moving from a dichotomous model mainly based on access, to a multidimensional model accounting for differences in usage levels and actors' perspectives. Digital divide views tend to focus on groups of users and user characteristics and focus less on different processes of use. As models of the digital divide became more complex, research focused on deepening the understanding of demographic and socioeconomic differences between adopters and non-adopters. While IT literacy is an important factor in digital divide research, and studies examine user characteristics with respect to IT literacy, few studies make the process of basic IT literacy acquisition their main focal point (Selwyn, 2005). This perspective furthers our thinking by expanding the notion of user characteristics beyond demographic and socioeconomic differences to differences in the processes leading to internet use. Based on a dataset referring to an Italian region, this paper presents a metaphorical interpretation of the digital divide in general and explores the process of IT skills acquisition in particular. Our analysis shows the key role of self-learning and the presence of three distinct approaches in IT skills acquisition leading to different needs in terms of policy. We argue that these preliminary results are a useful starting point for the design of more effective and sophisticated digital inclusion policies.     

A BASIC MUSIC LIBRARY: ESSENTIAL SCORES AND SOUND RECORDINGS

SUMMARY

The electronic resources (ER) librarian has a social responsibility to be knowledgeable about the digital divide. Discourse on the digital divide began in the mid-1990s and continues today. Data analysis reveals that divides still exist, particularly when considering income, education, region, disability, age, and race. Librarians face many challenges to take on the digital divide. These challenges include issues of access, content, technical literacy, privacy, civic participation, education, employment, non-use, and political debate. Yet for each challenge, there is an opportunity for the ER librarians to thrive while they face down the digital divide.     

Does the Digital Divide Matter More? Comparing the Effects of New Media and Old Media Use on the Education-Based Knowledge Gap

As the Internet has become increasingly widespread in the world, some researchers suggested a conceptual shift of the digital divide from material access to actual use. Although this shift has been incorporated into the more broad social inclusion agenda, the social consequences of the digital divide have not yet received adequate attention. Recognizing that political knowledge is a critical social resource associated with power and inclusion, this study empirically examines the relationship between the digital divide and the knowledge gap. Based on the 2008–2009 American National Election Studies panel data, this research found that, supporting the shift of the academic agenda, socioeconomic status is more closely associated with the informational use of the Internet than with access to the Internet. In addition, socioeconomic status is more strongly related to the informational use of the Internet than with that of the traditional media, particularly newspapers and television. More importantly, the differential use of the Internet is associated with a greater knowledge gap than that of the traditional media. These findings suggest that the digital divide, which can be better defined as inequalities in the meaningful use of information and communication technologies, matters more than its traditional counterpart.     

Religiosity and the digital divide in Canada

The digital divide refers to the differential patterns of Internet access adoption and usage across different segments of populations. The digital divide has been linked to demographic variables such as age and gender, and socioeconomic characteristics such as education and income. Using a nationally representative Canadian survey (N = 27,223) conducted in 2013, this paper investigates whether religiosity has an independent effect on the digital divide, accounting for the previously validated predictors of Internet use. Religiosity is found to negatively associate with Internet access and activity, controlling for a large set of characteristics such as age, ethnicity, education, and income. The religiosity-related gaps in the usage patterns appear to indicate lifestyle differences for those without any tie with religion compared with the individuals of average religiosity. For the very religious, the gaps indicate that they utilize the Internet for social networking less than others. Various implications are discussed.     

The Dark(ish) Side of Digitization: Information Equity and the Digital Divide

The digitization of collections is often lauded not only for its preservation benefits but also for its social ones, as it can facilitate increased access to information. However, it is crucial to consider such developments within the context of differential access to and use of digital information and resources, an issue broadly known as the “digital divide.” More specifically, it is important to consider the possibility that such technological developments might exacerbate existing inequities. This article reviews the development of the concept of the digital divide, and considers its implications for library and information studies, institutions, and beyond.     

美国、欧洲、日本、中国数字素养培养模式发展述评

[目的/意义]随着信息技术的发展和普及,数字素养日趋成为世界各国国民素质教育的重要内容。它与媒介素养、信息素养有着密切的关联,正被越来越多的国家纳入其国民教育课程的体系之中,但我国的发展仍很不完善。针对这一现状对发达国家和我国的数字素养培养模式发展进行述评,并对我国数字素养的培养提出建议。[方法/过程]在对相关文献进行充分调研的基础上,分别对美国、欧洲、日本和中国的四种具有典型性的数字素养的培养模式加以分析,并据此提出本文的结论。[结果/结论]美国、欧洲和日本的先发优势与经验为我国数字素养培养的建设和发展提供了良好的借鉴。我国应该构建一个多主体共同参与的体系,形成由各级公共图书馆、专业图书馆、学术图书馆、大中小学、政府管理机构等全社会共同推动实现的机制,建设一个能充分接触数字资源和社群信息的交互式数字媒介空间。     

Patterns of digital uses among Israeli Arabs – between citizenship in modern society and traditional cultural roots

This study examines the digital divide between the Jewish majority and Arab minority in Israeli society as manifested by Internet access and patterns of use. The goals of this paper were to examine the digital divide between these two groups and to identify the factors that influence these gaps. The study is based on data from the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics Annual Social Survey, collected in 2011 through face-to-face interviews of 5872 interviewees aged 20–65 years. Jews were found to have an advantage over Arabs in terms of Internet access and in terms of the two types of uses: capital-enhancing and recreational. Our important conclusion is that, theoretically, with background variables being the same, the first-level digital divide between Jews and Arabs can be considered closed; in contrast, the second-level digital divide remains even if human resources in both groups are the same. This gives reason to assume that beyond the impact of human resources, the second-level digital divide between Jews and Arabs originated from their cultural background. Israeli Arabs are a unique minority indigenous group with two affinities – to Israeli modern society (because of citizenship) and to the Arab traditional world (because of their religious and cultural roots). Closing digital gaps requires changes in basic social, economic, and cultural aspects of the Arab sector on the individual level, i.e., personal motivation, as well as on the community level, including collective sociocultural preferences.     

国内盲人数字图书馆发展现状及阻碍分析

随着信息技术和互联网技术的迅猛发展,作为信息弱势群体的盲人面临着数字鸿沟问题逐渐扩大的恶劣局面,因此利用互联网建设盲人数字图书馆以保障他们公平获取信息的权利就显得十分必要。对国内盲人数字图书馆的发展现状进行说明并指出其发展过程中存在的阻碍,并提出应对策略。     

数字素养全球框架研究及其启示

数字素养是数字时代的必备技能。为帮助世界各国加强数字素养教育质量监测,有效利用研究成果改进学习并缩减数字鸿沟,联合国教科文组织研制了数字素养全球框架。系统分析数字素养全球框架的研制动因、研制过程、内容及特点并总结相关启示,可以为我国数字素养研究与实践提供参考。面对数字化的持续影响,我国的数字素养研究应因地制宜,开发本土化数字素养框架,采用理论与实证并重的研究范式,推动企业深度参与数字素养研究,采取面向未来能力需求的数字素养提升策略。     

数字鸿沟与网络时代公共图书馆的职能

论文介绍了数字鸿沟研究中的图书馆。因特网发展导致的“数字鸿沟”使公共图书馆的保障信息公平的作用被重新认识。数字鸿沟问题使人们对公共图书馆职能有了新的认识，公共图书馆在消除数字鸿沟方面的特殊作用有：提供公共计算机因特网接入、进行基本信息技能教育、提供合适的网络信息资源。     

国外高校数字素养教育实践及其启示

［目的/意义］通过对国外高校数字素养教育实践的分析梳理,总结其对我国高校数字素养教育的启示和建议,以期能够为我国高校数字素养教育提供一定的参考。［方法/过程］通过文献调研和网络调查的方法,对国外高校数字素养教育情况进行调查。［结果/结论］国外高校数字素养教育受到各国政府和行业组织的高度重视和大力支持,已形成体系并获得一定的成果。借鉴国外的经验,我国政府部门应当高度重视并支持数字素养教育的开展;我国高校在数字素养教育中应当构建数字素养标准框架以指导数字素养教育的开展;以高校图书馆为主要教育阵地,形成多部门协作的教育模式;丰富教育模式,促进学生在实践中提升数字素养。     

Exploring digital health care: eHealth,mHealth, and librarian opportunities

Technology advances in eHealth and mHealth are changing the way that health care consumers and providers communicate, receive and deliver care, and access health information. As electronic health records and smartphones have become ubiquitous in the United States, opportunities and applications for the integration of eHealth and mHealth have increased. In addition to technology advances, the changing health care model is simultaneously adapting to and driving initiatives in digital health care. With these digital initiatives have come challenges, including data overload, security and privacy concerns, deficits in technological and health literacy skills, and sorting through the vast number of choices of digital applications. Navigating this changing landscape can be overwhelming and time consuming for both health care providers and consumers. Librarians are uniquely positioned to assist providers and consumers to break down barriers within the digital health care landscape through data management initiatives, technology and health literacy instruction, and finding and evaluating health information and digital health technologies.     

消除数字鸿沟提高信息素养——以上海社区图书馆为例

尽管近几年来在许多发达国家和发展中国家信息环境有了很大的改善，但数字鸿沟仍没有缩小的迹象。图书馆在消除数字鸿沟中将起到核心的作用。本文通过上海地区公共图书馆电子服务，展示图书馆员与其他社会和教育工作者一起共同承担着提高市民信息素养的重任。图书馆员将以自己的知识、技能和专业精神，在消除数字鸿沟、创造数字机会中扮演重要的角色。     

Dealing with Diversity and Digital Culture

Cultural diversity is broader than ethnic and language considerations alone. It includes gender, age, economic or social conditions, education, technological infrastructure and computer and information literacy All of these have to be taken into account when digital information is received or provided. Understanding and respecting diversity in each country is a major issue for the country itself, as well as for the information providers from abroad. The main barriers for participating in the digital culture for Latin America are the differences of each of the countries: the few people that have access; the technological infrastructure; the lack of relevant contents in the primary languages; and the fact that English is the pre-dominant language of the Global Information Infrastructure. Nations should focus on three main areas: technological infrastructure, contents and access. Projects should be prepared so as to strengthen the Latin American identity.     

Dealing with Diversity and Digital Culture

Cultural diversity is broader than ethnic and language considerations alone. It includes gender, age, economic or social conditions, education, technological infrastructure and computer and information literacy All of these have to be taken into account when digital information is received or provided. Understanding and respecting diversity in each country is a major issue for the country itself, as well as for the information providers from abroad. The main barriers for participating in the digital culture for Latin America are the differences of each of the countries: the few people that have access; the technological infrastructure; the lack of relevant contents in the primary languages; and the fact that English is the pre-dominant language of the Global Information Infrastructure. Nations should focus on three main areas: technological infrastructure, contents and access. Projects should be prepared so as to strengthen the Latin American identity.     

英国政府数字包容战略及启示

[目的/意义] 数字包容是减小数字鸿沟的重要路径,研究英国政府数字包容战略的内容、实施和结果,为我国实施数字包容战略提供借鉴。[方法/过程] 采用文献资料调研法和案例分析法,对英国数字包容战略内容、实施结果及我国数字鸿沟的成因及现状进行详细分析。[结果/结论] 我国可以将数字包容上升到国家战略,深入调研数字排斥原因、创新数字包容方法路径、分层次分步骤实施、科学评价实施效果5个方面来实现我国的数字包容。