Kim M Thompson Charles Sturt University

School of Information Studies Research Seminar Series

2 April 2014

Kim M Thompson Paul T Jaeger

Natalie Greene Taylor Mega Subramaniam John Carlo Bertot

An imprint of Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.

physical access

social access intellectual access

Chatman, E. A. (1991). Life in a small world: Applicability of gratification theory to information-seeking behavior. Journal of the American Society of Information Science, 42, 438-449.

Habermas, J. (1992). Further reflections on the public sphere. In J. Calhoun (Ed.), Critical social theory: Culture, theory and the challenge of difference (pp. 421-462). Oxford: Blackwell.

Jaeger, P. T. & Burnett, G. (2011). Information worlds: Social context, technology, and information behavior in the age of the Internet. New York: Routledge.

physical access

• Information policy

• Information infrastructure

• Library and information agenc

• Usability analysis

• User-centered design

• Information policy and infrastructure Yi, Z. & Thompson, K. M. (accepted). A case study in collaboration in the building of China’s library and information infrastructure. Information & Culture.

McCausland, S. & Thompson, K. M. (in press). The Community Heritage Grants program in Australia: Report of a survey. In S. K. Hastings (Ed.). Annual Review of Cultural Heritage Informatics. Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press.

Jaeger, P. T., Bertot, J. C., Thompson, K. M., Katz, S. M. & DeCoster, E. J. (2012). Digital divides, digital literacy, digital inclusion, and public libraries: The intersection of public policy and public access. Public Library Quarterly, 31(1), 1-20.

Thompson, K. M. (2008). The US information infrastructure and libraries: A case study in democracy. Library Review, 57(2), 96-106.

Jaeger, P. T. & Thompson, K. M. (2003). E-government around the world: Lessons, challenges and future directions. Government Information Quarterly, 20(4), 389-394.

Usability analysis, user-centered design, and library evaluation Thompson, K. M. & Wang, J. Z. (2009). Usuarios y uso de las bibliotecas digitales: Cómo el análisis de usabilidad puede ayudar a crear una relación “casi perfecta.” XVII Coloquio de Investigación Bibliotecológica y de la Información del Centro Universitario de Investigaciones Bibliotecológicas.

Thompson, K. M., Chen, H. L., & Erdelez, S. (October 2, 2008). Three Low-Cost Usability Evaluation Methods for Library Website Redesign. Missouri Library Association Conference 2008.

Thompson, K. M., McClure, C. R., & Jaeger, P. T. (2003). Evaluating federal websites: Improving e-government for the people. In J. F. George, (Ed.). Computers in society: Privacy, ethics & the Internet, pp. 400-412. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

physical access

intellectual access

Language Intellectual capacity/education Literacy Computer/technology literacy Information literacy

Information literacy/literacies Adkins, D. A., Bossaller, J., & Thompson, K. M. (2009). Describing vernacular literacy practices to enhance understanding of community information needs: A case study with practical implications. Reference and User Services Quarterly, 49(1), 67-71.

Bossaller, J. , Thompson, K. M., & Adkins, D. A. (April 7, 2008). Change and Integration in Kansas City as Evidenced by Public Literacy. Cambio de Colores 2008 Conference, Latinos in Missouri: Uniendo Culturas, Columbia, MO.

Thompson, K. M. (2007). Furthering understanding of information literacy through the social study of information poverty. The Canadian Journal of Information and Library Science, 30(1), 87-115.

physical access

intellectual access

social access

Culture “We’re not an information/library culture”

Social value of information Formal and informal information channels

Internal and external social networks

• Library and information cultures • Thompson, K. M. & Adkins, D. A. (2012). Addressing information resource issues through LIS education in Honduras. Journal for Education in Library and Information Science, 53(4), 254-266.

• Thompson, K. M. (2011). Providing services for the underserved in public libraries through an understanding of information poverty and access. In J. C. Bertot, P. T. Jaeger, & C. R. McClure, (Eds.). Public libraries and the Internet: Roles, perspectives, and implications. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.

• Bossaller, J., Adkins, D. A., & Thompson, K. M. (2011). Critical theory, libraries, and culture. Progressive Librarian, 32(Winter/Spring).

• Information behaviors and practices Qayyum, A., Thompson, K. M., Lloyd, A., & Kennan, M. A. (in press). The provision and sharing of information between service providers and settling refugees. Information Research.

Lloyd, A., Kennan, M. A., Thompson, K. M., & Qayyum, A. (2013). Connecting with new information landscapes: Information practices of refugees. Journal of Documentation, 69(1), 121-144.

Thompson, K. M. (July 14, 2008). Cosas a Saber de los Usuarios de Bibliotecas/Things We Should Know About Library Users (in Spanish). Plenary session, Asociación de Bibliotecarios y Documentalistas de Honduras Jornadas 2008, Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

Jaeger, P. T. & Thompson, K. M. (2004). Social information behavior and the democratic process: Information poverty, normative behavior, and electronic government in the United States. Library & Information Science Research, 26(1), 92-107.

(Policy) (Institution) (Individual)

Freedom of Information legislation

Digital Inclusion

Library and other information infrastructure funding

Information-focused non-profits

International Organization for Standardization (2013) Financed with public funds Open to the public Basic services free of charge or available for a subsidized fee

Country ITU ICT Distribution Index (IDI) Rank in 2011 (ITU, 2013)

Internet penetration 2012: % of people using Internet (ITU, 2012)

UN e-Government Development Index (UN, 2012)

South Korea 1 84.10% 1

The Netherlands 6 93.00% 2

United States 15 81.03% 3

Australia 21 82.35 % 12

Colombia 80 48.98% 43

Honduras 107 18.12% 117

Ghana 117 17.11% 145

Country UN International Human Development Index rank in 2012 (UN, 2013)

GDP per capita 2012 in USD (World Bank, 2013b)

Government (Central Intelligence Agency, 2013)

South Korea 12 (Very high) $22,590 republic

The Netherlands 4 (Very high) $46,054 constitutional monarchy

United States 3 (Very high) $49,965 constitution-based federal republic; strong democratic tradition

Australia 2 (Very high) $67,036 federal parliamentary democracy and Commonwealth realm

Colombia 91 (High) $7,752 republic; executive branch dominates government structure

Honduras 120 (Medium) $2,264 democratic constitutional republic

Ghana 135 (Medium) $1,605 constitutional democracy

Country Population Languages (Central Intelligence Agency, 2013)

Urbanization (Central Intelligence Agency, 2013)

South Korea 50,004,441 (Statistics Korea, 2012)

Korean, English widely taught in secondary school

83.2%

The Netherlands 16,788,119 (Statistics Netherlands, 2013)

Dutch (official), Frisian (official); English commonly studied

83%

United States 316,655,430 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2013)

English 82.1%, Spanish 10.7%, other 7.2%

82%

Australia 23,179,419 (Australia Bureau of Statistics, 2013)

English 89%

Colombia 45,745,783 (Central Intelligence Agency, 2013)

Spanish (official) 75%

Honduras 8,448,465 (Central Intelligence Agency, 2013)

Spanish (official), Amerindian dialects

52%

Ghana 25,199,609 (Central Intelligence Agency, 2013)

English (official), 9 additional government supported languages

51.9%

Languages on the World Wide Web in 2013

Country Population Languages (Central Intelligence Agency, 2013)

Urbanization (Central Intelligence Agency, 2013)

South Korea 50,004,441 (Statistics Korea, 2012)

Korean, English widely taught in secondary school

83.2%

The Netherlands 16,788,119 (Statistics Netherlands, 2013)

Dutch (official), Frisian (official); English commonly studied

83%

United States 316,655,430 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2013)

English 82.1%, Spanish 10.7%, other 7.2%

82%

Australia 23,179,419 (Australia Bureau of Statistics, 2013)

English 89%

Colombia 45,745,783 (Central Intelligence Agency, 2013)

Spanish (official) 75%

Honduras 8,448,465 (Central Intelligence Agency, 2013)

Spanish (official), Amerindian dialects

52%

Ghana 25,199,609 (Central Intelligence Agency, 2013)

English (official), 9 additional government supported languages

51.9%

Country Median age (Central Intelligence Agency, 2013)

South Korea 39.7

The Netherlands 41.8

United States 37.2

Australia 38.1

Colombia 28.6

Honduras 21.6

Ghana 20.7

Public libraries around the world are relied upon more than any other cultural institution to overcome the digital divide, teach digital literacy, and foster digital inclusion

Internet and related technologies have created new responsibilities for public libraries in ensuring digital literacy and digital inclusion in communities

The value of the public library now lies less with the printed information that is available within the four walls of the library and more with the myriad services that they provide in an effort to connect members of the public with information that is central to their day-to-day lives

Internet and related technologies have also created new ways for public libraries to meet community needs (e.g., collaborative partnerships)

The Queens Borough Public Library in New York “New Americans Project”, ESL, support for new immigrants

Alachua County Library District, Florida, working with the local office of the state’s Department of Children and Families, the Partnership for Strong Families, and Casey Family Programs, opened up a new facility (“The Library Partnership”) housing approximately 40 non-profit organizations and local government agencies that provide social services

Hartford Public Library in Connecticut “The American Place”, a program with the principal goals of helping an increasingly diverse group of immigrants secure citizenship and achieve language literacy

Pima County Public Library of Tuscon, Arizona, public health nurses from the county health department stationed in the library branches

Baltimore, Maryland based Enoch Pratt public libraries worked with the City Health Department to ensure the availability of fresh groceries to those living in food deserts by providing opportunities for patrons to order their groceries through library computers and have the food delivered the next day to the library

There are no other cultural institutions prepared to serve the public in the digital literacy and digital inclusion capacities that public libraries do, for a lack of sufficient public access technology and for a lack of the ability to provide education and training related to the Internet

Reconcile the incompatibility between funding cuts at the state and local level, as well as limited support at the national level, with the increased view at the federal level that libraries are part of the solution to large-scale technological problems

When demanding more of libraries to fulfill these digital literacy and digital inclusion functions, do not reduce library funding

When demanding more of libraries to fulfill these digital literacy and digital inclusion functions, do not reduce library funding

Governments at all levels should consider geography, infrastructure, and history when making demands on libraries

Policy-making related to the digital divide, digital literacy, and digital inclusion needs to bring public libraries into the discussions, designs, and decisions

Policy-making related to the digital divide, digital literacy, and digital inclusion needs to bring public libraries into the discussions, designs, and decisions

Libraries need to take more initiative in terms of advocacy

Evaluation and assessment – measuring the effectiveness of literacy and inclusion programs, identifying best practices from programs, and determining the most useful ways to improve existing efforts

A greater focus on policy analysis of the roles of digital literacy and digital inclusion

More data and greater understanding about who is using the digital literacy and digital inclusion programs in libraries, the ways in which these patrons are benefiting, and the ways to create programs to draw and help other underserved and disadvantaged groups not currently being served