LIBE 477: Libraries in Developing Countries
I must confess that I have not really looked into libraries and technology in libraries in developing countries before this weeks topic came up. I had a hard time narrowing a focus of search since there is little guidance or direction given.
I ended up reading a lot about a charity called Sun Books that is linked with the World Literacy Foundation. https://sunbooks.org/ Sun Books is an initiative to increase literacy in remote communities in six countries in Africa by providing tablets for students. They partner with the community, create local content, design and create an app for that region, train the teachers, distribute devices to students, evaluate the students, and then re-evaluate and update the program. They started in 2017 in Uganda and have been expanding their programming ever since. They are implementing a tablet-delivered education system with the aim to increase literacy among the population. Their mission statement is "to provide educational resources to regional and remote communities through the use of sustainable, solar-powered technology". https://sunbooks.org/about-us/#mission
When I first found the charity I was very impressed with the ideal of the initiative. I hope that it is genuine and making a difference by providing solar-powered devices and content in local languages to students in Africa. I found it a little troubling that the website was quite vague and superficial. Their Facebook page had a little more information https://www.facebook.com/SunBooks.org/ but is mostly filled with pictures and videos of smiling kids with tablets. I could not find any concrete measurement of how many schools they were in and if they have measured any success towards their goals. But it is apparently an initiative by the World Literacy Foundation. https://worldliteracyfoundation.org/africa/ Perhaps I am just suspicious of any site that relies on info-graphics so heavily.
Regardless, it is well known that increasing access to literature and reading materials of all kinds increases literacy. The price of printed materials is a constant and the physical housing of these materials is necessary for a traditional library. As technology advances, more content is created, and devices become cheaper to produce it becomes more and more cost efficient to replace traditional text-based collections with digital ones. Especially in schools that could not afford traditional collections.
This was an ok exploration and introduction of one organization that is working on addressing some gaps in infrastructure and hoping to leap-frog beyond the need for building bricks and mortar physical spaces. Using their limited funds to support students and communities quickly and more simply with sustainable devices that can be used and charged in remote locations with little supportive infrastructure. Simple little improvements to your blog post, like making your links click-able, can help your visitors be able to go and check out your sources, as well as a properly formatted bibliography. Perhaps some images and other media from this site and organization can help us understand its purpose and goals better. A little more detail, some more media and better linking is a neccesary part of an effective blog post exploration.
ReplyDeleteWhile I understand your purpose in making us use blogs, I find them a cumbersome way to have a discussion.
DeleteHi Andrea,
DeleteI don't think it is suspicious to question a non-profit, the reality is that there are many scams in the world, and thinking critically about each one is important. I can remember my cousin volunteering with Farmers Helping Farmers, and travelling to Africa. She said she witnessed several organisations while she was there, filming and photographing projects her organisation (and others) had worked on for their commercials and claiming it was their work. This was probably close to fifteen years ago. Now with the ease of making websites, and sharing things on social media without the need for verification, critical literacy and questioning are more important than ever. If we are going support an initiative, it is important to research, and make sure that organisation that we back really does support that initiative.