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Libraries and digital inclusion: it all depends on the territorial context

Published on 23 October 2018
Update on 26 September 2022
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Summary

The ADBGV (Association of Directors of Municipal Libraries and Intercommunal Groups of French Cities) devoted its annual study day on October 9 in Grenoble to the role of libraries in digital inclusion. How to respond to the needs brought about by the rise of digital technology? What is the place of the library in a local digital inclusion policy? How far should we go? Can we meet all the needs induced by the rise of dematerialization and e-administration? What complementarity within cities?

In an interview with the Gazette des Communes, Malik Diallo, president of the ADBGV, discusses the role that libraries could play in digital inclusion?

"The first question that arises for us is "how far to go? This is the title we gave to the study day organized on October 9 in Grenoble. This debate leads to another question: should a library do everything alone? Libraries can very well act as a sort of "hub" directing users to the appropriate services. In this case, it is a matter of putting people in touch with each other. On this point, there is no debate in the profession.Some libraries go further by setting up partnerships with competent public services or associations. For example, the library may consider bringing in tax agents for online tax returns, or representatives from the French Employment Service. This kind of service is also useful for users who are digitally literate. In this case, librarians are coordinators. Here again, the profession is willing to play this role.We have also seen that some libraries have started to go into the field of accompanying users for online procedures. This raises the question of the legal responsibility of librarians who "do it for". Some professionals believe that this is not our responsibility.However, in some territories, this choice may be necessary. For example, when there is no public service nearby offering this assistance. In this case, librarians feel that offering it in their facilities makes sense. For each intervention mode, we must always take into account the territorial context".

Références :

Sources

Libraries and digital inclusion: it all depends on the territorial context

The ADBGV (Association of Directors of Municipal Libraries and Intercommunal Groups of French Cities) devoted its annual study day on October 9 in Grenoble to the role of libraries in digital inclusion. How to respond to the needs brought about by the rise of digital technology? What is the place of the library in a local digital inclusion policy? How far should we go? Can we meet all the needs induced by the rise of dematerialization and e-administration? What complementarity within cities?

In an interview with the Gazette des Communes, Malik Diallo, president of the ADBGV, discusses the role that libraries could play in digital inclusion?

"The first question that arises for us is "how far to go? This is the title we gave to the study day organized on October 9 in Grenoble. This debate leads to another question: should a library do everything alone? Libraries can very well act as a sort of "hub" directing users to the appropriate services. In this case, it is a matter of putting people in touch with each other. On this point, there is no debate in the profession.Some libraries go further by setting up partnerships with competent public services or associations. For example, the library may consider bringing in tax agents for online tax returns, or representatives from the French Employment Service. This kind of service is also useful for users who are digitally literate. In this case, librarians are coordinators. Here again, the profession is willing to play this role.We have also seen that some libraries have started to go into the field of accompanying users for online procedures. This raises the question of the legal responsibility of librarians who "do it for". Some professionals believe that this is not our responsibility.However, in some territories, this choice may be necessary. For example, when there is no public service nearby offering this assistance. In this case, librarians feel that offering it in their facilities makes sense. For each intervention mode, we must always take into account the territorial context".

Références :

Sources

Labo Société Numérique

Labo République Française Agence nationale de cohésion des territoires
Libraries and digital inclusion: it all depends on the territorial context