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Use of IST to combat social exclusion

It is important for all people to have access to IST faciolities. For example, E-government is dependent on all citizens having access to IST facilities in order to access information and exercise their democratic rights. 

• With a high percentage of unemployed, low-income or people of low educational achievement among their inhabitants, disadvantaged neighbourhoods within cities are characterised by low Internet penetration. This has implications for the local economy, and for the general quality of life in these areas, making public access facilities particularly important. Public libraries are well-placed to address this problem. There are indications that the People’s Network in the UK is attracting a high proportion of individuals from these groups, many of them using the service for job related purposes, such as looking for vacancies and writing CVs and applications, or for educational purposes, such as learning computer skills or improving basic skills.

• The growing population of immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers in Europe often share other criteria of exclusion such as low-income, language barriers, or living in disadvantaged areas. On-line facilities for immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees to receive public information in their native languages can assist them in getting accustomed to their new environment. However, as 75% of all web-information is produced only in English, citizens from ethnic and linguistic minorities frequently lack on-line content in their own language. Significant work for refugees, immigrants and ethnic groups has been done in the Netherlands and Denmark.

Enabling persons with basic skills needs to use the Internet is a particular challenge. In some Member States they amount to as much as 10% of the population. Simple visual access modes will be important, e.g. to make availableGovernment initiatives. But IST may also assist literacy training. There is evidence from the use of the People’s Network in the UK that people are finding libraries non-threatening places in which to learn, with helpful, non-intimidating staff. 

• People without personal access to the Internet often use library facilities to keep in touch with relatives and friends, which helps to keep families together and keeps people from feeling isolated.

• Library facilities are sometimes used for leisure purposes such as playing on-line chess, which may seem frivolous but is improving people’s skills as well as their quality of life.

• Children from socially excluded families or living in deprived neighbourhoods can use library facilities for homework purposes.

• Innovative approaches to service delivery are required that can result in a high-quality service being equally available to everybody, especially where a high proportion of a local or regional population lives in rural areas or in small towns. Mobile libraries can be used to deliver library and associated services, such as arts activities or information campaigns, to small communities. Increasingly they are able to take advantage of new IST developments such as wireless networks.

• IST can be used to provide services to hospital patients and prisoners.

• Disabled people can use library facilities when accessible formats are provided. 

A common process can be adopted by each local library authority to develop its policies and services: 

• Identify the people who are socially excluded and their geographical distribution and engage with them to establish their needs.

• Assess and review current practice.

• Develop a strategy and prioritise resources.

• Develop the services, and train the library staff to provide them.

• Implement the services and publicise them.

• Evaluate success, review and improve.

The outcomes and success of the library service should be regularly evaluated against predetermined objectives, criteria for success and performance indicators. This will enable libraries to demonstrate the difference they make to local people, learn lessons, and make further improvements to their service.

FUTURE AGENDA

Clearer national and consequently local strategies are now emerging in many countries which should help public libraries develop the directions and partnerships to address effectively the problem of social exclusion. However, more concerted and widespread action is needed: 

Governing bodies should consider how inclusive or exclusive their charging policies are. Charges for services should not disadvantage people at risk of social exclusion.

Training organisations, especially Schools of Information and Library Studies, need to ensure that their courses and programmes are relevant to public library work for social inclusion. The same applies to the education of museum curators and archivists.

Research institutions and research funding bodies need to support detailed research into library, museum and heritage related needs of excluded groups and to undertake detailed statistical monitoring of the use of libraries by categories of excluded people. 

Telecommunications providers need to provide ICT connections to all communities regardless of geographical location, e.g. by broadband, cable or wireless technology.
Library, museum and archives staff, not only those who work directly on services, need continuing education to develop sensitivity to social and cultural diversity and to adopt a good level of customer care, and to take on an instructional role with regard to IST.

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