Monday, December 05, 2016

Call for Chapters: Equity in access to digital literacy training

Call for Chapters

The role of the library as technology facilitator has been well established by the efforts of library professionals over the last decade. Yet libraries still have vastly differing resource levels, leading to some libraries providing more access to emerging technologies than others. People from rural communities, urban areas, the poor, and new immigrants are just some of the populations who are not being exposed to technology in meaningful and substantive ways. How do we level the technology playing field, and how do libraries act as a vector for that?

Has your library addressed these issues? Have you made strides in addressing the broader digital divide and can you offer practical solutions to others who are looking to do the same? We are looking for case studies from practitioners who have been able to offer high quality technology and training for patrons and library systems. We are looking for proposals that address projects on the following themes, physical access, patron and staff training, makerspaces, technology for jobs and business, and tech industry partnerships. Proposals are welcome from varying communities, including both urban and rural areas. Proposals from authors of diverse backgrounds are encouraged.

Each chapter should include:

An explanation of the problem and community need, including demographics and geographical information about the community
A project summary, including budget, resources, methods and process
A description of how the project affected the community and lessons learned
Chapters may include up to 5 figures such as images or graphs

Proposals should include;
Author Name(s)
Brief author bio(s)
Proposed Chapter Title
A summary of the proposed chapter (300 – 500 words)

Proposals should be submitted to laurenandreacomito@gmail.com, and will be due January 1, 2017, drafts of chapters will be due May 1, 2017.

The book will be published as a LITA Guide with Rowman and Littlefield.