Digital Inclusion: Measuring the Impact of Information and Community Technology

Citation

du Preez, M. (2011), "Digital Inclusion: Measuring the Impact of Information and Community Technology", The Electronic Library, Vol. 29 No. 1, pp. 148-149. https://doi.org/10.1108/02640471111111497

The term digital inclusion signifies technology literacy and the ability to access relevant online content and services. Despite attempts to provide access to all people around the world, there are still large numbers of people who remain disadvantaged in that they cannot use technology to their own advantage, resulting in information poverty. In an attempt to improve this situation, the Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire signed the Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 6438 in 2008. This Bill defines community technology in the state of Washington and makes community technology programmes eligible for state funding.

To ensure the success and effectiveness of digital technology programs, they need to be evaluated. Unfortunately, the evaluation tools are lacking. A very recent publication, “Digital inclusion: measuring the impact of information and community technology” tells the story of digital inclusion in Washington State. It also describes the development of a framework for effectively measurement and reporting the contributions community technology centres (CTCs) are making in bridging the digital divide to arrive at digital inclusion.

Digital Inclusion provides a picture of the challenges CTCs experience when describing and measuring the impact of community technology. It furthermore shares an evaluation approach, the Situation Logic Model, that could be used to communicate the impacts of digital inclusion programs, and discusses the results of a two‐year study conducted by the University of Washington Information School.

The book is divided into three parts:

1. 1.

   Part 1 sets the stage by explaining what community technology is and introduces the Communities Connect Network which grew out of a long‐standing program funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Chapter 3 contextualises the research.

2. 2.

   Part 2 discusses the impact seven community technology centres have made in their respective communities. Current approaches to measuring impact were utilised to examine the data‐gathering activities and these resulted in the development of the Situated Logic Model framework.

3. 3.

   Part 3 describes the Situated Logic Model and chapter 13 introduces the process that could be used to develop a similar model that could be used to report on the impact of a specific CTC. The steps in the development of the model are discussed in enough detail to do this. Chapter 14 illustrates the development process described in Chapter 13 by measuring the outcomes of a fictitious community technology centre. These two chapters form the “heart” of the book in that they bring everything together.

In closing, the editors provide a number of resources that might be used by those who are working in the area of digital inclusion and who want to become part of larger efforts in their individual communities, or countries.

Three appendices and an index conclude the book. The appendices consist of Washington State Law 6438 (the Bill that made CTCs eligible for state funding); the presentation that was made to the Senate's Economic Development, Trade and Management Committee, and a CTC staff telephone survey guide.

Digital Inclusion is an important book for both researchers and organisations planning to evaluate and report on the impact CTCs are making in their respective communities.