is a van
that will carry laptops as well as library books on specified
weekdays to the rural villages where users can access IT
training, reading materials and the Internet (see image
above). This mobile telecenter emerged out of a stationary
community learning center (CLC), and targets health professionals in need of retraining. Where no Internet connections How does it work?
are available in the villages, copies of web-based materials
are downloaded at the CLC and saved on the traveling laptops. Health and population statistics are also gathered and
stored as the telecenter makes jamaica phone number library its rounds.
The Mobile Telecenter-to-go in Ghana is a project
sponsored by UNDP as part of its Internet Initiative for Africa. Financed by a number of public and private sources,
the telecenter is an example of the potential for partnership
between the government, the private sector and NGOs. The
goal of the telecenter-to-go, which has been in operation
since August 2001, is to bring ICT training and e-services to
schools, businesses, farms and health clinics. UNDP’s Web
site in Ghana is at:
There are also plans
to create an “info-thela,” or cyber
cafe on wheels in India’s Utter Pradesh region. The
partnership between the Indian Institute of Technology and
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a part of the
“Media-Lab-Asia” will provide battery ICT services on “tricycles” to remote villages whose users will benefit from upto-date weather and economic information.8
Aside from ev
mobile phone for dial-up service at speeds equal to or faster
than fixed-line dial-up.9
Rao Best and McClay10
the current cost of a VSAT system is anywhere from $4,000
to $10,000. Mobile units typically use existing power
sources as part of the partnership with the community, but
where this is not possible, mobile units can be equipped with
their own generators or even solar power.
To sum it up…
While it may sound like an ideal solution, there are nevertheless a few important points to consider in the actual implementation of mobile libraries. These recommendations
are mostly considered with simple mobile libraries, but the
lessons can be applied to mobile ICT resources as well.
1) The importance of policy and planning cannot be
overstated.
True mobile libraries
must be treated with the
same importance as regular public libraries. They should
ideally be dedicated to providing library services and remaining stock every day of the year, and the temptation to
use the vans as transportation for other business should be
avoided.
However
service things you have as an entrepreneur that you prefer not to tell anyone provision through integrated library services can maximize the utility of ICT investments
and provide practical reasons for people to become users.
2) Emphasis on providing a service to the community in the form of a dedicated and informed librarian,
fulfilling requests and dependable scheduling can contribute
to increased demand and financing of the vans, and overall
quality achievement. In the case of crawler data mobile telecenters, providing useful computer-base services—like Big Blue’s
software offering training for the International Computing
Driving License—
can be a potential source of sustainable
financing.
3) Financing should be obtain through private sources
in addition to government funds. Private donors may contribute materials in kind, or they may help with operating
costs; users may be charg membership fees or late fees, if
possible. Providing additional service