Day 0 Event #140 African Library Internet Governance Ambassadors Program

Summary

This discussion focused on the role of libraries in the digital age and their potential integration into the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) ecosystem. The conversation was led by representatives from Library Aid Africa, who presented their organization’s efforts to transform libraries into innovative digital hubs. They outlined programs aimed at empowering librarians with digital skills and engaging them in internet governance discussions.

Participants explored strategies for positioning libraries as digital inclusion centers within communities, emphasizing the importance of infrastructure, accessibility, and community engagement. The discussion highlighted the need for libraries to upskill staff, provide digital tools, and collaborate with partners to meet community needs effectively.

The conversation also addressed ways for libraries to engage with the IGF and influence digital policymaking. Suggestions included increasing librarian participation in IGF events, sharing case studies, and leveraging libraries’ unique position as information hubs to contribute to policy discussions.

Sustainability and partnerships were identified as crucial elements for libraries’ digital transformation. Participants proposed collaborations with educational institutions, private companies, and local startups to secure resources and support. The importance of adopting a multi-stakeholder approach and exploring intersections between libraries and various sectors was emphasized.

The discussion concluded by acknowledging the changing media landscape and the need for libraries to adapt their outreach methods to engage youth and diverse communities. Participants stressed the importance of encouraging responsible use of digital tools and highlighted libraries’ potential to bridge digital divides and promote equitable access to information and resources.

Keypoints

Major discussion points:

– Overview of Library Aid Africa’s programs and initiatives to transform libraries into digital hubs

– How libraries can serve as digital inclusion centers in communities

– Ways for libraries to engage with and influence internet governance forums

– Potential partnerships and collaborative models to support libraries’ digital transformation

The overall purpose of the discussion was to explore how libraries in Africa can evolve to become digital hubs and engage more actively in internet governance, while serving their communities’ needs for digital access and skills.

The tone of the discussion was collaborative and forward-looking. Participants shared ideas enthusiastically and built on each other’s comments. There was a sense of optimism about the potential for libraries to play an important role in digital inclusion and internet governance, balanced with pragmatism about the challenges involved. The tone remained consistent throughout, with participants offering constructive suggestions and insights.

Speakers

– DAMILARE OYEDELE: Facilitator/moderator of the discussion

– SHAGUN: Presenter from Library Aid Africa

– SARAH KADDU: Librarian

– GABRIEL KARSAN: Online participant

– MARIA: Participant with expertise in policy and libraries

Additional speakers:

– Unnamed male participant: Works with capacity building for regulators in Sub-Saharan Africa

– Unnamed female participant

Revised Summary: Libraries in the Digital Age and Internet Governance

Introduction:

This discussion, facilitated by Damilare Oyedele, explored the evolving role of libraries in the digital age and their potential integration into the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) ecosystem. The conversation featured insights from Library Aid Africa representatives, librarians, and participants with expertise in policy and capacity building.

Damilare Oyedele opened by introducing Library Aid Africa’s programs, including the African Library and Information Associations and Institutions (AfLIA) Leadership Academy and their digital literacy products. He posed key questions to guide the discussion:

1. How can libraries transform into digital inclusion hubs?

2. How can libraries engage with and influence internet governance forums?

3. What partnerships are needed for libraries’ sustainability and digital transformation?

Libraries as Digital Inclusion Hubs and Their Role in Internet Governance:

The discussion emphasized the transformation of libraries from traditional book repositories to innovative digital hubs. Damilare Oyedele highlighted this shift, describing libraries evolving from “quiet, boring space of books alone to a more innovative environment.” Sarah Kaddu stressed the need for libraries to stock digital tools and upskill staff to manage them effectively. Maria underscored the fundamental requirements of infrastructure and internet access for libraries to serve as digital inclusion centers.

Speakers agreed that libraries must evolve to meet community needs in contextualized ways, not only providing access to digital resources but also actively engaging with communities. Sarah Kaddu suggested that libraries should reach out to communities, inviting and encouraging all categories of people to access and learn to use digital tools.

The importance of libraries engaging with and influencing internet governance forums was highlighted. Damilare Oyedele and Sarah Kaddu agreed that librarians need competence and upskilling to effectively participate in Internet Governance Forums (IGFs). Sarah Kaddu emphasized that libraries should participate in IGFs to understand and relate to their work.

Gabriel Karsan drew a parallel between libraries and internet governance principles, stating, “When we think about the internet and its principles of openness, accessibility, and providing a user the chance to have end-to-end access to resources, it’s the same thing as the abstraction of the library.” This comparison highlighted the shared values of openness and accessibility.

Maria suggested that libraries should use case studies to demonstrate their ecosystem to policymakers, proposing that libraries “use their own case studies at a national level and perhaps bring them into these spaces to talk about these success stories with other policymakers.”

Damilare Oyedele mentioned the African Library Internet Governance Ambassadors Program, which aims to build capacity for librarians to engage in internet governance discussions.

Partnerships and Sustainability for Libraries:

The speakers unanimously agreed on the importance of collaboration and partnerships for libraries’ sustainability and digital transformation. Damilare Oyedele emphasized the significance of collaboration with schools, colleges, and tech companies. Sarah Kaddu advocated for a multi-stakeholder approach to attract funding, stating, “We need to work in a model which is mild stakeholder take on a mild stakeholder approach so that we can contribute… to so many of them health we can come in to contribute education agriculture we don’t have to work alone anymore.”

The discussion also explored the potential for libraries to serve as competence centers for both education and professional upskilling. Maria suggested that libraries should explore intersections with themes like democracy and peacebuilding, broadening their societal impact.

Sarah Kaddu emphasized the importance of encouraging responsible use of digital tools and AI, suggesting that libraries should embrace rather than resist these technologies.

Conclusion:

The discussion concluded with Damilare Oyedele inviting participants to check out Library Aid Africa’s website and scan a QR code for attendance sheets, demonstrating the organization’s own use of digital tools.

DAMILARE OYEDELE: In African countries to be able to navigate The IGF ecosystem. Well, I have us to progress today. I have three speakers joining me online in the person of Sheg who will be walking us through a few pointers that we do at library in Africa and from there You You Okay All right, great so walk you through a couple of things today We’re gonna discuss about what we do as an organization and from they’re gonna dive into the insert about today’s session and from there We’re gonna speak about what’s comes to mind when you hear about the word library and from there We’re gonna dive into the program proper and also question and answer session I’m also gonna give you a guide of today’s consultation and of course that we did a construction program and we dive into Questions remarks and we end the session. So it’s gonna be interactive with our online participants and those that are present with us here today So without further ado, I’m gonna dive in further to invite my colleague Shagun to guide with the presentation Shagun about you

SHAGUN: Thank You Damilare So, good day, everyone, and it’s nice to have you join us. So, I’ll be taking us through what we do as an organization and who we are. Thank you. So, let’s move on. Thank you, Damle. Next slide, please. All right. So, at Library Aid Africa, we collaborate with partners using – we use digital transformative tools and also community engagement to see how we can make and transform libraries to be a viable space. Can we move to the next slide? Now, based on what we’ve done so far as an organization, within the space of five years of establishment, we’ve been able to work with partners across nine African countries, and we’ve also been able to make impact that cross across 22 African countries. And most of our impact, we’re going to be sharing it with you, and you’ll get to know more about what we’ve done. Now, some of the impact, just as I mentioned earlier on, we have that of the Young African Library Leader Fellowship, and we also have another of our programs, that is the Community Library Center, and we also have another program that is the Library Selfie Series, and we also have the Mini Library Project. All those programs, we do them to see how we can make libraries a viable space. Like that of the YALF, most of the participants went as far as carrying out projects. So what we do in YALF is we train young library leaders and then using digital tools. And at the end of the day, they try to carry out a capstone. And that capstone is within their local communities where they can be able to make impact. And from what we’ve been able to done, we started YALF like four years ago. And within that space of four years, we’ve been able to train about a hundred participants, young library leaders, and then also those leaders caught across 19 African countries. And at the end of the day, about 50 and more have carried out capstone that have really been a positive impact to their communities. They’ve been able to do capstones that was able to make their libraries viable and their community. So we’re going to listen to some of the testimonies of those participants as we hear how they benefited from the programs we put them through.

DAMILARE OYEDELE: So the video will be played very soon, just a few seconds to play the video. Thank you.

SHAGUN: Sorry for the delay. The video will soon play. It’s just a short one minutes or so video just to show testimonies of YALF participants that have benefited. They did a lot of projects that turns out to be very impactful to their communities in terms of building their libraries around their communities, equipping those libraries, and these are as a result of-

DAMILARE OYEDELE: Can you check when the video is playing already, please? I’m sorry.

SHAGUN: All right. For those of us online, we can’t really see the video from our end.

DAMILARE OYEDELE: Yeah, apologies for that, but we have to progress. The next part of the agenda, so you can go ahead with your presentation, Shagun.

SHAGUN: Okay. All right, so based on the programs that we have, we develop and are currently working on some products that can help us seamlessly carry out those programs and also make library viable space. One of the products we’re currently working on is a platform for YARV, and the platform is to see how we can upskill young library leaders from that platform. Then we also have other platforms and products that we are working on, and one of the, sorry about that. So yeah, this is, yeah, one of the products is a library tracker. Sorry, can you still move back? Library tracker is next after YARV. Yeah, library tracker. So library tracker, with library tracker, what the product does is how it tries to connect library users to library, where they can be able to find libraries around them, they can be able to view resources about the library, and not just that, the good part is also they can borrow books from those library using that app that we’re currently working on. And also one of our product we’re also working on is the library XAfrica. And what it is doing is equipping and upskilling librarians with digital skills to be able to transform them beyond just the normal bookkeeping, to also see how they can put up technical skills into the library ecosystem. Also another product we’re also working on is the library volunteer core, and what this product seeks to do is to see how it can connect as many digital talents we have out there with libraries, such that they can be able to volunteer their talents to see how they can improve on. the libraries, and then also doing so, those volunteers will also get to improve on their experience while at the same time servicing those libraries. And then also, these are some of the programs that we have currently running, one of which is the Library Policy Fellowship, which is geared toward empowering librarians with the knowledge they need to have to be able to influence and also change library policies and also legislation around the ecosystem. And also, we have the Library Internet Governance Ambassadors Program, which you will get to know more about, which is part of why we’re here today. And then also, we also have another program, which is the Community Library Center Project, and that is geared towards setting up libraries in our local communities and seeing how we can make those communities a hub that have access to learning resources. So these are just some of the programs that we have, and these are some of the things you need to know about Library Aid Africa. Thank you. I believe you’ve been able to have an overview of what we do in Library Aid Africa. Thank you so much. Damilare, over to you.

DAMILARE OYEDELE: Thank you so much, Shagun, for that presentation. Diving in further into what we’ll be doing today, into this conversation, is for us to understand that we can work with libraries much more better to understand the legislative process and IGF governance ecosystem as a whole. We’re going to inquire today, inquire about what libraries can do to be part of the IGF ecosystem, how libraries are essential partners to address digital public goods, and how libraries are key partners towards achieving digital features in African countries. And of course, also going to like dive into to hide this about what can libraries do better? What can we do? How can we improve on things? What do we should we collaborate with, and how can we upscale our working library ecosystem as we progress? But however, I have a question for you. What comes to mind when you have the word libraries? Anybody think, what comes to mind when you hear the word libraries? A lot of books. Okay, you’re correct. You? Books? Okay. Okay. All right. I mean, we have different responses as regards to what comes to mind when you hear the word libraries. And I can see, let me show the chat box to see if we have a response in the chat box from an online participant. What comes to mind when you hear the word library? All right. You’re all correct. However, libraries, over time, are transforming from the quiet, boring space of books alone to a more innovative environment, right? And that’s why empowering librarians’ digital skills is important to upskill themselves to be able to make libraries much more vibrant and innovative ecosystem. Okay. And diving further into this conversation, we’ll be presenting to you proper what the program is all about, African Library Internet Governance Ambassadors Program, and what do we aim to achieve with it. So what are we doing as a program on this particular intervention? We’re working towards empowering library leaders in Africa to integrate libraries into the discourse and actions of the IGF. The national level is ensuring that active participation across board is guaranteed, and also to ensure that we’re able to shape internet governance policies and advance data inclusion strategies for libraries in African countries. And why are we doing this? We are doing this to specifically address the capacity gap among librarians, to engage meaningfully in the internet governance ecosystem, and also to contribute towards shaping policies around data inclusion for libraries. So what approach are we deploying to achieve this particular intervention that we’re working on currently? Number one, we’ll be working on an annual ambassadors program where we get to engage and train librarians to build practical skills and knowledge about the internet governance ecosystem, and collaborate with existing IGFs. IGF and ICANN ambassadors in various countries. And the second approach here that we’ll be deploying is to explore collaborative engagement in the context of to initiate and build collaboration between libraries and IGF ecosystem in African countries at a national and regional levels across board. And also it’s around community building. So we need a vibrant community of librarians, independent governors, ecosystem partners to leverage expertise and network activities and programs that will drive value for impact of library engagement at the IGF level in Africa. And what do we aim to achieve with this? Are we looking at building a very vibrant team of librarians across African countries, fostering collaboration between libraries and the IGF ecosystem partners, leading an increased representation of libraries in the IGF discussions. The second point that we’re trying to achieve is to enhance ability to advocate and lead engagement activities with libraries resulting to more improvement of libraries at a country level of the IGFs. And to increase awareness of libraries importance in the IGF ecosystem and this time mission efforts through evidence-based activities in collaboration with IGF partners in various countries in Africa. So that’s an overview of the program. I don’t know if you have questions that you’d love to ask online and offline that you need further courtesy on this particular part of the presentation. Questions, comments? Okay, please pass me the mic. Thank you very much. Thank you for the presentation. Interesting topic, I have not thought much about this. I’m working with the capacity building for regulators in South Sahara Africa. So I assume the library you are talking about is kind of a hub for information or something in a virtual or physical space where I assume connectivity is a presumption, some kind of processing going on and some structure. So can you say anything on what is the realities on the hubs that you have described in your project? Where are the libraries today and what would you like them to be? If you can say something on that. Sure, thank you so much for your question. And I would say that libraries are transforming from the boring quiet space to a more innovative environment. And access to internet is very- in that particular ecosystem for libraries to transform to digital hubs, I want them to be. For instance, if a library in a community has internet connectivity, the community gets to benefit from digital goods and capacity that the library has to provide digital access to them. So libraries are not just access to book selling, but libraries are transforming to access points, opportunities, digital tech hubs and environments for people to thrive, to create ideas and innovation. The reason why this particular program is important for us to see that how are libraries able to scale from what we know what we know them to be to what we really are currently. Libraries have moved from the book space alone to a more innovative environment that thrives and supports innovation. Great. Any further questions? So all participants, please feel free to drop your question in the chat box as we progress. All right, great. So it appears there are no further questions, and I’m going to dive in further to our conversation for today, which we’ll be discussing about. Okay, so for the next 20 minutes, we’re going to have a couple of exercises to do both online and offline, and we’ll be conversing together to respond to some very key questions around based on the program we presented to you earlier just now. What can we do to make this a more content approach to do? And we have three themed questions that we have for you to respond to, but the questions will be interactive. So you get to come back together, share ideas on how that can be better, and document your thoughts and share with us. All right, so we have three questions here. The three questions here has been designed to help us to work together much more with the IGF ecosystem and create ideas. The three questions are across three major categories. Category number one is around digital inclusion in libraries, and the question is that how can libraries be better positioned to serve as digital inclusion hubs within their communities, and what strategies can ensure equitable access to digital resources? And the second part of the question goes to around, you know, integration into the IGF, right? And the question is that what innovative approaches can libraries adopt to effectively engage with internet governance forum and influence digital policymaking at local, national, and regional levels. And the last part of the question goes around sustainability and partnerships. In the context of what collaborative models or partnership can libraries leverage to secure resources and support sustainable digital transformation? So these are the questions we have. But I see there’s a small crowd in person, so I think we can interact with these questions and share our ideas. So we have 20 minutes to discuss these things. So on the first question, for those in the room and those online also, how can libraries be better positioned to serve as digital inclusion hubs within their communities? And what strategies can ensure equitable access to digital resources and tools? It could be ideas from your work experience on how what you’ve seen in other ecosystems and how libraries can potentially align towards those priorities. Please feel free to speak. OK, thank you. Availability. I mean, to be able to have access. I assume that’s one factor, probably others as well. Availability and access. Yeah, availability. To be able to have access to these hubs, even though if they are virtual or if they are physical. So I assume there’s a low threshold to enter. So I assume to be aware of and also have the resources to really have the low barrier to access. I would say that was one contribution. Great, insightful. You want to go ahead? Especially nothing from my side. It’s OK. He’s told it’s a good point. And I have nothing to say. Awesome.

SARAH KADDU: OK, thank you so much, Damilare. I think how the libraries can be better positioned to serve as digital inclusion, especially if I look at our communities that are underserved. First of all, the libraries need to stock the tools and also upskill themselves to be well conversant with management of these tools and then work with the communities, reach out to the communities and not only to wait for the people to come to them, but also go to the communities, invite, encourage all categories of people to come and access these tools and maybe also train them, upskill them and be able to meet their needs. Because if they are not able to meet their needs, then they’re going to work in isolation. and the communities will not see these libraries as something important or a space that will be important for them to visit and access. And maybe the strategy is that they need to work with other partners within the ecosystem and the infosphere so that they are able to know what exactly is offered by others so that they come in to assist.

DAMILARE OYEDELE: Interestingly, you mentioned availability and access and you emphasized more community and game and integration, right? Brilliant. Well, yeah, I think I would also complement the idea of Sarah, but also of what he mentioned about the first step for me would be the infrastructure. So really know if the libraries can have access to the internet, what kind of access do they have, but also about perhaps to operate in a more contextualized way to make sure that they understand the needs of their communities because they can vary also, it can be quite different. But I also found very interesting what you mentioned about the library tracker so that libraries can connect to each other. I found that a great solution also. So perhaps some libraries who have less resources or less access know that there’s other libraries around in the region that they can also rely on and perhaps even complement the resources they have or yeah, some questions and challenges. Interestingly, I mean, our pointers are interconnected, availability and access, community and infrastructure. First of all, these are essential components to bring together to make libraries thrive digitally. All right, diving to the next point of the conversation here which is about integration into internet governance. And the question here specifically aligns towards what innovative approaches can libraries adopt to effectively engage with internet governance forum and influence digital policy as local national journalists? Is it a more technical question? Sure, go ahead. Yes, thank you. The question is not obvious for me. Well, probably because I don’t know enough of the IDF’s different forums but I assume it has to be, the possibility to advance the usage but in the same time you have to have as was underscored previously, the competence, capacity, ability to be able to integrate and assuming then that you have access and connectivity and that is stable and also that the places are secure. I mean, you showed Abuja, I mean, it is, I mean, Nigeria is maybe the case point. So that these are secure spaces where you can really get into this. And I assume there could then be ambassadors for usage to advance how do you step on to the digital transformation basically where the internet is a tool for doing. I mean, education, training, upskilling, other things. That means that the Internet becomes an integrated part of the library as an information hub. Maybe that is a way for integrating. But as I said, I don’t know enough about Internet de forums, but I assume competence, upskilling, and also making the point of advancing the usage could be maybe one avenue, but there are probably others. Great. Thank you so much for that comment. Yeah. Interesting point you mentioned about competence, upskilling, and that’s why this program we have is important for us to be able to empower librarians in African countries to understand how to engage in Internet governance ecosystem. And a few points we try to work on here is to make sure that we are able to train librarians on what Internet governance is all about and engage them with local IGFs in diverse communities and engage in conversations and to prioritize library connectivity in their societies. And through those kind of dialogues and conversations, we see a more collaborative effort to drive capacity, competence, like you mentioned, and also lead to these libraries being more information hubs that are much more vibrant, leveraging technology. Thank you so much for that. Madam Sarah, do you have any comments to add on that?

SARAH KADDU: Thank you so much. I think to begin with, librarians, libraries need to know that they are not almost mentioned in the IGF. So to begin with, they should start by participating in the IGF and see what goes on in the IGF so that they can relate with their work and then be able to innovatively practice and deliver services that speak to what IGF is talking about and also be able to participate in policymaking activities at national and regional levels.

DAMILARE OYEDELE: Thank you so much for that comment. Before I go to you, Maria, we have a hand up online. Gabriel Karsan. Over to you. Gabriel, are you able to unmute yourself to speak? Excuse me. Someone’s going to want to speak online. Gabriel wants to speak online.

GABRIEL KARSAN: Thank you, Damilare. I hope I am audible. Sure, go ahead. Great. First of all, quite an interesting conversation. I just wanted to jump in and share a little bit of context on how we could integrate internet governance and the library community. When we think about the internet and its principles of openness, accessibility, and providing a user the chance to have end-to-end access to resources, it’s the same thing as the abstraction of the library, because the library is an open center where records from different sources all over the world build on diversity and inclusion for the purpose of preserving knowledge, but also making information more utilized and also accessible without any barrier. So these things already go hand-in-hand as we see today’s synergy. When we go back to think about how the internet in itself got built, it was a lot of the academic departments or academia that had a lot of library initiation in collecting the data, but also processing the data and preserving them so that the next generation could take on and build. And I think this is the case that we have now. So I think the program of having librarians and internet governors equipped together is first a reminder of the role of academia, but also the role of librarians as the safe guardians of a collective, not just physical, but also virtual space of preservation of knowledge, but also history and integration of diversity, because they still stand with the same principles of openness, centralization, but end-to-end delivery of resources. So the first thing we could do is jump on the case of literacy, because the internet is just a technology, it is a medium. Now, a library can be anything, a library of code, a library of books, a library of different intellectual property. And when you think of it, the source code, a human being is the original library, because you store particular forms of information within yourself. But now the internet has established an infrastructure where we could store information, preserve, and make it utilized to each and every one of us. But when it is based on the principles of a library, community-driven, and always accessible, as most of the speakers have mentioned, this will be something that can push for further integration within our purpose. Thank you.

DAMILARE OYEDELE: Thank you so much for those insightful comments there, Dr. Sen. And I should mention that the internet itself is a combination of a lot of libraries on the internet. And librarians, of course, I would say, play a very vital role in creating the internet itself. We have the records and information from ages that were all uploaded online. And I hope that through this conversation we’re having now, we’re able to see more and more librarians on board to contribute meaningfully and actively to the internet governance ecosystem. Opomaria, do you have any pointers you want to add on this particular question?

MARIA: Yeah, just a quick point. Well, I think everyone already mentioned more or less everything. But perhaps another thing that I would add that I think it’s also important is something that I think it is also important that maybe policymakers understand how libraries’ ecosystem operates at a national level. Because usually it’s quite unique, very contextual. It also depends on the country. It can be very different. So I think it’s something that I also observed that can be interesting is that libraries use their own case studies at a national level and perhaps bring them into these spaces to talk about these success stories with other policymakers. And also so that they can have a better understanding on how the library ecosystem is perhaps built in a certain country and how can they collaborate with them for their projects.

DAMILARE OYEDELE: Interesting point that you mentioned about storytelling and communicating impacts. And that shows the importance of upscale librarians on how to document the impacts, communicate advocacy, and engage with the wider society, interestingly. And the last point that we have here is around sustainability and partnerships, right? And this is very important because libraries can’t do it alone. We need to work with other partners. partners, collaborators, or ecosystem partners to see how can we cross-pollinate ideas and innovation, right? And what collaborative models or partnership can libraries leverage to secure resources and support sustainable data transformation initiatives in the societies? Munagop is quiet. Thank you. It’s a very good initiative. I’m seeing the full session. So I’m just to find out some points for this particular section only because I’m working types of that we are working on digital literacy. So library, you can collaborate schools and college levels. So there can be students can be learned many things from the library. Next part is the public private company, then they will be support this program. And in technologies company, also more than I major things is a local startup companies, they can be developed this initiative and grow up. That’s all that’s all from my side. Sure. Thank you so much for that. From your point is you spoke about a lot about public private partnerships and how libraries can engage key partners in the private sector, technology company partners, NGOs, NGOs, and other partners to see how we can prosper in this innovation, not just we didn’t say number and getting these partners to scale impact and spread the word out there of what our roles are. Thank you so much. Going forward on that. Any comments you want to add to that question? What collaborative models or partnership can libraries leverage to secure resources and support for sustainable digital transformation initiatives? For those online, if you’re willing to speak, kindly raise your hands, or you can drop your responses in the chat box, and I’m able to read on your behalf over here. Sure. I think maybe it could be on the education sector or it’s training. So it’s a combination both on school side, and other will be on the professional side. I mean, work-related upskilling to use the libraries as a hub or central for competence center if that could be possible so both going school side and then the other professional companies public institutions other that would like to see the advancement and particularly talking about digital transformation number of skills would be soft skills of various kinds will be so that’s two possibilities interesting thank you so much but I’m Sarah thank

SARAH KADDU: you so much personally I think there is a lot to offer but we can’t over it as people from the library sector so we need to work in a model which is mild stakeholder take on a mild stakeholder approach so that we can contribute I know we can contribute to so many of them health we can come in to contribute education agriculture we don’t have to work alone anymore but we have to work as a mild stakeholder group to be able to attract funding to be able to win resources and then be able to take on the sustainability part of it and also the digital transformation that you want to see great points Maria yeah just a

MARIA: final point I think I would also well adding up to what Sarah said I would also say perhaps also a model could be for libraries to dare to venture a bit beyond the library and information not necessarily feel but ecosystem also because libraries in the latest years they also engage in a lot of different themes they engage a lot in democracy related themes peace building support of digital skills like you said so I also perhaps think it is also interesting to explore these intersections that libraries have and see if there is an opportunity to engage with the stakeholders that libraries are sometimes not used to engaging with in these spaces thank you

DAMILARE OYEDELE: an emphasis on intersection of our work in the library space in terms of our work related to health, education, no poverty, zero hunger, connecting those dots to engage and speak the language that this partner has to understand. Great. Thank you so much for your insights, for your responses. My colleagues are documenting these thoughts you shared with us, and that will further inform our decision going forward on how we shape things forward on this possible intervention. And going forward on today’s charts, we’d love to hear from you in terms of ideas, thoughts you have in your mind you want to share that we have not mentioned in this conversation today, that you think will be worth exploring for libraries as we progress, to be much more digital savvy, and for that build strong capacity of librarians and also librarians to be able to engage in digital economic opportunities, and not just that, how libraries can be best positioned as a hub for digital empowerment. So if there are comments or general remarks you have that you have not captured, that you think will be essential for us to capture as we progress in this conversation, and afterwards for implementation, please quiet down and speak about those. Sure. I’m just thinking of how do you reach, how do you reach the youth or the people, your customers, or you say your clients, the public. I assume that’s an issue that could be challenging depending upon context, social setting, and capacity. So I assume access will be how do you reach out basically, and also in the media landscape, changing with different formats, shorter communication from youth, etc. So the ability to reach various information channels, to reach and get positive development for this. But otherwise, very interesting to hear this, because this was not something that I’ve been thinking so much about, but makes a lot of sense. Very good job you’re doing. Thank you so much for your comments. I will take that into consideration as we progress.

SARAH KADDU: Thank you so much, Demilare. I found your presentation quite interesting. anything. I can say that from a librarian perspective, I think we are not going to fight the digital tools, we are not going to fight AI, but rather we work to ensure that we encourage everyone to use these tools responsibly, to use these tools maybe in governance, information access. We can also navigate this space in an ethical way so that we can benefit from the benefits that they come along with. Otherwise, if you want to fight the digital tools, we are likely to lose the war. We cannot afford anymore to do that. And also, we start from our youth, the kids at home. We should encourage them to use the digital tools rather than telling them how bad they are, but just question them, that use them responsibly, meaningfully, engage in this space because you want ABCD and don’t engage in this space because of ABC, so that they are able to benefit. Otherwise, we are going to be left behind and yet we are already saying no one should be left behind. And also, to the elderly, we should also tell them how beautiful digital inclusion is in their activities and the communities as well, because if they are farmers, they also need to get the best prices of their crops produced, but if they are not digitally literate, they are not able to find the best prices for their commodities. And also, to the learners, we need to inform them that they can pass well their courseworks, their exams, if they engaged so well in the digital space and do a lot of preparations, seminars, group work, and the like. And then, of course, the traders. they will do the same. I thank you.

DAMILARE OYEDELE: I love how practical you are with your interventions. And these are the comments we’ll be taking notes now. And these are things you’re gonna see how do we integrate this going forward and improve on them as we dive in towards implementing this particular intervention. Yes, Maria.

MARIA: Well, no, not final comments really, just to congratulate you on everything you’re doing. I think it’s really great because you’re doing not just capacity building, but also you’re keeping the field stronger by keeping the libraries interconnected. And yeah, that’s also what makes the field stronger on the long-term. So congratulations on everything.

DAMILARE OYEDELE: Great, thank you so much for the feedbacks, for the interaction and for the conversation. I believe we’ve been able to dive into a couple of things today, which has informed our decision, which will inform our decision going forward, I must say, on some clear pointers on what we want to do. Gabriel Kassan, do you have any comments you wanna add as we end round of this session this afternoon? Gabriel, any comments you wanna heard?

GABRIEL KARSAN: Yes, I hope I’m audible.

DAMILARE OYEDELE: Sure, you’re audible, we can hear you.

GABRIEL KARSAN: First of all, congratulations. And I think we have received quite insightful comments that still are pivotal in how we move forward in the agency of having more inclusion, more openness and the ability of access, but access in a very localized manner. And when we think about libraries, and when we think about libraries, libraries are birthed from the matter of community. And I think we can build the community from there and using the internet now, which is a collective of digital intelligence with the emerging technologies, it’s quite pivotal where we have the principles of libraries to connect to the internet as how we evolve and progress to make it more equitable and interoperable that every person can have access to intelligence, information to further their own lives. So I think this will build a lot of cohesion in our policy element where the policymakers could also understand and also a good marriage. to the tech community and the whole multi-stakeholder approach, especially now when we are at the IGF. So those are my few comments and I’m looking forward to how we unravel. And thank you all for the insightful comments.

DAMILARE OYEDELE: Great, thank you so much for your comments. Please kindly QR code for the attendance sheets. We’re going to connect with you to share the reports of this conversation and to show the progress you make as an organization. We appreciate your time and the conversation we’ve had today. And kindly check out our website to learn more about what we do as an organization. And we’re happy to connect with you further to see how we can collaborate, how we can cross-pollinate ideas, how we can engage more with other stakeholders to make libraries a more vibrant ecosystem that caters for all aspects of our lives. On that note, thank you so much for your time. I appreciate your commitment and the conversation. And we engage with you further as the conference goes by. Do enjoy the rest of the afternoon. Thank you so much and bye for now. We’re done. No, no, no, it’s just remember, don’t worry. I’m okay. I don’t have BS, so don’t worry. I don’t have anything to drag. Okay, so I need to… It’s going to break in a minute. We’re going to have to do a little bit of a the the the the the the the the the the the the the . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Agreement Points

Libraries need to transform into digital inclusion hubs

speakers

DAMILARE OYEDELE

SARAH KADDU

MARIA

arguments

Availability and low-barrier access are key factors

Libraries need to stock digital tools and upskill staff to manage them

Infrastructure and internet access are fundamental requirements

summary

All speakers agree that libraries need to evolve into digital hubs by ensuring availability of digital resources, providing low-barrier access, and developing necessary infrastructure and skills.

Libraries should actively engage with Internet Governance Forums

speakers

DAMILARE OYEDELE

SARAH KADDU

arguments

Librarians need competence and upskilling to engage with Internet Governance Forums

Libraries should participate in IGFs to understand and relate to their work

summary

Both speakers emphasize the importance of librarians participating in and engaging with Internet Governance Forums to better understand and contribute to digital policy discussions.

Collaboration and partnerships are crucial for libraries’ sustainability

speakers

DAMILARE OYEDELE

SARAH KADDU

MARIA

arguments

Collaboration with schools, colleges and tech companies is important

Libraries should take a multi-stakeholder approach to attract funding

Libraries should explore intersections with themes like democracy and peacebuilding

summary

All speakers agree that libraries need to form partnerships and collaborations with various stakeholders to ensure sustainability and expand their impact.

Similar Viewpoints

Both speakers view libraries as centers for digital literacy and skills development, emphasizing their role in educating and upskilling community members in the responsible use of digital tools.

speakers

DAMILARE OYEDELE

SARAH KADDU

arguments

Libraries can serve as competence centers for both education and professional upskilling

Libraries should encourage responsible use of digital tools and AI

Unexpected Consensus

Libraries’ role in broader societal issues

speakers

MARIA

GABRIEL KARSAN

arguments

Libraries should explore intersections with themes like democracy and peacebuilding

Libraries can build community and make intelligence more accessible through the internet

explanation

Both speakers unexpectedly agree on libraries’ potential to address broader societal issues beyond traditional roles, suggesting a more expansive and transformative vision for libraries in the digital age.

Overall Assessment

Summary

The speakers generally agree on the need for libraries to transform into digital hubs, engage with Internet governance, form partnerships, and expand their roles in society. There is a strong consensus on the importance of digital inclusion, capacity building, and collaboration.

Consensus level

High level of consensus among speakers, implying a shared vision for the future of libraries in the digital age. This agreement suggests potential for coordinated efforts in transforming libraries and integrating them into the broader digital ecosystem and policy discussions.

Different Viewpoints

Unexpected Differences

Overall Assessment

summary

No significant areas of disagreement were identified among the speakers.

difference_level

The level of disagreement was minimal to nonexistent. The speakers generally agreed with and built upon each other’s points regarding the role of libraries in digital inclusion, internet governance, and sustainable partnerships. This alignment suggests a shared vision for the future of libraries in the digital age, which could facilitate smoother implementation of proposed initiatives.

Partial Agreements

Similar Viewpoints

Both speakers view libraries as centers for digital literacy and skills development, emphasizing their role in educating and upskilling community members in the responsible use of digital tools.

speakers

DAMILARE OYEDELE

SARAH KADDU

arguments

Libraries can serve as competence centers for both education and professional upskilling

Libraries should encourage responsible use of digital tools and AI

Key Takeaways

Libraries are transforming from quiet book spaces to innovative digital hubs

Availability, access, and infrastructure are crucial for libraries to serve as digital inclusion centers

Libraries need to upskill staff and stock digital tools to meet community needs

Librarians should actively participate in Internet Governance Forums to shape policies

Multi-stakeholder partnerships are important for libraries to secure resources and support digital transformation

Libraries should encourage responsible use of digital tools and AI rather than resist them

Resolutions and Action Items

Train librarians on Internet governance and engage them with local IGFs

Prioritize library connectivity in communities

Document and communicate library impact stories to policymakers

Explore intersections between libraries and themes like democracy and peacebuilding

Unresolved Issues

Specific strategies for reaching youth and adapting to changing media landscapes

Detailed plans for implementing digital transformation in resource-constrained libraries

Methods to measure success of library integration into Internet governance ecosystem

Suggested Compromises

Balance traditional library services with new digital offerings

Collaborate with both public and private sector partners to leverage diverse resources

Libraries are transforming from the boring quiet space to a more innovative environment. And access to internet is very- in that particular ecosystem for libraries to transform to digital hubs, I want them to be. For instance, if a library in a community has internet connectivity, the community gets to benefit from digital goods and capacity that the library has to provide digital access to them.

speaker

Damilare Oyedele

reason

This comment reframes libraries as digital innovation hubs rather than just repositories of books, highlighting their potential for community impact.

impact

It shifted the conversation to focus on libraries as centers of digital access and innovation, leading to discussion of specific strategies for digital inclusion.

First of all, the libraries need to stock the tools and also upskill themselves to be well conversant with management of these tools and then work with the communities, reach out to the communities and not only to wait for the people to come to them, but also go to the communities, invite, encourage all categories of people to come and access these tools and maybe also train them, upskill them and be able to meet their needs.

speaker

Sarah Kaddu

reason

This comment provides concrete suggestions for how libraries can become digital inclusion hubs, emphasizing proactive community engagement.

impact

It deepened the discussion by moving from abstract concepts to specific actionable strategies libraries can implement.

When we think about the internet and its principles of openness, accessibility, and providing a user the chance to have end-to-end access to resources, it’s the same thing as the abstraction of the library, because the library is an open center where records from different sources all over the world build on diversity and inclusion for the purpose of preserving knowledge, but also making information more utilized and also accessible without any barrier.

speaker

Gabriel Karsan

reason

This comment draws an insightful parallel between the principles of the internet and libraries, highlighting their shared values and goals.

impact

It elevated the conversation by connecting libraries to broader internet governance principles, leading to discussion of how libraries can engage more deeply with internet governance forums.

I think it’s something that I also observed that can be interesting is that libraries use their own case studies at a national level and perhaps bring them into these spaces to talk about these success stories with other policymakers. And also so that they can have a better understanding on how the library ecosystem is perhaps built in a certain country and how can they collaborate with them for their projects.

speaker

Maria

reason

This comment introduces the important idea of libraries sharing their success stories to influence policy and build partnerships.

impact

It shifted the discussion towards practical ways libraries can engage with policymakers and other stakeholders, emphasizing the importance of storytelling and demonstrating impact.

We need to work in a model which is mild stakeholder take on a mild stakeholder approach so that we can contribute I know we can contribute to so many of them health we can come in to contribute education agriculture we don’t have to work alone anymore but we have to work as a mild stakeholder group to be able to attract funding to be able to win resources and then be able to take on the sustainability part of it and also the digital transformation that you want to see

speaker

Sarah Kaddu

reason

This comment emphasizes the importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration for libraries to achieve digital transformation and sustainability.

impact

It broadened the discussion to consider how libraries can engage with diverse sectors and stakeholders to secure resources and support.

Overall Assessment

These key comments shaped the discussion by progressively expanding the vision of libraries from traditional book repositories to digital innovation hubs, community engagement centers, and key players in internet governance. The conversation evolved from identifying the need for digital transformation to exploring specific strategies for implementation, stakeholder engagement, and policy influence. The comments collectively emphasized the importance of proactive community outreach, multi-stakeholder collaboration, and sharing success stories to drive the digital transformation of libraries and increase their impact in the internet governance ecosystem.

What are the realities of the library hubs described in the project? Where are the libraries today and what would you like them to be?

speaker

Unnamed participant

explanation

This question seeks to understand the current state of libraries and the vision for their future role, which is important for contextualizing the project’s goals and challenges.

How can libraries ensure availability and low-barrier access to digital resources?

speaker

Unnamed participant

explanation

This area of inquiry is crucial for understanding how to make libraries effective digital inclusion hubs within communities.

How can libraries work with communities to meet their specific needs?

speaker

Sarah Kaddu

explanation

This question addresses the importance of tailoring library services to community requirements, which is essential for their relevance and effectiveness.

How can libraries collaborate with other partners within the ecosystem and infosphere?

speaker

Sarah Kaddu

explanation

This area of research is important for understanding how libraries can integrate with and complement other information services.

What kind of internet access do libraries have, and how can it be improved?

speaker

Maria

explanation

This question is crucial for addressing the infrastructure needs of libraries to function as digital hubs.

How can libraries operate in a more contextualized way to understand the needs of their communities?

speaker

Maria

explanation

This area of inquiry is important for ensuring that library services are relevant and effective for their specific user base.

How can libraries become secure spaces for digital access and learning?

speaker

Unnamed participant

explanation

This question addresses an important aspect of making libraries viable and trusted digital hubs in their communities.

How can libraries effectively participate in and contribute to Internet Governance Forum discussions?

speaker

Sarah Kaddu

explanation

This area of research is crucial for increasing library representation and influence in internet governance.

How can policymakers better understand the library ecosystem at a national level?

speaker

Maria

explanation

This question is important for fostering collaboration between libraries and policymakers in digital governance.

What public-private partnerships can libraries engage in to scale impact?

speaker

Unnamed participant

explanation

This area of inquiry is crucial for identifying sustainable models for library digital transformation.

How can libraries effectively reach out to youth and adapt to changing media landscapes?

speaker

Unnamed participant

explanation

This question addresses the challenge of keeping libraries relevant and accessible to younger generations.

How can libraries encourage responsible use of digital tools and AI across different age groups?

speaker

Sarah Kaddu

explanation

This area of research is important for promoting digital literacy and ethical use of technology through libraries.