Module 9: Information Inequality

Anil Gupta's TED Talk was very inspirational.  He clearly illustrated that "the minds on the margin are not the marginal minds."  In many cases, the inspiration came from the everyday needs of a few people, and one keen mind saw a way to improve upon the current situation.  They may never see fame or economic gain, but perhaps they have made life a bit easier or more enjoyable for themselves and their families and neighbors.  I enjoyed his metaphor of a honey bee gathering pollen and enabling the cross-pollination that enriches diversity and allows nature's cycle to continue.  It became the symbol of his Honey Bee Network, which encourages and supports innovation and invention at the grass roots level.  I was very impressed at the innovation that was possible with very little money and few materials.  Gupta's talk reinforced the notion that one need not be born of privilege and have a good education in order to have a good mind.

Much of Dr. Roland's lecture this week pertained to information inequality in global terms and also in terms of those with "different abilities."  The facts presented are sobering, but the work being done is inspiring.  I loved the stories of the children in the Room to Read video.  It is clear that the program is making a difference in the lives of many children.  As indicated on their web site, Room to Read has helped over 7 million children in the last 10 years.  I was impressed to read that over 80% of their donations go directly to their programs.

I was interested to hear the student in Dr. Roland's class talk about the deaf culture and the services that had developed at the library branch in which he worked.  It reminded me of the services for the blind that we had at a library at which I used to work.  We had written a grant to fund a project that put special computers and software for the blind in the library.  It was quite popular, and there were several tutors and parents that took advantage of the special equipment to help their students and children.  We also purchased a collection of descriptive videos, in which the action of the movie is described in the natural pauses of the dialog as it plays.  In some markets, television networks now also provide this descriptive service for many programs. It seems that with approximately 20% of all Americans having a disability of some kind, the inequality of information and services is an issue that we will all need to be aware of as we embark on our careers in information science.  It is very rewarding to be part of a project that can improve the quality of life for a segment of the population that is often at a disadvantage when it comes to libraries and library services.