Digitalization is fundamentally changing society and all people are affected in different ways by these changes. As with all social changes, there is an expectation that the development is positive and that everyone will benefit from it. But this is not the case. Digitalization challenges in new ways and creates new gaps in societies. Digital divides were already recognized twenty years ago, but today they are much more complex. The Swedish welfare state's high ambitions in terms of inclusion, participation and equality make it particularly important to work with digital inclusion, especially in municipalities that are close to citizens and provide most public services.
Purpose and questions
We want to contribute to developing the role of libraries for digital inclusion and how librarians' skills can be developed to support citizens' digital skills. The project aims to map and analyze digital exclusion and how libraries and their staff work and develop strategies to increase inclusion and participation.
The project is organized around three questions:
- Who experiences digital exclusion, in what ways are they excluded and how does this affect their ability to participate in society?
- What new tasks are added to the library and its staff, and what support can be developed?
- How can digital participation be interpreted in relation to other forms of participation in society?
