IFLA Releases 2019 Development and Access to Information Report

From the International Federation of Library Associations:

IFLA today [May 23, 2019] launched the 2019 edition of the Development and Access to Information report, on the occasion of the President’s Meeting in Buenos Aires.

The United Nations 2030 Agenda, agreed by all Member States in 2015, sets out a roadmap towards a richer, fairer, more sustainable world. The Agenda underlines the importance of access to information.

Yet to ensure these goals are achieved, it is essential to monitor the performance of member states and of regions, and to share good ideas for implementation.

This is the objective of the Development and Access to Information Report, produced by IFLA in partnership with the Technology and Social Change Group at the University of Washington (TASCHA).

The report focuses firstly on the evidence of the different dimensions of access to information, in the context of the UN 2030 Agenda. This reflects the fact that while internet access is increasingly essential, people also need skills to use information, the freedom to express themselves, and a favourable social and cultural context.

It stresses that there is much still to do. While internet access and education levels are improving, this is not the case everywhere.

Meanwhile, the gender digital divide – the gap between the share of women and the share of men online – is growing, as is the number of countries where people do not enjoy fundamental freedoms.

The Library Factor

The report also highlights the difference that libraries can make in each of the dimensions of access to information.

Drawing on examples from IFLA’s Library Map of the World, it stresses how libraries can support learning and inclusion, and improve the effectiveness of government policies through ensuring beneficiaries know about them.

Expert Perspectives on Access

Finally, it includes five guest chapters from experts outside of the library field, focusing on five of the Sustainable Development Goals in focus in 2019.

These explore how libraries and access to information contribute to adult education, job-searching and entrepreneurship, as well as reducing inequalities, tackling climate change, and civic engagement.

But they also highlight the challenges, and in particular the need to think hard about what information is shared and how.

Direct to Full Text Report (76 pages; PDF) ||| Download Report by Chapter

Direct to Report Web Site

See Also: Development and Access to Information (2017) 

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