The entire world’s knowledge can now be accessed over the internet or through digital infrastructure. Computers and IT being the central for the development today, there is a huge gap persisting in society as many are not in reach or having access to digital knowledge systems and learning environments. To bridge this divide, Swecha AP proposes to set up ‘Community Digital Libraries’.
- Imagine 100 crore copies of each book that can reach the pocket of everyone.
- Imagine every person carrying the world’s knowledge in their hand.
- Imagine 27000+ villages having digital libraries
- Imagine enabling a digital library for a village can begin with as low as 10000 Rs
This is what knowledge in digital form can do.
Digital library serves as a center for the village which broadcasts the knowledge to the entire village. Anyone with a smartphone can access the world’s content. Women, Job Aspirants, School Children access these digital libraries for their everyday learning and digital empowerment.
Setting up a digital library will need a very less infrastructure
- A Server for serving the books
- Antennas which can transmit the content across the villages
- Few computers at center for people who don’t have smartphone/desktop/laptop
- Physical books
As Swecha, we are running 3 such libraries in Tribal and rural parts of Andhra Pradesh. It’s been a year since we started running them.
Call for Action:
To enable this to happen, the knowledge should also be available on public domain and digital form to make it accessible. Copyrights are holding the knowledge to be made accessible. Our call to Publishers and writers to release the books under Open Access licenses like creative commons etc.
This gives huge benefit to the writers, publishers and society as a whole by
- Releasing old, not under publishing and any literature without copyright
- Giving rights to people to use your literature to adapt for their works by giving due credits to you
- Wikipedia etc are the examples of freely available knowledge
Just like a woman who was once behind the doors. Once the women are liberated, they are now changing the entire world. Same way the knowledge which is waiting at your doorsteps, to be made publicly accessible. Open the doors, liberate the knowledge and Contribute to our Movement to make Knowledge as commons
-This was part of the speech delivered during a Panel on “Rebuilding Libraries” during Vijayawada Book Festival on 9th January 2024 along with
- Mandali Budda Prasad, Member of Legislative Assembly, Andhra Pradesh
- Mannem Rayudu, Manasu Foundation
- Rahmanuddin Shaik, Wikipedia etc