"Another way of expressing this is to say that the farmer recognized that his information wealth was only superficial; when he recognized the possibility of change, he was also recognizing the need to remedy his relative information poverty."
Hmm.
So how is information poverty determined, from within or without? Some instances can be seen from both perspectives -- the digital divide in America is visible whether you're a kid in East Palo Alto, CA, or a student at Stanford, across the tracks.
I think this quote goes a long way toward explaining why missions to teach the natives in South America to boil their water (for example) fail. You can't force change. What you CAN do, and what I think our job as "information professionals" is, is give people the help they need once they decide they need it. Open the channels. Make it available. But don't cram value judgments down others' throats: here, this information about your local government is good for you and will make your life easier. Just keep the tax forms in a pile and tell them where the pile is.
I guess that's the whole point of libraries, eh?
Posted on February 16, 2002 at 12:46 PM
Post a comment