As highlighted in the Development and Access to Information Report 2017, produced by IFLA in partnership with the Technology and Social Change Group at the University of Washington, for access to information to be meaningful, people need skills and the right conditions. Libraries can play a unique role in delivering both. 

In its response to the call for examples for the third phase of Connecting and Enabling the Next Billion, a project run by the Internet Governance Forum to identify practical ways in which digital technologies can bridge development gaps, IFLA offers a set of practical case studies. In line with the call, they focus on education, gender inequality, and innovation. Two of these were already the focus of specific chapters in the DA2I report (gender inequality, innovation).   

We hope that these will underline how properly supported libraries can play a transformational role in allowing people to turn access to information and ICTs into better lives and livelihoods.

IFLA's contribution is available online.

For more information, see the 2016 edition of Connecting and Enabling the Next Billion, and IFLA's contribution to this.