The document discusses the essential role of community anchors in promoting successful e-government and highlights the importance of digital inclusion for various demographics, particularly marginalized communities. It emphasizes the need for collaborative governance and community engagement to address challenges and foster societal well-being, while also noting the impact of technology and public libraries in facilitating digital participation. The paper presents strategies and initiatives aimed at enhancing access, literacy, and application of digital resources within local communities.

1. Successful eGovernment Takes a
Village: Inclusion and the Role of
Community Anchors
John Carlo Bertot
Director and Professor
Information Policy & Access Center
College of Information Studies
University of Maryland College Park
jbertot@umd.edu

2. Some trends and concerns

3. Growth Rate
— 103% growth rate between 1950 and
2009
◦ From 152 million to 308 million
◦ Germany: 21%
◦ Italy: 30%
— Continued growth anticipated
◦ ~440 million by 2050
http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/
http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/wpp2008/
wpp2008_highlights.pdf

4. Immigration
Shrestha, L.B., & Heisler, E.J. (2011). The changing demographic profile of
the United States. CRS Report RL32701.

5. Age
http://www.census.gov/population/projections/data/national/2008/
summarytables.html
0
50.000
100.000
150.000
200.000
250.000
300.000
2010
2015
2020
2025
2030
2035
2040
2045
2050
Under 18
18-64
65 and over
85 and over
* In thousands

6. Race
http://www.census.gov/population/projections/data/national/2008/
summarytables.html
2010
2015
2020
2025
2030
2035
2040
2045
2050
0
50.000
100.000
150.000
200.000
250.000
White
All Others
* In thousands

7. Poverty

8. Broadband Plateau
— $7.2 billion spent on broadband diffusion as
part of the Stimulus Bill
◦ Funds end August/September 2013
— Broadband (home) penetration around 65%
◦ No, mobile access is not the answer
— Who are the non-adopters?
◦ Those who do not adopt technologies
– Older, less educated, less wealthy
◦ Recession
– Cut Internet access
◦ Stagnating/declining income
– Less spending on ICTs

9. Inability to Govern
— Inability of federal government to make
any decisions
— States financially strapped
◦ Though bottom may have been reached
◦ Burden shifting to local governments/
communities
— Local governments taking on more of
governing/governance to resolve nation’s
challenges

10. Trust in government
10
How much of
the time do
you trust the
government in
Washington?
http://www.people-press.org/2013/01/31/trust-in-government-interactive/
Pew Research
Center

11. Open Government and Engagement
Opportunities
— Radical redistribution of power away from
government and to communities and people
(Cameron, 2011)
— Redesign institutions around collaborative
problem solving (Noveck, 2009)
— Government as platform for the creation of
public value and social innovation (Tapscott, 2010)
— Reinvention of government through digital
engagement, crowdsourcing, open data
(Newsome & Dickey, 2012)
— Reinvention through “nudging” (Sunstein, 2012)

12. Community Challenges
— What is a healthy
community/society?
◦ Basic needs
◦ Economy
◦ Health and wellness
◦ Education
◦ Arts and Culture
◦ Neighborhoods and
Communities
◦ Environment
◦ Seattle Foundation, 2006
— Digital inclusion
◦ Access: Availability,
affordability, design for
inclusion, and public access
◦ Adoption: Relevance, digital
literacy, and consumer
safety
◦ Application: Economic and
workforce development,
education, health care,
public safety and
emergency services, civic
engagement, and social
connections
◦ IMLS, 2012

13. Assumptions of eParticipation
— Informed citizenry
— Participation is broad
— Digitally inclusive communities
— Digitally literate citizenry
◦ Data literacy
— Engagement is intermediated by
technology, and directly between citizens
and governments (G2C)

14. Public Libraries in the US

15. Public Libraries
— Trusted
— Neutral
— Ubiquitous
— Community-based social innovators

16. Engagement at the Library
— Hartford Public Library (CT)
◦ Community & Civic Participation
– Strategy 1: Recruit and train volunteers to serve
as Cultural Navigators
– Strategy 2: Build coalitions among key
stakeholders
– Strategy 3: Community - two approaches: City
Wide and Neighborhood
– Strategy 4: Bridging cultures through facilitated.
– Strategy 5: Communicate the value that
stakeholders bring

17. Engagement at the Library
— Sacramento Public Library (CA)
◦ I Street Press

18. Engagement at the Library
— Howard County Libraries (MD) HiTech
◦ Partners include Institute for Learning Innovation,
Mindgrub Technologies, Howard County Public School
System, Howard Community College, University of
Maryland’s Clark School of Engineering
◦ Digital Media - Internet collaboration, web site
design, and e-publication development
◦ Mobile Collections - mobile apps and e-book
creation
◦ Games - game play, logic, design, and game building
◦ International Relations - domestic and
international networking, linguistics exploration, and
international news and current event observation

19. It’s about
— Leveraging community resources
◦ (space, people, organizations, skills, infrastructure,
trust)
— Engagement at the local level
— Engagement through intermediaries and
technology
— Digital literacy and data skills
— Inclusive community building
◦ Not just for the connected and skilled
— Community transformation in critical areas of
need
— Innovation and creativity

20. References
— Cameron, D. (2011). PM on Government Transparency.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=tQTt4l2Qmd4&feature=player_embedded
— Institute of Museum and Library Services. (2012). Building Digital
Communities:A framework for action. Washington, DC: Institute of Museum
and Library Services.Available at:
http://www.imls.gov/assets/1/workflow_staging/AssetManager/2140.PDF
— Newsome, G, & Dickey, L. (2013). Citizenville: How toTake theTown Square
Digital and Reinvent Government. Penguin Press.
— Noveck, B. S. (2009). Wiki Government: HowTechnology Can Make Government
Better, Democracy Stronger, and Citizens More Powerful. Washington, DC:
Brookings Institution Press.
— Seattle Foundation. (2006).A Healthy Community:WhatYou Need to
Know to give Strategically. Seattle,WA:The Seattle Foundation.Available at:
http://www.seattlefoundation.org/aboutus/Documents/
10029170_HCReport_web.pdf
— Sunstein, C.R. (2012). Simpler: The Future of Government. Simon & Schuster.
— Tapscott, D. (2010). Foreward. In D. Lathrop & L. Ruma, Eds. Open
Government: Collaboration,Transparency, and Participation in Practice. O'Reilly
Media.