A2K : a critical reflection on access to knowledge for the growth of a knowledge society
Date
2010
Authors
Lor, Peter Johan
Britz, Johannes J.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
Paper presented at the Stellenbosch University Library 2010 Symposium / IFLA Presidential Meeting. Knowing is not enough: Engaging in the knowledge economy, 18 to 19 February 2010. In the hope of clarifying the role that libraries can play in serving humanity in a time of
rapid innovation and change, this paper critically examines the notions of the "knowledge
society" and "access to knowledge" to bring to the surface some assumptions underlying
them. Whereas the term "knowledge economy" emphasizes the economic, strategic and
competitive value of information and knowledge, the shift to "knowledge society" (or
"knowledge societies") conceptualizes the phenomenon more holistically, as encompasssing
dimensions such as the social and cultural dimensions. In analyzing the
"knowledge society" and "access to knowledge" it is critical to be clear about what we
understand by "knowledge". In this paper we borrow from constructivist learning theory
and argue that it is helpful to see knowledge as a process rather than as an outcome or
state. In discussions of access to knowledge much emphasis has been placed on the
physical dimension of access (connectivity, bandwidth and the digital divide) and on the
legal, economic and political dimensions that form the embattled terrain of the A2K
movement (the A2K Treaty, the WIPO Development Agenda, etc.). However, if knowledge
is conceptualized as a process, the concept of "access" has to be extended to the
epistemological dimension which takes into account the construction of knowledge in the
mind of the individual in interaction with the community. This has important implications
for libraries. In spite of warnings that the role of libraries will be eroded through
disintermediation, we argue for a deployment of reskilled and remotivated information
intermediaries working in and around libraries to motivate, teach,
interpret and facilitate "access" to knowledge.
Description
41 slides created with MSPowerPoint 2003 and migrated to pdf using Adobe Acrobat.
Keywords
Knowledge society, Constructivist theory of learning, Constructivism, Future of libraries
Citation
Lor, P.J. & Britz, J.J. 2010. A2K : a critical reflection on access to knowledge for the growth of a knowledge society. Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University.