The document discusses the eGranary Digital Library Project, which stores educational resources on hard drives and distributes them to institutions lacking adequate internet access. It is run by the Widernet Project and provides millions of internet resources through a fully searchable digital library. Some key points:
- The eGranary now has installations at over 350 institutions worldwide, delivering educational materials like videos, books and journals.
- Content is identified from websites and publishers are requested for permission to copy materials. It covers many subject areas.
- Users have provided positive feedback on accessing information otherwise not available due to limited bandwidth.
- The Sparkman Center has expanded health resources and supported installations across Zambia to increase access to materials.
Incoming and Outgoing Shipments in 3 STEPS Using Odoo 17
Storing seeds of_knowledge_feb6
1. The eGranary:
Storing the Seeds of
Knowledge
Heather Lee, MPH
UAB Sparkman Center for Global Health
February 6, 2012
2. OBJECTIVES
What is the Widernet Project?
What is the eGranary Digital Library Project?
What are some of the accomplishments of the
eGranary Project?
Role and vision of the Sparkman Center
How were the portals developed, including the
Zambia Knowledge Centre?
Finally, the eGranary will be revealed!
4. WHAT IS WIDERNET?
TheWiderNet Project is based at the
University of Iowa in the United States
5. WHAT IS THE MISSION OF
WIDERNET?
To improve digital communication to all
communities and individuals around the
world in need of educational resources,
knowledge, and training
Widernet serves many people who lack
internet connectivity and information
resources, but their work focuses
especially on the needs in developing
countries
6. WHAT DOES WIDERNET OFFER?
A holistic approach: computers, needed
appliances and educational material
Also offer resources and training
Training is important because enables
people to be self-sufficient with using
Information and Communication
Technology (ICT)
7. WHY IS THERE A NEED FOR THEIR
SERVICES?
Only one out of seven people have
adequate access to the Internet
In many developing countries, universities
may have a direct connection to the
Internet, but not enough bandwidth to
adequately serve their users
Only a fraction of professors and students
have access to email and basic computer
programs
What is your internet experience like at
your job?
8. WHY DOES WIDERNET ADDRESS
THESE PROBLEMS?
Belief that ICT can empower people,
giving them better access to information,
knowledge and communication and in that
way improve their overall quality of life
Strive to make educational resources and
training opportunities available to
everyone to bridge the digital divide
9. WIDERNET HISTORY
Founded in 2000 by Prof. Cliff
Missen and Dr. Michael
McNulty
After visiting the University
of Jos in Nigeria as a
Fulbright Scholar, Cliff
experienced first hand the
frustration of trying to teach
with a lack of internet access
10. WIDERNET ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Has donated more than 1,200 computers
for use at universities in Africa
Has provided training opportunities to
thousands of university staff and
administrators in programs customized to
suit their institutions' specific needs
Installed the eGranary Digital Library
at more than 350 partner institutions
around the world
12. THE eGRANARY DIGITAL LIBRARY
PROJECT
While at the University of Jos, Cliff created the
first version of an off-line digital library after
requesting that a UI graduate student send him
some Web sites on a CD-ROM
Eventually started placing educational materials
onto a hard drive
14. WHAT IS THE eGRANARY DIGITAL
LIBRARY?
Delivers millions of Internet resources to
institutions lacking adequate Internet
access
Provides lightening fast access to
educational materials including video,
audio, books, journals and Web sites, even
where no Internet access exists
15. WHERE ARE THE eGRANARIES?
Blue dot= 1 eG, yellow= 2-5 eGs,
red=10+ eGs
16. WHAT KIND OF PLACES HAVE
eGRANARIES?
Primary and secondary schools
Colleges and universities
Medical schools
Engineering schools
Hospitals and medical clinics
U.S. embassies
Churches
Prisons
Businesses
17. HOW IS CONTENT IDENTIFIED AND
OBTAINED?
The eG project looks for Web sites with
pertinent digitized academic information
(often guided by requests of its
subscribers) to add to its ‘wish list.’
Requests the authors’ or publishers’
permission to copy their materials
through email communication. If
permission is given, materials are copied
Creative commons
More to come later on the technical details
of this!
18. WHAT’S INSIDE THE eGRANARY?
Library that is fully indexed and
searchable using built-in search engine
Websites, journals, videos, textbooks,
audio files, articles, instructional manuals
and much more
The tools to allow you to add local content
19. WHAT TYPES OF INFORMATION
CAN BE FOUND IN THE eGRANARY?
The information stored inside the eGranary
covers dozens of topics, including:
Math and science
Engineering
Medical, nursing and public health resources
ICT resources
Atlases, almanacs and other reference materials
Education and teaching materials
History, sociology, psychology, economics, religion
and other social sciences
Agriculture and horticulture
Literature, art and music
20. EXAMPLES OF MAJOR
CONTRIBUTORS TO THE eGRANARY
DIGITAL LIBRARY
Wikipedia
Columbia University
Hesperian Foundation
World Health Organization
Khan Academy
OER Africa
21. WHAT HAVE eGRANARY USERS HAD
TO SAY THUS FAR?
“The eGranary Digital Library concept is the solution
for creation and distributing online content
challenges currently facing most African countries.”
--Mr. Jacob Mtui, Research and Development, University of Dar Es
Salaam, Tanzania
“The eGranary Digital Library has helped our
students and lecturers in accessing academic
materials which were not easily accessible due to
limited bandwidth. The concept is very good for those
with limited or no bandwidth and should be
supported. It has become part and parcel of our e-
learning platform.”
--Nyaga Gacheru, Network Administrator, Jomo Kenyatta University of
Agriculture and Technology, Kenya
22. MORE COMMENTS FROM eGRANARY
SUBSCRIBERS
“It was a fantastic success; both the students and
faculty were amazed and delighted by even a
small taste of the eGranary content.”
--John Frediani, eGranary Donor, Jos, Nigeria
“The idea is simply GREAT! We are trying to
promote it in Bangladesh, especially educational
institutions providing higher studies in remote
areas.”
--Mr. Mizanur Munna, Positive Bangladesh Initiatives
23. COMMENTS FROM eGRANARY
SUBSCRIBERS IN ZAMBIA
“The eGranary can help or can easy the job of a
librarian by giving direct subjects and topics to
the information seeker. It gives access of
information to the users. The eGranary does not
consume much time as compared to the internet.”
--Workshop Participant, University of Zambia
“I think the eGranary digital library should be
introduced to all the libraries, even in public
libraries for the users to access information as
quickly as possible.”
--Workshop Participant, University of Zambia
25. WHAT IS THE SPARKMAN CENTER?
Founded in 1979 by the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID)
Based at the University of Alabama at
Birmingham (UAB)
26. WHAT IS THE OVERALL VISION AND
MISSION OF THE SPARKMAN
CENTER?
Alleviation of health problems in less
developed countries by building capacity
We work collaboratively with academic
institutions, international agencies and
health ministries within host countries
We also work to enhance the capacity of
the UAB community to engage, prepare
and support current and future
professionals
27. WHAT KINDS OF THINGS DOES THE
SPARKMAN CENTER DO?
Distance education
Support international internships and
other educational activities for UAB
students
Work with partner institutions in other
countries to enhance medical, nursing and
public health education
28. WHAT IS THE SPARKMAN CENTER’S
ROLE IN THE eGRANARY PROJECT?
Sparkman Center Director, Craig Wilson,
heard about the eGranary at a conference
in Lusaka in 2007
Previously had been carrying over heavy
textbooks each visit
Was particularly interested in adding
health related materials
And that’s where I came along…
29. EVOLUTION OF THE PROJECT
Significantly expanded health science
resources
Have seen eGranary increase from 750GB
capacity to 4TB
Formed a partnership with VVOB
Will be hiring an in country eGranary
support person
30. SPARKMAN SUPPORTED
INSTALLATIONS IN ZAMBIA
The University of Zambia School of Medicine
Chainama Hills College of Health Sciences
Lusaka School of Nursing
Copperbelt University School of Medicine
Chikankata Mission Hospital
Lewanika General Hospital
Lusaka Apex Medical University (LAMU)
Cavendish School of Medicine
Zambian Forum for Health Research
(ZAMFOHR)
Supported the purchase of 4 eGranaries for the
Colleges of Education in Zambia
31. WHAT IS THE SPARKMAN CENTER’S
VISION FOR THE eGRANARY?
To see the eGranary used widely in
Zambia, particularly in remote areas with
no or very limited internet access
For every training institution in Zambia
have an eGranary
To continue to work with our partners to
enhance the eGranary Digital Library
33. WHAT IS A PORTAL?
Custom portals highlight resources in
certain topic areas
Portals are built by consulting with
teachers, librarians and government
ministries to create portals that best
match their information needs
Portals enable teachers and students to
quickly access information identified by
experts in the subject
34. ZAMBIA HEALTH INFO PORTALS
The long journey of creating the first portal
And then two more…
35. THE GLOBAL DISABILITIES RIGHTS
PORTAL (GDRL)
The purpose of the GDRL is to help users
find resources they can put into action to
improve the lives of people with
disabilities around the world
United States International Council on
Disability (USICD) developed the portal
with funding support from the US Agency
for International Development (USAID)
36. HOW THE GDRL WAS DEVELOPED
During its first year in 2010, the GDRL
Project focused on identifying partners as
well as gathering and cataloging resources
for the library
Librarians at USICD and Widernet
particularly emphasized practical toolkits
and training manuals as well as reports
on the status of disability rights and “best
practice” examples around the world
37. GDRL DISSEMINATION
Inmid 2011, four organizations received a
“pilot” version of the GDRL to test the
library and made recommendations for
improvements
ZAMISE was one of the sites chosen to pilot
the GDRL
This year, the project will continue to
expand the library to include local content
from end users
A total of 60 locations will receive a free
eGranary via the project
38. THE ZAMBIA KNOWLEDGE CENTRE
PORTAL
Idea initially developed at Zambia Knowledge
Centre think tank meeting in April 2011
Participants agreed eGranary was the perfect
tool for the ZKC
Team of Zambian educators was formed to
identify resources for the portal
39. A SNEAK PREVIEW OF THE
CONTENT ON THE ZKC
Khan Academy
Flexbooks
Free High School Textbook Project (FHST)
TESSA
Instructional guides for Microsoft Office
applications
We will look at these tomorrow in more
detail!