Local Digital Agenda or Community Digital

Agenda?

Library Development Program in Poland

$28 million BMGF grant + $4,5 million PAFF’s commitment

2008 - 2015 – implementation

3,808 libraries from 1,256 small communities (c. 60% of the target group)

training courses grant programs

hardware deliveriescapacity building for library system

outreach/promotion activities

The Polish-American Freedom Foundation is the partner of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in a project aimed at giving Polish

public libraries better access to computers, the Internet and training. The Library Development Program in Poland is implemented by the

Information Society Development Foundation. 

Participating libraries

Experiences from the LDP

ICT should boost local development supporting policies and strategies.

ICT supported local development is too complex to be left only for local authorities.

For small rural communities mobilisation of all partners and resources is essential for development.

Communities need “new type of local leadership”: providing vision, involving all partners in to strategy planning and implementation through multi-sectorial partnerships.

Local Digital Agenda versus Community Digital Agenda

Responsibility of the community with local authorities providing

“new type of leadership”.

 Focus on community.

Responsibility of the local authorities.

 Focus on the local

authority.

Social consultation of the strategies

developed by local authorities.

 Strategy as exclusively

LA/expert issue.

Strategies developed and implemented by community leaders, local institutions,

organisations, informal groups – preferably

organised in different types of partnerships.

 Strategy as community

issue.

Local Digital Agenda versus Community Digital Agenda

ICT supporting services provided by local

authorities (e-government).

 ICT as “tactical” issue supporting selected

services provided by LA.

ICT supporting local development, all types

of policies and strategies developed in above mentioned way.

 ICT as “strategic” issue involving all community

members and resources.

Local Digital Agenda versus Community Digital Agenda

LA supporting ICT skills enabling access to the e-

services. 

Focus on “digitally excluded” to help them to

use e-services.

Local partnerships support ICT skills important for local

development (needs assessment, innovations,

communication, cooperation, project development and

implementation).  

ICT skills for all community members contributing to

local development.

Example

Problem: Low level of ICT skills among adult community members.

LDA solution: Schools and other institutions

subordinated to local authority equipped with

computers and pushed to offer courses for adults.

CDA solution: LA mobilise all local partners to develop

educational strategy combining all resources and involving all sectors (public,

NGO, business) through partnerships.

Implementation of the Community Digital Agenda – key steps

Encourage local authorities to the new – more strategic - approach to ICT.

Local authority selects one local policy or strategy to pilot the whole approach.

Presentations and workshops by experts for community members on “how ICT may be used by institutions and

organisations to support implementation of the local policies and strategies”.

Implementation of the Community Digital Agenda – key steps

Setting up of the partnerships covering three areas:

1)Infrastructure: common planning of purchase and maintenance, efficiency of the help-desk etc.

2)Digital education: combining all educational resources available locally, provided by local institutions and

organisations to all community members (not only e.g. “senior citizens”).

3)Innovations: group of local “ICT freaks” ready to adapt ICT tools to local conditions, supported by FRSI screening “global

knowledge”.

Implementation of the Community Digital Agenda – key steps

ICT audit of the selected policy or strategy by experts. Report with recommendations on ICT solutions that could be

considered to boost policy or strategy implementation.

Partnerships in cooperation with FRSI experts select ICT solutions taking in to consideration local resources and

conditions.

Development of the “digital agenda” (plan how to boost given policy or strategy using selected ICT solutions) by the

partnerships supported by FRSI experts.

Implementation of the Community Digital Agenda – key steps

“Digital agenda” includes division of responsibilities among local partners and budget.

Implementation of the “digital agenda” by partnerships with support of FRSI (inspirations, experts, grants, networking).

Evaluation / feed back

Thank You!

Jacek Królikowskijacek.krolikowski@frsi.org.pl