Implementation of e-Inclusion in public libraries : a case study of Tallinn Central Library

摘要

This study aims to explore the e-Inclusion concept from the librarians’ point of viewand analyse how Tallinn Central Library (TCL) has implemented it in order to ensure aninclusive digital society that provides opportunities for all its users. Two e-Inclusionprogrammes launched by TCL were analysed. (Training courses for elderly people andTraining courses for jobseekers). This research is a single-case study and follows aqualitative approach. Purposive sampling was used. Thus, participants selected weremanagement staff of TCL and directors of seventeen branch libraries in Tallinn. Themethods used for the collection of data were documentary analysis, written interviewsand semi-structured interviews, containing questions constructed according to the issuesrelated with the literature review and programmes mentioned above. The interviewees’responses provide detailed information about the performance of the training courses aswell as the motivations of trainers and trainees and strengths and weaknesses amongother relevant issues. The interviews were analysed using description analysis.From the results of the thesis it can be concluded that, despite the fact that of Estonia isknown as a leading country in terms of ICT, there are still many groups of thepopulation excluded from the benefits offered by the digital information society, amongthem are elderly people and people who have lost their employment in the wake of theeconomic crisis of the recent years. A big part of the members of this latter group do nothave the needed IT skills to find a new job and required for the modern Estoniansociety, and a considerable number of them belong to the Russian-speaking community.Therefore, they have language barriers and it makes even more difficult for them toovercome the digital divide. In order to remediate the above issues the work that TCL isdoing to reduce the digital divide includes training courses for these groups of peoplecan gain skills using computers.