To access is not to know: A critical reflection on A2K and the role of libraries with special reference to sub-Saharan Africa

  • Authors:

  • Peter Johan Lor;Johannes Britz

  • Affiliations:

  • School of Information Studies, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee,USA and Department of Information Science, University of Pretoria, South Africa,;School of Information Studies, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee,USA and Department of Information Science, University of Pretoria, South Africa

  • Venue:
  • Journal of Information Science
  • Year:
  • 2010

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Abstract

This paper critically examines the notions of the â聙聵knowledge societyâ聙聶 and â聙聵access to knowledgeâ聙聶 to uncover some underlying assumptions, with special reference to sub-Saharan Africa. 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 â聙聵Access to Knowledgeâ聙聶 movement. However, if knowledge is conceptualized as a process, the concept of â聙聵accessâ聙聶 has to be extended to the epistemological dimension, which takes into account the construction of knowledge in the mind of the individual while interacting with the community. This has important implications for libraries. We suggest the deployment of re-skilled and re-motivated information intermediaries working in and around libraries to motivate, teach, interpret and facilitate â聙聵accessâ聙聶 to knowledge.