Common research tools, contrasting contexts: lessons from the Infomediaries team

The Infomediaries in-depth study team recently compiled a Lessons Report based on what was learned along the way to create common data collection tools for three countries. We hope that our Lessons Report may help other scholars who are working in various contexts with a common set of research tools.

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Survey pilot testing strategy

Our venue operator and user surveys are currently being tested in Bangladesh, Brazil, Chile and the Philippines.

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Bangladesh infomediary inception trip report

Join our photo-tour around Bangladesh to get a taste of the different infomediaries working in public access venues.

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Infomediaries: Public access brokers

What is the role of a librarian, cybercafé manager, or telecenter employee? How do people working in public-access venues such as these act as infomediaries — influencing which services people learn, use, and value? The Infomediaries: Brokers of Public Access Study will examine how infomediaries bring people and ICT together, both as service providers (offering advice, training, and content) and mediators (empowering individuals for whom services would otherwise appear unfathomable).

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Phase one findings from Bangladesh, Chile & Lithuania

The Global Impact Study has wrapped up its first phase, which included a year of exploratory fieldwork in three pilot countries — Bangladesh, Chile, and Lithuania. Country Research Teams collected data on several public access venues, looking at user groups and activities, venue characteristics, and the roles venues play in each community. This data provides a snapshot of regional information ecologies — community networks of trusted information sources — and will be used to refine our research design.

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