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What
is the Digital Library Project?
The Digital Library Project aims to bridge the so-called "digital divide" in the Chicago Public School System
by creating a high-quality digital library of materials
to supplement classroom instruction as well as support
individual student inquiry. The high level goals of
this Digital Library Project are to:
- Make available a digital library of teacher-selected
K-12 materials to all participating
schools,
- Encourage resource-based learning, and
- Facilitate the integration of technology
into the classroom by providing an immediately
useful application.
Toward the realization of these goals, the project
has created this Web site which provides access
to curriculum-relevant materials by way of an
attractive and easy-to-use interface, designed for both younger and older students, as well as adults. In addition, an evolving search system, based on the most up-to-date metadata
structure available, makes it easy to find the material you want.
In the future, searches will be made more intelligent to not only retrieve documents, but also to help
predict their usefulness on the basis of student age and class
assignments.
eCUIP staff are currently working with nine CUIP
schools to select and evaluate materials
as well as identify training needs associated with this
digital library. eCUIP is accessible to anyone
with Internet access, however, some materials
may be restricted by contract to schools within
the Chicago Public School System.
In addition to building and maintaining the eCUIP Web site itself,
the Digital Library project includes implementation support, a
training program for teachers and librarians to use the Digital
Library and to add materials to it, the extension of the Digital
Library to additional non-school locations, and formal feedback
and evaluation.
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| D E F I N I T I O N |
Digital Libraries "Organizations
that provide the resources,
including the specialized
staff, to select, structure,
offer intellectual access
to, interpret, distribute,
preserve the integrity of,
and ensure the persistence
over time of collections of
digital works so that they
are readily and economically
available for use by a defined
community or set of communities."
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| D E F I N I T I O N |
Digital Divide "The contrast between affluent and low-income communities is apparent around the country. Poor communities are entering the Information Age far behind their wealthier neighbors. The technology gap is not simply a reflection of the choices made by an individual household; it reflects deeper problems — like access to infrastructure. While public attention is often focused on whether individuals can get a service, an equally important problem is lack of adequate telecommunications facilities, a reality that makes an area less attractive for businesses investment. This can feed a spiral where the lack of investment at the community level leads to fewer economic opportunities for people who live there. As a result, the poverty in the neighborhood makes it a less inviting target for investment, further aggravating the problem."
— Digital Beat
Benton.org
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