Access To Digital Information Research Articles

The Digital Lives of the Poor: Entertainment Traps and Information Isolation

Smartphones have enabled the delivery of life-improving information services to base-of-the-pyramid (BOP) consumers. However, little is known about how the poor interact with the digital world. Through a novel app we developed to investigate real-time smartphone usage, we identify an unnoticed barrier to digital information access by the poor—data shortages. By analyzing over 9.4 million minutes of smartphone usage data from 929 residents of a Mumbai settlement, we find that entertainment consumes 61% of their phone time. Our data reveal that under universally adopted monthly data plans, low-income individuals binge on YouTube and social media, resulting in data shortages and information isolation in the late-plan period. We offer a practical operational solution to this problem—shorter data-replenishment cycles—which serve as a commitment device to curb binge usage. We randomly assign participants to a “capped plan”—with daily data usage caps—or a standard (monthly) plan. Assignment to the capped plan increases late-plan access of invites to health camps sent via WhatsApp, increases attendance at these in-person camps by 27%, and reduces social media binge usage. Most participants (particularly those with low self-control and high fear of missing out) prefer the capped plan, even when costlier—clearly signaling demand. Because capped plans are inherently cheaper to provide, offering them could enable providers to increase BOP customer value and expand access. Our results suggest an opportunity to amplify the impact of life-improving services targeted at the poor by leveraging users’ interactions with smartphone technology. This paper was accepted by Victor Martínez de Albéniz, operations management. Funding: Financial support from The Wheeler Institute for Business & Development is gratefully acknowledged. Supplemental Material: The online appendix and data files are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2024.4989 .

Analysis of the Availability of Botulinum Toxin Type A in the Treatment of Children with Spastic Cerebral Palsy in Ukraine: A Survey of Doctors

In Ukraine, about 100,000 children suffer from nervous system disorders, with cerebral palsy (CP) being the leading cause of childhood disability. The European Registry of Children with Cerebral Palsy emphasizes the urgency of this problem. The objective: to analyze the supply, availability, and use of Botulinum toxin type A for the treatment of spastic cerebral palsy in children in Ukraine. Materials and methods. The study was conducted from October 2019 to December 2020, and it included monitoring the supply and availability of medicines, collecting quantitative and qualitative data from various sources, and interviewing 64 doctors. Results. This research highlights disparities in medicine supply satisfaction across Ukraine, with surveys of doctors indicating varying degrees of effectiveness in regions like Kyiv and Kharkiv compared to challenges in Zhytomyr and the Kyiv region. Key issues include surplus medicines, unethical distribution practices, and systemic inefficiencies such as lack of patient registries and insufficient funding. The findings suggest an urgent need for regulatory reforms, enhanced healthcare logistics, and infrastructure improvements to achieve equitable healthcare access nationwide. Conclusions. This study highlights significant challenges in delivering Botulinum toxin type A for spastic cerebral palsy in Ukraine, including systemic inefficiencies, funding shortages, and procurement delays. It emphasizes the need for policy reforms, improved communication, and digital information access to ensure equitable and efficient healthcare. Urgent improvements are advocated to address these issues and enhance patient care nationwide.

The effect of digital literacy on depressive symptoms among older Korean women: a mediation analysis focusing on the role of social support.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between digital literacy and depressive symptoms, as well as the mediating role of social support in this relationship, among older women (60 years and older) in Korea. This study analyzed data from the User Experience Evaluation Survey, which was conducted by the Ewha Institute for Age Integration Research to improve the accessibility of digital information for older adults research from May to September 2020. Survey data on depressive symptoms, digital literacy, and social support were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficients, and multiple regression. The factors influencing depressive symptoms among older women included work status (B=-.19, p=.01), social support (B=-.17, p<.001), self-rated health (B=-.13, p=.003), and digital literacy (B=-.10, p=.005), which had an explanatory power of 33%. In addition, social support played a mediating role in the relationship between digital literacy and depressive symptoms (B= -.05, SE=.02; 95% CI, -.09 to -.02). The findings of this study support the need to develop and apply interventions that promote digital literacy among older women to mitigate depressive symptoms by increasing social support.

Digital transformation of land legislation of Ukraine as a way of its modernization: status and prospectives

The article examines the main trends in the development of digitization of land legislation of Ukraine as an important direction of modernization of the land relations in Ukraine. Each branch of law needs and perceives the tools of digital technologies differently, which is due, first of all, to the specifics of the branch of the subject of legal regulation. The need for digitalization of land relations and, accordingly, digital transformation of land legislation of Ukraine was determined by the course of land reform. Its task was the mass redistribution of land with the termination of land rights of inefficiently working farms and their transfer to the ownership or use of new market-oriented business entities. Such redistribution caused the need for massive land survey works to form a large number of new land plots. However, land survey organizations carried out the formation of new land plots by developing land management documentation in paper form, which created conditions for mass abuse. In order to overcome the problem of imposing boundaries of land plots, it was decided to transfer control over their formation from humans (land engineers, government officials, etc.) to an independent, dispassionate «arbitrator» – computer software. This purpose was achieved by the introduction into legislation of two «digital» tools: the development of land survey projects both in paper and electronic form, and the maintenance of the state land cadastre as an electronic register of land information. An important component of the digital transformation of the land legislation of Ukraine is ensuring the access of interested users to the digital information of the State Land Cadastre. Such access is carried out using special digital services which are are divided into two groups. The first group of digital services provides general access to digital information. Anyone can use them without identification of the user. The second group of digital services should include software and technical means that provide individual accessto digital information by a person, which is carried out under the condition of his identification. The task of digital land services is to accelerate the resolution of certain problems in the regulation of land relations in professional and personal life based on a higher level of availability of information about land resources. Thus, the digital transformation of the land legislation of Ukraine is based on legal provision for the transfer of a significant part of information about objects and subjects of land relations from paper form to electronic (digital) and providing access to such information online. The digital transformation of the land legislation of Ukraine is manifested in the introduction into this legislation of a system of legal norms that ensure the digitization of land information and the creation of digital services for access to such information by citizens, legal entities, state authorities and local selfgovernment bodies. The digital transformation of the land legislation of Ukraine should be considered as a process of legal development, which includes three main components: 1) transfer of a significant part of information about objects and subjects of land relations from paper form to electronic (digital); 2) creation of a large-scale system of specialized digital services for online access to land information and for implementation by owners, users and authorities of the system of land rights and land powers; 3) regular updating of information about the earth based on remote sensing of the earth, bringing its functioning (ideally) to the level of 24/7 online mode. Key words: land, land reform, land legislation, state land cadaster, digitalization, land digital services.

고령자의 헌법적 지위와 법적 보호에 대한 고찰 - 고령자의 디지털 정보접근권의 보장을 중심으로 -

최근에 이르러 생활환경이 더욱 복잡해지면서 고령자들은 질병이나 사회적 고립으로 인한 심신의 고통은 물론, 거동의 불편에 따른 이동성과 접근성의 제약, 저조한 소득활동으로 인한 경제적 어려움 등을 겪고 있다. 이러한 현상은 헌법적으로 고령자를 사회적 약자로서 국가가 특별히 보호해야 할 집단으로 인식할 것을 요구하고 있다. 하지만 고령자에 대한 우대가 어디까지 정당화될 수 있겠는가 하는 문제도 헌법상 중요한 이슈로 부상하고 있다.BR 최근 스마트폰이나 무인정보단말기(KIOSK)와 같은 디지털기기가 우리 생활 깊숙이 자리 잡으면서 디지털기기의 활용에 서툰 고령자들은 생활상의 불편을 겪고 있다. 이러한 디지털격차(digital divide)는 중요한 정보에 대한 접근 및 활용을 어렵게 하여 경제·사회·문화적 격차 및 불평등으로 이어질 수 있다. 이에 따라 국가는 고령자의 디지털 소외를 완화할 수 있는 적극적인 정책을 수립하고 이를 효과적으로 추진해나갈 필요가 있다.BR 본고에서는 디지털 시대를 맞아 고령자에 대한 법적 보호와 디지털 정보접근권의 실효적 보장 방안에 대해 고찰하였다. 구체적으로 고령자에 대한 법적 보호 필요성, 고령자의 법적 보호 현황, 헌법상 정보접근권의 의의, 국가의 정보격차 해소의무, 디지털 정보접근권의 중요성 등에 대해 검토하였다. 이를 토대로 고령자의 디지털 정보접근권의 실효적 보장을 위해 관련 법률에 존재하는 추상적 의무 조항이나 권고적 효력을 갖는 조항들을 개정하고, 민간 부분에서도 실효성을 담보할 수 있도록 어느 정도 강제성을 부여하는 방안을 제시하였다. 또한 디지털 정보에 대한 ‘아날로그식 접근권’ 법제화, 디지털 정보에 대한 접근성을 제고하기 위한 기술적 요건 강화와 그에 따른 보완책 마련 등의 방안도 제시하였다.

Rare disease, rare information

This study aimed to uncover the types of daily healthcare information provided by hospitals to family caregivers of individuals with rare diseases and determine whether the information provided met the family caregivers’ information needs to improve digital information access and use by family caregivers. This study used a quantitative cross-sectional survey with multi-question to identify types of healthcare information delivered by hospitals, types of healthcare information needed by family caregivers, preferred healthcare information formats and channels by family caregivers, and relationships between demographics and information satisfaction. Findings show that most hospitals did not provide family caregivers with needed healthcare information, resulting in family caregivers experiencing low satisfaction with their access to information regardless of various demographic factors. It is particularly noteworthy from the findings in this study that the clinical diagnosis of a rare disease is a watershed moment for family caregivers’ because it enables them to identify specialists better, improve their access to healthcare information, and focus on the symptoms observed in their family member with a rare disease. However, a general lack of information about rare diseases resulted in a lack of knowledge among medical and healthcare providers, resulting in delayed or no clinical diagnosis. By cooperating with medical librarians and parent support groups, hospitals can establish digital platforms that provide systematic healthcare information on rare diseases, meet the information needs expressed by medical professionals and family caregivers, and improve diagnosis opportunities.

Architects of Memory: Information and Rhetoric in a Networked Archival Age

Architects of Memory: Information and Rhetoric in a Networked Archival Age

Senior Citizens and Digital Information Access: The Obstruction of Comforting Silence

This study investigates the possibility of undetected access obstructions preventing senior citizens from using digital information maintained by Alabama public libraries. Research methods include a literature review, a survey of Alabama public library administrators, and a textual analysis of online public library programming guides from four urban areas within the state. The survey gauges the perceptions, experiences, and actions of library administrators pertaining to digital library accessibility for senior citizens. The textual analysis component measures significant outreach efforts by public libraries targeting senior citizen patrons. Data collected suggest that Alabama public libraries lack unity and direction in their approach to digital technology training for elderly citizens, and this lack of effective outreach is contributing to a dysfunctional communicative relationship. This dysfunction is identified as a comforting silence, a communicative void in which inaction and indifference work covertly (and often unintentionally) to restrict digital accessibility for Alabama’s senior citizens.

Capping Mobile Data Access Creates Value for Bottom-of-the-Pyramid Consumers -- Experimental Evidence

Smartphones have enabled the delivery of life-improving information services to bottom-of-the-pyramid (BOP) consumers. However, little is known about how the poor interact with the digital world. Through a novel app we developed to investigate real-time smartphone usage, we identify a heretofore unnoticed barrier to digital information access by the poor -- data shortages. We offer a practical operational solution to this problem, in the form of a commitment device that curbs data binge usage. Based on analyzing over 9.4 million minutes of smartphone usage data from 929 residents of a Mumbai settlement, we find that entertainment consumes 61% of their phone time. We randomly assign participants to a `capped plan' -- with daily data usage caps -- or a standard plan. Our data reveal that absent usage caps, participants binge on YouTube and social media, resulting in subsequent data shortages. Assignment to the capped plan increases late-plan access of invites to health camps sent via WhatsApp, increases attendance at these in-person camps by 27%, and reduces social media checking. Our results are consistent with users prioritizing entertainment even when data is scarce, or facing data stockouts. Most participants (particularly those with low self-control and high fear of missing out) prefer the capped plan, even at a higher price – a clear signal of demand. Because capped plans are also inherently cheaper to provide, offering such plans could enable providers to increase BOP customer value and expand access. Subsidizing capped plans could amplify the impact of life-improving services targeted at the poor.

User Perception of New E-Health Challenges: Implications for the Care Process.

Establishing new models of health care and new forms of professional health-patient communication are lines of development in the field of health care. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the evolution of information systems and communication platforms to guarantee continuity of care and compliance with social distancing measures. Our objective in this article was, firstly, to know the expectations of patients treated in the healthcare processes “cervical cancer” and “pregnancy, childbirth and puerperium” regarding online access to their clinical history and follow-up in the care process. Secondly, we analyzed times involved in the cervical cancer process to find points of improvement in waiting times when digital tools were used for communication with the patient. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out on 120 women included in any of the aforementioned processes using a hetero-administered questionnaire. The analysis of times was carried out using the Business Intelligence tool Biwer Analytics®. Patients showed interest in knowing their results before the appointment with the doctor and would avoid appointments with their doctor if the right conditions were met. Most recognized that this action would relieve their restlessness and anxiety. They were highly interested in receiving recommendations to improve their health status. It was estimated that there was room for improvement in the times involved in the care process, which could be shortened by 34.48 days if communication of results were through digital information access technologies. This would favor the optimization of time, resources and user perception.

Reading Habits of School Students: A Case Study

This article examines students’ reading habits, their preferences and trends in traditional reading, i.e. books and other printed materials in the library in the digital era. The study was carried out in a reputed public school in South India, with a well stocked library and offering digital information access and services to the students and staff. The study is based on factual data downloaded from the computerised circulation data and data collected through a questionnaire. It was found that the habit of reading printed books has not been much affected by the digital era. Providing periodic exposure to the latest books to students, involving them in book selection and other motivating practices keeps the students’ book reading habits intact.

Avaliação da indexação em repositórios institucionais brasileiros: uma análise comparada entre USP, UNESP e UNICAMP

O ambiente digital apresenta diversos desafios para as práticas informacionais. Nos repositórios institucionais essa situação é constatada na representação e recuperação por assunto, em que o dinamismo desses sistemas de recuperação da informação opera para uma nova abordagem da indexação, na qual nem sempre ela figura como elemento central na promoção de um acesso equitativo às informações digitais. Para responder a esta demanda, estudos dedicados à metodologia da Avaliação da Indexação mostram-se essenciais, por revelarem a qualidade da indexação praticada em repositórios institucionais e apontarem as deficiências e melhorias necessárias nestes sistemas. Sendo assim, objetiva-se avaliar de forma comparada a consistência da indexação praticada em repositórios brasileiros, tendo como corpus de pesquisa 100 registros de artigos de periódicos presentes nos repositórios institucionais da Universidade de São Paulo, Universidade Estadual Paulista e Universidade Estadual de Campinas. Conduzida por meio dos procedimentos da abordagem da avaliação intrínseca quantitativa mediante a interconsistência, a análise do metadado assunto de cada registro revelou baixos índices de consistência, indicando inconsistências entre as indexações realizadas nos três repositórios institucionais para o mesmo artigo de periódico. Constata-se que a representação por assunto é uma questão a ser observada no contexto dos repositórios institucionais investigados, sendo oportuno que repositórios institucionais brasileiros direcionem esforços e recursos para a melhoria da qualidade do metadado assunto tendo como parâmetro a realização periódica da Avaliação da Indexação.

The Effects of Digital Information Access on Depressive Symptoms among Middle-Aged and Elderly Groups: Focusing on the Mediating Effects of Digital Information Competency and Social Networks

The Effects of Digital Information Access on Depressive Symptoms among Middle-Aged and Elderly Groups: Focusing on the Mediating Effects of Digital Information Competency and Social Networks

Hardware implementation of a novel water marking algorithm based on phase congruency and singular value decomposition technique

The effortless accessibility of digital information and the simplicity of the digital systems have left the contents over the digital media extremely insecure. Digital watermark based information hiding is a prospective means for copyright protection, authentication, integrity verification and intellectual property right protection. Phase congruency technique works on the principle that perceptually significant image features have effect at spatial locations, where the essential Fourier components are maximally in phase with one another. An adaptive digital watermarking algorithm for better performance in multi-parametric solution space is developed here for hiding the copyright information by means of phase congruency and singular value decomposition supported information hiding technique. Performance evaluation of the algorithm is performed using simulation in Matlab in terms of Peak Signal to Noise Ratio, Structural Similarity Index Metrics, and Normalized Cross correlation index. Hardware realization up to the register transfer logic schematic level has been performed using high performance field programmable gate array board. The device utilization is 26% only, the dynamic power consumption of the circuit is 5.029mW and delay after clock is 1.539ns only. The experimental analysis establishes better robustness of the proposed algorithm as it stands against various attacks along with better data hiding capacity.

Sustaining accessibility of information through digital preservation: A literature review

Today valuable business, scientific and cultural information is created and stored digitally. However, the sustained availability and accessibility of digital information cannot be taken for granted as they are threatened by rapidly changing technologies and the associated risk of obsolete software and hardware. Digital preservation (DP) comprises methods and techniques geared towards securing long-term access to digital information. In this study we undertake a vital step to shed light on the area of DP by conducting a systematic literature review. We analysed 122 publications with respect to various aspects such as drivers, stakeholders or applied research methods. The findings point towards some unsolved organizational issues such as lacking methods to support cost–benefit analysis or DP decision-making. We thus propose a set of research questions based on our findings and suggest a research agenda.

Information outsiders of the 21st Century: Access and implications for information behavior research

AbstractEquity of access is an imperative in the global information world of the 21st Century. For the information outsider however, or those who are disenfranchised by social constructions, or economic, educational, or political circumstances, information poverty is a disheartening reality (Chatman, 1992; 1996; 2000; Burnett, Bessant, &amp; Chatman, 2001). The functions of this panel are to explore the information worlds of select marginalized populations and the resulting implications for information behavior. It is intended to begin providing a framework for understanding the interactions between information, information access, and information behavior. The presentations and ensuing discussion offer insight into physical and virtual or digital information access for information outsiders and implications for Library and Information Science (LIS) education and practice.

Digital Information Access and its Impact on Reading Habit of Users

A detailed study has been made with help of data collected from 188 users of Mody Institute of Technology and Science (MITS). For this a questionnaire method has been used to know the users response about different aspects of reading habits. All the data pertaining to present study has been analyzed into tables for final interpretations. The study has also been made on different characteristics concerned with print /digital/electronic resources. The various characteristics like attractiveness, portability, need of power supply, infrastructure required, speedy and time savvy, money savvy, up to date information; reliable information and flexibility, etc are taken into consideration for study. The purpose of this study is to know the various approaches for reading habits. Frequency of use of library: Types of reading material used by users, Awareness of E-resources among the users, users approach for information access through Internet, satisfaction of users for E resources, limitations of reading habits in print /digital media access.

The Impact of Digital Resource and Service Use on Urban Residents in New England Public Libraries—A Survey Report

Today, access to digital information is essential to patrons using public libraries, whether they have contact with computers at home, work or school or whether the public library is their only contact. In order to evaluate and ultimately enhance public library digital resources and services, it is critical for administrators, librarians and digital information architects to recognize the impact their current digital offerings have on users. This study utilizes a survey to gauge the perceptions of patrons who use digital resources and services in six urban New England public libraries as part of ongoing research into digital information access in public libraries in the United States from the perspective of users.

Balancing intellectual property rights with public obligations in developing nations: Lessons from Africa

As the use of digital technology expands across the southern African region, fundamental democratic principles of private ownership and public access of digital information come into conflict with a range of national and international laws. Unfortunately, little research has been conducted in developing countries regarding the effects of intellectual property law. Part of the reason for the limited number of studies is that few developing countries have altered their intellectual property systems sufficiently (since signing international agreements) for researchers to detect changes in patterns. Until such research exists, and in recognition of current international pressures, there is a need for leaders in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries to resist adopting restrictive copyright regimes to facilitate international trade agreements and not to use copyright issues as pawns in negotiating trade privileges. Instead, protection of information bases, technology assets, and dissemination of knowledge should be part of a framework which supports national development, considers human rights policies, and expands the talents of the currently impoverished. Expanding public awareness and understanding of copyright issues should be a priority in the SADC countries. A lack of a full understanding of the benefits of copyright protection, along with an underlying belief that copyright infringement is justified, or at most harmless, undermines the rewards for innovators within the society.

Digital information access in urban/suburban communities

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of public digital services on urban/suburban residents, to uncover the current usage of public digital services and levels of satisfaction with the digital resources/content in urban digital libraries (networked computers with specific information infrastructure designed free for public use).Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative approach is used as a main stream in the research framework as the method of inquiry. Qualitative one‐to‐one interviews include surveying users who use public library websites, observing the users, consulting librarians about the users, and interviewing the users.Findings – Provides demographic patterns of the patrons' interaction with the digital services public libraries provide, and the satisfaction and compliances the residents have regarding information access through the digital technology in urban/suburban Connecticut.Practical implications – Because of the small number of participants, this study has limita...