Building Digital Communities: Pilot
Interested in digital communities? Find additional resources on our topic page: Digital Inclusion.
With one in five Americans not using the internet and online interactions becoming a daily necessity of individuals and organizations, communities are recognizing the importance of taking action to increase digital inclusion. Libraries, local government and non-profit organizations are often the leaders of local digital inclusion efforts. Building Digital Communities: Pilot is a project supporting and documenting the work of pilot communities to increase the access and use of digital technologies. The work is based upon Building Digital Communities: A Framework for Action created by IMLS, the University of Washington and the International City/County Management Association (ICMA).
Building Digital Communities: Pilot relies upon the principles and steps defined in the Bulding Digital Communities: A Framework for Action and Getting Started. In order to further the knowledge base of how communities become more digitally inclusive, we are posting lessons learned and digital inclusion planning resources. Each of the pilot communities is represented by a coalition of a library, a local government and a community-based organization.
Because digital inclusion is a complex and community-wide goal requiring a multi-sector coalition, we are focusing on the steps recommended in the framework.
- Convene stakeholders.
- Develop a shared community understanding of digital inclusion.
- Create a community action plan.
- Implement the plan.
- Evaluate and revise the plan.
OCLC has partnered with the University of Illinois Center for Digital Inclusion, Waymark Systems to provide stakeholder engagement expertise and guidance.
To support the pilot communities and further the knowledge base, OCLC’s WebJunction is hosting resources online including a case study of the stakeholder engagement process in Rhode Island, and convening webinars. Recognizing that digital inclusion strategies must be community-wide and the need for information dissemination, all resources and webinars are available to the public.
Project Documentation
- Digital Dodge City Support Materials for the Planning Session November 2013
- Trail-Blazing Digital Inclusion Communities
- BDC: Pilot Lessons Learned Results in Digital Inclusion Infographic
- Digital Dodge City August 2013 Report
- How to Use the Building Digital Communities Stakeholder Survey
- Building Digital Communities Stakeholder Alignment Worksheet
- Libraries: Natural Leaders of Digital Inclusion Projects
- Digital Dodge City July 2013 Report Overview
- Digital Dodge City July 2013 Full Report
- Steps 1 and 2 of Building Digital Communities
- Building Digital Communities: Pilot - One Page PDF
- Project Update March 2013
- Planning Stakeholder Engagement in Dodge City
- Year One Status Report
- Digital Communities Leadership Summit November 2011 in St. Paul
- Needs Assessment
- Building Digital Communities Worksheet
Most Recently Added
Building Digital Communities: Pilot Project Update March 2013
Document / Last Modified: 09 September 2019
Complementing IMLS’s efforts, OCLC continues to work with communities across the country who are forging a path to digital inclusion. Local leadership teams are learning the importance of convening stakeholders from all community sectors.
It Takes a Community to Bridge the Digital Divide
Webinar / Last Modified: 02 May 2019
Archive and related resources for a webinar presented on March 6, 2012 by Mary Chute, Ron Carlee, and David Keyes on building digital communities.
IMLS: Building Digital Communities
Document / Last Modified: 22 May 2018
IMLS (Institute of Museum & Library Services) has a national initiative focused on building digital communities, which includes a framework for communities to work together across sectors to make progress on digital inclusion initiatives.
Digital Communities Leadership Summit in St. Paul
Document / Last Modified: 21 May 2018
Overview of the digital inclusion summit held in St. Paul (MN) as part of a project funded by IMLS. Includes the background, summit objectives, participant selection, summit program and outcomes.
Steps 1 and 2 of Building Digital Communities
News / Last Modified: 05 July 2017
Increasing information technology access and use in order to build cohesive 21st century communities is a complex task. Building Digital Communities: Framework for Action provides guiding principles and steps for getting started. Thanks to support fr...
