Accessing and preserving information: combining ICT4D and archival science to empower marginalized communities

Information and communication technology for development (ICT4D) is a field of research concerned with studying how information and communication technologies (ICTs) can be used to improve the socio-economic situation of marginalized communities in developing countries. The authors identify the preservation of the information provided or accessed during ICT4D projects as a critical gap in ICT4D research. They argue that archival science, an information discipline concerned with the preservation of recorded information, provides theories and models that can help make ICT4D projects more sustainable. They discuss the creation of analog backups by participants in an ICT4D project in Bangladesh as an example of communities taking the initiative to remedy the limitations of an ICT4D project with simple pen and paper technology to preserve the information they wanted to keep. Conversely, they argue that insights on how marginalized communities interact with and preserve information gained through ICT4D projects can enrich archival science and foster the development of more inclusive theories and practices. Finally, they suggest areas for interdisciplinary research between ICT4D and archival science.