Making the Connection: Scaling Telecenters for Development

From the website of its publisher, Information Technology Applications Center (ITAC) of the Academy for Education Development (AED): "This book identifies and discusses the ... pressing issues facing the global telecenter movement, presents a condensed view of the current state of knowledge with regard to telecenters, and highlights possible paths forward. ...The book was developed through a partnership between the http://www.aed.org, Microsoft and [The International Development Research Centre] IDRC's telecenter.org." The primary goal of this book, according to its authors, is to help people move forward in establishing successful telecentres and to guide the growth of the telecenter movement by providing practical examples and viable business models for sustaining and scaling up telecenters in resource-poor countries.

"Making the Connection: Scaling Telecenters for Development" contains the following chapters:

1. An evolving vision of telecentres for development
2. Learning from experience
3. Analyzing the local ICT environment in rural and underserved areas
4. Identifying appropriate organizational models
5. Ensuring sustainability and impact through appropriate services and contents
6. Identifying appropriate technologies
7. Using networks to strengthen telecentres
8. From organic to programmatic approach - Paths to scaling up
9. Making it your own
10. Conclusion - Learning, looking ahead, and keeping an eye on the ball

In support of the communication of knowledge on case studies, best practices, adaptability and scaling up of existing models, telecentre.org has established a website using this book as the organisational basis. The website is a wiki (a resource to which any user may contribute new material as well as edit what is posted - in this case, registration is necessary in order to engage in editing) called the Telecentre Knowledge Network, It serves the telecentre movement with a location for its evolving knowledge base through the website: telecentre.org.

This document is available on the AED website through the link below.