2011 Awards for Excellence

Citation

(2012), "2011 Awards for Excellence", Information Technology & People, Vol. 25 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/itp.2012.16125aaa.001

2011 Awards for Excellence

Article Type: 2011 Awards for Excellence From: Information Technology & People, Volume 25, Issue 1

The following article was selected for this year's Outstanding Paper Award for Information Technology & People

"The 'cool factor' of public access to ICT: users' perceptions of trust in libraries, telecentres and cybercafes in developing countries''

Ricardo GomezInformation School, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA

Elizabeth GouldTechnology & Social Change Group, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA

Purpose -- This paper aims to determine how trust and perceptions shape uses of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in public access venues (libraries, telecentres, and cybercafes) in 25 developing countries around the world.Design/methodology/approach -- As part of a global study conducted by the Technology & Social Change Group at the University of Washington, local research teams conducted surveys, site visits, and interviews of over 25,000 respondents in different types of public access venues in the selected countries, using a shared research design and analytical framework.Findings -- The use of public access venues is shaped by the following trust factors: safety concerns, relevance of the information, reputation of the institution, and users' perceptions of how "cool'' these venues are. While libraries tend to be trusted as most reputable, telecentres tend to be trusted as most relevant to meet local needs, and cybercafes tend to be perceived as most "cool''.Research limitations/implications -- The paper is limited by its descriptive and not predictive nature, and is not based on a statistically representative sample of the population.Practical implications -- The insight presented in this paper can help inform policy decisions about public access initiatives, and inform future research to better understand the causes and consequences of trust in public access ICT. Understanding these perceptions helps gain a more nuanced understanding of the way services are provided in venues that offer public access to ICT.Originality/value -- This paper is novel as it covers public access to ICT in 25 developing countries across different types of venues, using a shared design and methodological approach. A study of this magnitude has never been done before. The findings provide valuable insight into understanding how people trust different types of public access ICT venues.Keywords Communication technologies, Internet, Public libraries, Trustwww.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/09593841011069158

This article originally appeared in Volume 23 Number 3, 2010, pp. 247-64, Information Technology & People

The following articles were selected for this year's Highly Commended Award

"Events, emotions, and technology: examining acceptance of workplace technology changes''

Kathryn R. StamJeffrey M. Stanton

This article originally appeared in Volume 23 Number 1, 2010, Information Technology & People

"Knowledge transfer processes for different experience levels of knowledge recipients at an offshore technical support center''

Jihong ChenRobert J. McQueen

This article originally appeared in Volume 23 Number 1, 2010, Information Technology & People

"Learning routines and disruptive technological change: hyper-learning in seven software development organizations during internet adoption''

Kalle LyytinenGregory RoseYoungjin Yoo

This article originally appeared in Volume 23 Number 2, 2010, Information Technology & People

Outstanding ReviewerProfessor Lynette KvasnyPennsylvania State University, USA