In Luna Ilvei, Transylvania, Romania, fiber optic cable runs to every village doorstep. While the bandwidth is there, there are questions of content and access that local government entities and the commercial sector have not even thought about, let alone resolved. This is particularly true in relation to village schools, town government, the library, and the health clinic.
In Luna Ilvei, a joint Anthropology/Ball State and SLIM/Emporia State1 effort worked through a series of ICT (information communications technology) issues. Students and faculty looked at issues such as "appropriateness", "evaluation", and "fit". The intention was to come up with a plan for technology transfer that makes sense given the context. There has been an opportunity for students and faculty to publish out of this project. This project has also been an opportunity to work across disciplines and to learn from faculty from two different universities. Equally important, it was an opportunity to take what we have learned out of the classroom, apply it to the real world and do some good.
In summer, 2004, the first trip was made to Lunca Ilvei. Much was learned this summer, especially about how much more we need to investigate and understand. In effect, we have to come to a more precise and analytical understanding of how technology and culture "cross" in Romania. With subsequent study visits (we returned to Romania May 2005), we hope to come closer to this goal.
1. SLIM/Emporia State is an acronym for the School of Library and Information Management, Emporia State University, Emporia, KS.
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