Comparative analysis of the digital divide

A kutatóközpont neve angolul

A digitális megosztottság komparatív analízise

The purpose of the research center

The research group conducting a comparative analysis of the digital divide was launched on December 28, 2012, as part of the grant program titled “Well-being in the Information Society” (4.2.2.C-11/1/KONV -2012-0005 “Well-being in the Information Society.” On December 28, 2012, the group began implementing the project associated with the call for proposals titled “Supporting Research on Forward-Looking Information and Communication Technologies and Ensuring the Next Generation of IT Professionals.” With grant funding of nearly 500 million HUF, the University of Pécs and its consortium partner, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences’ Research Center for Economics and Regional Sciences, carried out a 24-month basic research project under the leadership of Institute Director Anna Magdolna Sipos. Work on the research project continued until 2016, during which time numerous publications and conference presentations were produced. Between 2016 and 2023, the research group’s operations became more formal, limited to occasional collaborations among its members. In the fall of 2023, we proposed continuing the research group’s operations at an HFMI departmental meeting. In a new format, we began collaborating with faculty members from the Department of Library and Information Science in the fall of 2023.

During the first few meetings, we discussed how to align the members’ research interests and identify synergies. The main thematic areas in the research group’s new profile are as follows: the role of libraries and librarians in today’s society; the technological challenges facing the library profession; information literacy; and research on social and technological innovations. In the spring of 2024, we launched the first joint project of the revitalized research group: a nationwide survey on Hungarian librarians’ attitudes toward artificial intelligence. We presented the research findings in English at the BOBCATSSS International Conference on Library and Information Science in Istanbul and in Hungarian at two domestic forums. To date, the results of this collaborative research have yielded three peer-reviewed Hungarian-language studies and one English-language article (the latter is pending publication). In addition, the research group supports the individual work of its members. At our monthly meetings, we report on our individual research and provide each other with feedback on the pre-publication drafts of our articles; thanks to this process, since 2024, members have published four Q1 and one Q2 publications, in collaboration with domestic and international co-authors outside the research group. Our goal is to continue our work under a new name starting in January 2026, expanding our activities to include student engagement, talent development, the establishment of domestic and international collaborations, and cooperation with institutions in the cultural sector.

Research center website

https://informaciosmuveltseg.pte.hu/

Head of Research Center