ICT, Community Memory and Technological Appropriation

Abstract: The core mission of universities and higher education institutions is to make public the results of their work and to preserve the collective memory of the institution. This includes the effective use of information and communication technologies (ICT) to systematically compile academic and research achievements as well as disseminate effectively this accumulated knowledge to society at large. Current efforts in Latin America and Venezuela in particular, are limited but provide some valuable insights to pave the road to this important goal. The institutional repository of Universidad de Los Andes (ULA) in Venezuela (www.saber.ula.ve) is such an example of ICT usage to store, manage and disseminate digital material produced by our University. In this paper we elaborate on the overall process of promoting a culture of content creation, publishing and preservation within ULA.