Accessibility provided by digital innovative solutions – World Book Day
To recognize the power of books, to acknowledge authors' social and cultural contribution with their masterpieces, and to promote reading, UNESCO has established April 23rd as the "World Book Day".
Books have taken part in our education, have inspired us and have captivated us for centuries. No matter the genre, language or format, books have an outstanding impact on humans, and they always have a lesson to teach.
Nevertheless, the way we read has changed throughout the decades due to the role that technology has taken. Not only have electronic devises allowed people to "open" a book anywhere, but also to access information and news directly from a device in your pocket. Interactive content and digital platforms are creating a more accessible world.
Accessibility has become one of the focal points of entrepreneurs´attention. WSA Winners are selected under the premise of providing content and information in an accessible way, making sure to work together for a juster world.
Digitalization can provide us all with several benefits:
- access to information from different countries, written in other languages. Therefore people gain additional perspective on life and culture,
- enhanced possibility to exchange opinions and thoughts,
- access to easily find platforms where information and stories can be shared, so people can take the opportunity to showcase their talents.
To celebrate the World Book Day, we have selected some impact solutions of the WSA Alumni:
Luabooks
Culture & Tourism category Winner 2017.
Luabooks makes transmedia editorial products where printed books are enhanced with technological applications to create an integrated narrative.
Kathuwaraya.com
Culture & Tourism category Winner 2021.
A unique platform to discover and nurture talented Sri Lankan writers. A platform on which budding authors can publish their stories without fear of theft and build their readership, gain popularity.
For the readers Kathuwaraya presents an array of rich and diverse works to enjoy, review and rate. Kathuwaraya community continues to nurture and sustain the platform through inputs ranging from content editing, cover designing writing, joining in open discussions.
Wattpad
Entertainment & Lifestyle category Winner 2014.
Wattpad is a writing community in which users are able to post articles, stories, and poems about anything either online or through the Wattpad app. The content includes work by undiscovered and published writers. Users are able to comment and like stories or join groups associated with the website.
Wattpad is the world’s largest community of readers and writers, and is accessible via phone, tablet, or computer. Wattpad’s stories are free and available whether you’re on or offline.
Rufoof
Learning & Education category Winner 2011.
Rufoof is an e-content store application that offers thousands of books and publications covering various fields. Rufoof offers an amazing reading experience for both Arabic and English content.
The language is 70% Arabic and 30% English, thus targetting the Arab audience in a new way. Steps to a quality reading experience are very easy with Rufoof, which makes technology easier and user-friendly for everyone. The Rufoof app is free of charge.
National Digital Library of India
Learning & Education category Winner 2021.
Sponsored by the Indian Ministry of Education and developed by Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, National Digital Library of India is a public digital library that offers free and open access to over 55 million educational resources.
NDLI responded to the COVID crisis by launching two pioneering new services, ‘Study at Home’ and the ‘COVID-19 Research Repository’. These helped minimize disruptions to learning during the pandemic. NDLI is powered by a unique process for digitally acquiring and curating the metadata of educational contents. It also runs a vigorous online advocacy programme to mobilize learners and influencers across India.
