Landscape Study, Mongolia

This research focuses on the public access to information and communication landscapes in 24 countries, with specific focus on public libraries, to understand the information needs of underserved communities, public access to information and communication venues, and the role of ICT. Through field research in 24 countries conducted by local research partners, and crosscountry comparative analyses based on common research design elements (see list of countries and research design overview in Appendix), the project aims to contribute to the knowledge in the field of information and ICT for development. Of particular interest and value are: the comparative look at key venues (libraries and other), and the mix of depth of in‐country knowledge with breadth of global comparison to elicit success factors and scenarios to understand how diverse populations can and do access and use ICT to improve their lives. All outputs of this research will be broadly disseminated to interested stakeholders and placed in the public domain.The second largest landlocked country in the world, Mongolia is sandwiched between Russia and China. The total population of 2,635,200 people (National Statistical Yearbook, 2007) occupies a country three times the size of France. This makes Mongolia the least densely populated country in the world. Half of the population lives in and around the capital city of Ulaanbaatar, with the remaining population scattered across twenty‐one aimags (provinces). The research undertaken in this project was conducted by Pact Mongolia between January and August 2008. Research was conducted in Ulaanbaatar as well as in six aimags across the country.Bill & Melinda Gates Foundatioo