Bridging the digital divide – digital libraries in information literacy instruction in India and Germany

Digital libraries create new possibilities of accessing information worldwide. Conditions for use are technical equipment on the one hand and information literacy skills on the other hand. A lack of information literacy skills may lead to a digital divide between information literate ‘onliners’ and information illiterate ‘nonliners’. Libraries improve usage of digital libraries through information literacy instruction as integral part in the lifelong learning process. Academic libraries in Germany and India bridge the digital divide in their countries concerning not only education, but also social and economic development, and political participation