``Let the \textit{Orientales} be as enlightened as they are brave''

Abstract

In this paper we present two recent information literacy and access initiatives in Uruguay and their necessary historical antecedents, and analyze them from a phenomenological perspective to provide commentary on current philosophical discussions about information and the digital divide. To provide historical context we present a brief history of the creation of a public library, the national library and the public school during the period of independence wars in 19^th-century Uruguay, and the legacy of educational reforms that followed, which are at the core of the cultural identity of Uruguay. We then analyze the ambivalent achievements of ``Plan Ceibal'', a state programme aimed at providing laptops to public schools, and a bottom-up project called ``Biblioteca Nuevo Roble'' (New Oak Library), a project run by students of the Institute of Information at Uruguay's State University that aims at the creation of a school library at Public School No. 230, located in a low-income quarter of Montevideo. The conclusion analyzes the role of libraries in improving access to education and information. The paper aims at a critical understanding of the digital divide by showing what remains hidden behind theoretical ambitions, dogmatisms, economic interests, and political projects. Information ethics is at the heart of phenomenology of information.