Digital Libraries and Community Networking: The Canadian Experience Nadia Caidi
Andrew Clement
Faculty of Information Studies
Faculty of Information Studies
University of Toronto
University of Toronto
Toronto, ON M5S 3G6, Canada
Toronto, ON M5S 3G6, Canada
[email protected]
[email protected]
ABSTRACT
We describe integrating DLs with community networking initiatives as part of the Canadian Research Alliance for Community Innovation and Networking.
Categories and Subject Descriptors
H.3.7. [Digital Libraries]: User-centered design; Evaluation
Keywords
Digital libraries, Community networking
1. INTRODUCTION
Community networking (CN) represents an important development in information and communication technologies (ICTs) use for strengthening local and geographically-based communities. CN initiatives enable economic and social participation of community members by enhancing the informational resources available to them. Moll & Shade [1] characterize CNs in terms of: 1) their localized and situated nature, 2) their focus on equity of access and affordability, and 3) their use of local networks of exchange and mutual support for enabling community economic development. Canada has been a pioneer in community networking. In its quest to make Canada the ‘most connected nation on earth,’ the federal government supported the “Connecting Canadians” agenda. The 10,000 community initiatives established offer a wealth of experience although there has been little systematic assessment of the outcomes of those programs.
2. CRACIN
The Canadian Research Alliance for Community Innovation and Networking (CRACIN) is a collaborative partnership between community informatics researchers from across Canada and around the world to review the progress of community-based ICT initiatives for economic and social development [2]. ]. A leading
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question is whether providing technical ‘connectedness’ via public access to community-oriented Internet services contribute to sustainable social and economic ‘connectedness’ and development (i.e. amelioration of digital divides, creation and use of locally-oriented content, learning opportunities, appropriate governance and management practices, sustainability of CN initiatives). CRACIN is structured around seven case studies of community networks and five broad-based studies with integrative themes.
3. DLs FOR COMMUNITY NETWORKS
One of the broad-based studies within CRACIN relates to new institutional models/structures for CN initiatives and whether these are taking on traditional cultural roles (e.g., de facto digital libraries and archives). To do so, the kinds of relationships that exist between CNs and libraries (i.e. dependency, autonomy, convergence) are examined. Community networking initiatives can take advantage of libraries’ extensive experience in knowledge organization and information management to help them devise tools and access mechanisms, such as community digital libraries (i.e., cataloging and creation of metadata, user interface design, multilingual retrieval and access tools, etc.). Libraries can also contribute their expertise in assessing information needs, seeking behaviour and usage patterns of the various user groups that will undoubtedly compose the user base of the community networking initiative (e.g., rural vs. urban users; young vs. elderly; users with different or multicultural backgrounds). In turn, these projects will offer an opportunity for librarians to explore new directions, such as the use of videoconferencing as a community resource; extending the concept of storytelling by using webcams to broadcast the storytelling hour in remote areas, or using digital media to enable intergenerational storytelling as a means to connect the young and the old and preserve the collective memory.
4. REFERENCES [1] Moll, M. & L. Shade. (2001) “Community networking in Canada: Do you believe in magic?” In E-Commerce vs. E-Commons. Ottawa: Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. [2] Clement, A., Gurstein, M., Moll, M., & Shade, L. (2003). Canadian Research Alliance for Community Innovation and Networking. Funded by the Initiative on the New Economy Research Alliances program of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), Canada.
