Larry Stillman

Community Informatics and Information Systems: Can They Be Better Connected?

There is an ongoing debate in community informatics about the need for a stronger conceptual and theoretical base in order to give the field disciplinary cohesion and direction. By investigating the body of reflective thinking in information systems, researchers in community informatics can develop a more rigorous theoretical context for their work. Information systems can be considered as a fragmented adhocracy that allows many intellectual communities to coexist under its umbrella. A sympathetic reading of information systems offers an opportunity to community informatics, in spite of its different orientation, to address both social and technological issues in its theoretical framework. This framework would be based on a common language that expresses a shared ontology and epistemology with information systems. Such a framework then allows community informatics to fully address its information systems problem-solving agenda as well as its community problem-solving activities. Strengthening this dual agenda will allow community informatics to work effectively with both the technical and social design and implementation problems. But it also provides community informatics with an opportunity to contribute to a discourse within information systems in order to broaden the traditional information systems concept of organization and social action.

Participatory Action Research for Electronic Community Networking Projects

The paper encourages the adoption of participative action research methodologies for the evaluation of community technology, given the complex and emergent mix of community development and information technology, which these projects represent. Much of the richness of the processes that take place can best be captured through collaborative participative research that is valued by communities, rather than through less engaged approaches. The use of participative methodologies will give communities a better understanding of research processes leading to uses of new technologies that are more effective. A participatory action research tool test for electronic community networking is introduced, and its use is described in several countries. For an emergent field such as community technology or community networking, an adaptation of action research that can provide a “thick description,” the range of meanings, interpretations, and effects of human and technical interactions, which come to constitute community networking for community development, therefore appears timely.

Is it Web 2.0 or is it Better Information and Knowledge That we Need

Abstract This paper is a response to the Invited Editorial by Anthony Schembri about Web 2.0 and Social Work. We look at the research literature about Information and Communication Technologies and welfare practice and, in addition, report on case study work with Springvale Community Aid and Advice Bureau. We conclude that before engaging in Web 2.0 initiatives, organisations need to assess their internal ICT capacity.

Digital Doorway: Social-Technical innovation for high-needs communities

The application of the Living Lab (LL) approach to social‐technical innovation to the Digital Doorway Initiative in the informal settlement of Zandspruit near Johannesburg is outlined in the context of the initiatives evolution from an educational project to a broader community innovation initiative. The relationship between different stakeholders is explored in a theoretical and practical sense as a future research and practice challenge for both the study of ICTs in society (in this case, a poor community), and the fostering of community‐driven innovation. The activity also offers a research challenge for understanding the cultural transformations that are necessary for bringing about more effective integration between technical and social‐technical viewpoints about design and research in a social context. Current and projected community‐based research activities are also outlined, including the development of a project in Australia for high‐needs indigenous communities.

Adapting corporate modelling for community informatics

Purpose – This paper aims to address the need for responsive methodologies to investigate how information and communication technologies (ICTs) are used in non‐business and non‐corporate environments.Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents a case study on developing an IT strategic plan in a community organisation using the process modelling and analysis methodology called “Co‐MAP”.Findings – Co‐MAP as a methodology is significant in being a participatory, responsive, and non‐obtrusive tool to work with welfare workers in getting to articulate information, knowledge and technical issues for decision making.Research limitations/implications – The research provides a way of obtaining knowledge about structuring of social‐technical relationships in a welfare organisation through a sympathetic approach to its business and culture.Practical implications – Co‐MAP could be fruitfully used in other organisations, though whether this needs an external facilitator to carry out the process and manage the co...

The Capability Approach Community Informatics

This article integrates key theories and concepts associated with the Capability Approach to community informatics (CI), a domain of sociotechnical theory and practice concerned to improve the lives of people in need. While the social value propositions for community informatics are useful for orienting pragmatic research and practice, they are currently not well considered theoretically. Sociological theory is therefore explored to provide a stronger anchor to community informatics as compared to the narrower theoretical agenda of information systems. Within this framework, the Capability Approach is identified as one example of a strong social theory with potential for adaptation into community informatics. This would have several effects, including strengthening internal theory, and building capacity to engage in stronger dialogue with other disciplines, including sociology and information systems. This new approach to CI theory via sociological theory also allows for the adaptation and testing of other bodies of theory.

ACADEMIC AND ETHICAL CHALLENGES IN PARTICIPATORY MODELS OF COMMUNITY RESEARCH

The purpose of this paper is to identify and explore academic and ethical challenges with Participatory Community Research (PCR) in the context where many universities and researchers are moving to embrace new e-Research infrastructure. A case study of a project focussing on developing electronic capacity in a deprived community in Africa is used to problematize issues. E-Research also brings its own challenges for PCR, such as: a need to clearly understand the dynamics of community-based research and ethics and ethical frameworks that are responsive to this; the development of new legal ownership and access rights; the need for appropriately sensitive institutional commitment to the long-term maintenance of repositories to support continued data storage and curation; and the formation of adaptive, inter-organizational research teams which are comfortable with community and electronic interactions.

Incorporating indigenous world views in community informatics

This paper aims to provoke further theorising and action by the Community Informatics community about working with Indigenous communities In particular, we present research undertaken with the Indigenous Maori and Pakeha (European) community in Aotearoa/New Zealand as a case study to learn from Maori are of interest because of their engagement with, and speaking out, about ICTs We suggest that particular attention needs to be paid from an ethical perspective in working with diversity in order that research and action are undertaken that benefits both the researcher and participant community Community Informatics would benefit from more attention to articulating its assumptions about the nature of research and action with cultural diversity in its role as a bridge between diverse communities and the design and implementation of Information and Communication Technologies.

Participatory action research & inclusive information and knowledge management for empowerment

This Note discusses current and prospective research into understandings of Participatory Action Research (PAR) and its relationship to the development of inclusive and pluralistic forms of Information and Knowledge Management (IKM) in ICT4D/ICTD contexts through the Oxfam Australia-Monash University Partnership. It is intended that an innovative demonstration project to trial new ways of implementing PAR & pluralistic IKM will be then be undertaken with international development NGOs with an aim to more widespread adoption of these techniques.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS IN THE COMMUNITY: Digital Divas and Doing IT Better

Working with community partners on research projects where the community members are part of the research team presents its own challenges. The challenges include the possible mismatch of expectations between academic team members and community members, as well as in defining the different roles people play, and managing the process. This paper reports the experiences and insights gained from working with community members involved in two research projects. The two projects were the Digital Divas project, involving the creation of a girls’ only information technology (IT) elective which has been implemented in a number of schools, and the Doing IT Better project that involved building IT capacity in the Victorian community service sector. Two community members from each of the projects are collaborators in this paper and provide the community perspective on this kind of research. Issues around concordances and discordances of academic research processes with a communitys own ways of knowing, creating, managing and disseminating knowledge and information are discussed. The roles of community expertise, along with expectations regarding relationships and interactions are also explored.