Attributes, Strategies, Benefits u

Examples

LAMA Workshop

Help-Seeking Home

Attributes 

     An information community...

• Starts with an understanding of the (potential) constituency and focuses on their need for the information;

• May not be the responsibility of any one agency or even a group of official  agencies;

• Is not the responsibility of any one agency or even a group of official  agencies; 

• Is dynamic and developed from many sources (both official and informal);

• May incorporate a place that serves as a hub for the information  community;

•  May be geographically based or geographically dispersed and connected  only by technology.

The Role of Technology

• Technology may be the only connector--the emerging phenomenon of groups may be connected only by the Internet (chat groups, listservs, scholarly article preprint sharing, etc.);

• Information communities can use the Internet effectively;

• Information communities thrive in a distributed computing environment.

Strategies to Foster Information Community Development

     Leaders of ICs...

• Collaborate with other organizations to get the IC going and strengthen it;

• Work with diverse information providers;

• Help people learn how to effectively exploit the resources of the information community (instruction);

• Put a high value on community relations;

• Develop effective and often innovative ways to communicate across geographic and other barriers;

• Use the Internet as an organizing tool;

• Convene partners (before or after connecting on the Internet);

• Engage in fund raising;

• Have a knowledge of access services.

Indicators of Impact of Information Communities

• Increased access to information resources;

• Increased use of specific kinds of information;

• Increased access to people and organizations;

• Increased  dialogue and communication, bridging, and collaboration among information providers and constituents and among diverse organizations;

• Gains for individuals, groups, communities;

• Organizational gains;

• Changed perceptions of libraries and librarians.