Below
you will find a listing of selected articles that relate to the concepts
of Community Information and Community Networking that we are exploring
in the Help Seeking project. Articles are organized under the following
headings:
Community
Development
Evaluation
(public library networked information services)
Government
CI
History
& Organization
Human
Computer Interaction
Human
Information Behavior
Policy
Public
Library Connectivity
Training
Transportation
CI
Voluntary
Sector
For
a more comprehensive bibliography on related topics, please refer to the
Reading
Room section of the Community
Connector.
Guard, Roger, et al. (1997).
A community approach to serving health information needs: NetWellness.
Health Care on the Internet, 1, 73-80.
"As consumers face an increasing
need for useful health information, the Internet may become an important
vehicle for meeting that need. However, not everyone has-or can afford-computers
and communications links, let alone the time to sift through the vast number
of potentially useful materials available. What is a person to do? Enter
NetWellness. Here are consumer-oriented health information resources, which
can be reached from home or office, or by visiting a nearby public library,
clinic or hospital waiting room, or pharmacy."
Morgan, Janice C. (1997). Community ties and a community network: Cupertino's computer-mediated Citynet. Unpublished Master's thesis, San Jose State University.
Morson, Ian, Harrison, Joy, & Cook, David. (1996). Boldly venturing into cyber space. Library Association Record, 98, 150-151.
Roberts, Robert A. (1996). The diffusion of innovation: Dualities of one electronic free community network. Unpublished Master's thesis, University of Oregon.
Ryan, Elizabeth A. (1996). Creating a rural community network: A case study. Unpublished Master's thesis, University of New Brunswick.
Geffert, Bryn. (1993). Community
networks in libraries: A case study of the Freenet P.A.T.H. Public Libraries,
32, 91-99.
"A description of community
online systems is provided with specific details given for the Heartland
Freenet. Questions are raised concerning what Freenets have to offer communities
and, more specifically, what they can offer public libraries. The uses
and popularity of Freenet Public Access to Heartland (P.A.T.H.) terminals
placed in twenty-seven public libraries in the Illinois Valley Library
System are discussed."
Knox, Sheryl C., & Durrance, Joan C. (1997). Pulling together: Technology, community and the public library. Ann Arbor, MI: School of Information, University of Michigan.
Mattison, David. (1994). Librarians and the Free-Net movement. Computers in Libraries, 14, 46-50, 52.
McClure, Charles R., & Bertot, John C. (1997). Linking people to the global networked society: Evaluation of the Online at PA Libraries Project: Public access to the Internet through public libraries. Harrisburg, PA: Pennsylvania Department of Education, Office of Commonwealth Libraries.
McClure, Charles, Ryan, Joe, & Moen, William E. (1993). The role of public libraries and the use of Internet/NREN information services. Library and Information Science Research, 15, 7-34.
Resnick, Robert. (1997).
Community information resources in United States public libraries: A study
and survey. Public Libraries, 36, 218-229.
"Public Libaries should
be the logical place for people to turn when seeking local community information.
However, the formats and quality of delivery of this type of information
by libraries is inconsistent and frequently antiquated, creating a void
that other providers of online information are stepping in to fill. Part
one of this article examines the evolution of online community information
in the United States and the issues surrounding its development and delivery.
Part two discusses the author's informal survey of public libraries and
their community information resources."
Ryan, Elizabeth A. (1996). Creating a rural community network: A case study. Unpublished Master's thesis, University of New Brunswick.
Surak, Kristin. (1998). A
cross-cultural comparison of community computer networks. Florida State
University.
"Social and political factors
have led to differences in the historical development of community networks
in Australia, Canada, and the United States. This paper attempts to examine
the different ways community networks have developed as a result of their
national context. More specifically, it looks at the how the trends in
who creates the community networks vary across societies and how this might
affect the choices of goals, partnerships, and financial solutions made
by community networks. The question examined is, to what extent have differences
of national context shaped the networks themselves, i.e. how has the effect
of context on who forms community networks affected the goals of community
networks, their financial situation, and their relationship to other sectors
of the community?"
Bishop, Ann P., Tidline, Tonyia, Shoemaker, Susan, & Salela, Pamela. (in press). Information exchange in low-income neighborhoods: The role of community networks and public libraries. Library & Information Science Research.
Chow, Clifton, Ellis, Jan, Mark, June, & Wise, Bart. (1998). Impact of CTCNet affiliates: Findings from a national survey of users of community technology centers. Newton, MA: Community Technology Centers' Network.
Clark, Dawn E. (1997). A
comparison of health information on Florida's free-nets. Bulletin of the
Medical Library Association, 85, 239-244.
"In the popular rush to
provide electronic consumer health information, particularly via the Internet,
one system has been largely overlooked--the free-net. Free-nets are often
text-based systems from which users choose topics from "menus." While the
World Wide Web can be more graphically appealing, it can also be overwhelming.
Medical information resources are available to diverse populations through
free-nets, which are convenient, free services. The amount of information
and range of topics they offer are vast. A study of Florida's free-nets
during a six-month period involved five free-net systems. Survey items
included user demographics, interlibrary loan services, attitudes toward
providing medical advice, and availability of medical librarian expertise.
Comparisons include the number of user queries on medical and health-related
free-net menus, user friendliness, and the type of health information provided."
Cohill, Andrew, & Kavanaugh, Andrea L. (Eds.). (1997). Community networks: Lessons from Blacksburg, Virginia. Norwood, MA: Artech House.
Elliott, Susan. (1995). Alaskans go sledding on the Internet. PNLA Quarterly, 59 (2/3), 23-24.
Harsh, Stephen. (1995). An analysis of Boulder Community Network usage.
Harvey, Kathy, & Horne,
Tom. (1995). Surfing in Seattle: What cyber-patrons want. American Libraries,
26, 1028-1030.
"A Seattle PL study charts
a map for intrepid librarians looking to build their own superhighway on-ramps."
Jokitalo, Päivi. (1997). Building a virtual public library in Finland: Internet connections in Finnish public libraries. Scandinavian Public Library Quarterly, 30 (3), 25-28.
McClure, Charles R., & Bertot, John C. (1998). Public library use in Pennsylvania: Identifying uses, benefits, and impacts. Harrisburg, PA: Pennsylvania Department of Education, Office of Commonwealth Libraries.
Morson, Ian, Harrison, Joy, & Cook, David. (1996). Boldly venturing into cyber space. Library Association Record, 98, 150-151.
Patrick, Andrew. (1996).
Services
on the information highway.
"The NCF is one of the largest
and most successful of a group of CNs. A survey of NCF users was conducted
in the Fall of 1994 & included Qs about use of the system & its
services. Results show that comm services (e-mail & public discussions)
are clearly the main use of this system. Information services (such as
menu info, Gopher info, library access, etc.) are secondary services both
in use & importance. Recreational services, such as online games &
real-time "chat" services, are used rarely & are of little imp. Findings
are valuable for the development & marketing of commercial enterprises
because they indicate that interpersonal communication services, and not
access to info, can be the most important features. These results, however,
are based on subjective measures of service use and imp. Prev research
suggests estimates of system use can be inaccurate, so objective measurements
of service use obtainted from real-time monitoring systems are needed to
confirm these findings."
Patrick, Andrew S. (1997). Media lessons from the National Capital FreeNet. Communications of the ACM, 40 (7) 74-80.
Patrick, Andrew S., &
Black, Alex. (1996a). Implications
of access methods and frequency of use for the National Capital Freenet.
"A sample of 1073 NCF users
were surveyed about their access methods and frequency of use of the system.
Most of the connections originate from users' homes and involve direct
dial-up connections to the system. Only 15% of the users connect via the
Internet for all their connections, and reliance on public terminals for
access was rare. Users completing the survey reported using the system
a median of 5 times per week for a total of 4 hours. However, respondents
to the survey used the system more than average and over-estimated their
use of the system, and the actual use of the system by all users was 2
times per week for a total of 1 hour. Usage of the system was not strongly
related to age, gender, education, income, or computer experience. Satisfaction
levels and the amount donated were also not strongly related to the use
of the system. Extrapolation from the survey results suggests that the
NCF project has been responsible for nearly half a million dollars in local
modem sales, and over $290,000 per year in new telephone company revenues.
Due to long waiting times for accessing the system, however, it is estimated
that 50 people are waiting for a modem connection at any given time."
Patrick, Andrew S., &
Black, Alex. (1996b). Losing
sleep and watching less TV but socializing more: Personal and social impacts
of using the NCF.
"FreeNets are non-profit
CN systems that provide Info Highway services such as electronic mail,
discussion groups, and info archives. A survey of NCF users measured the
personal and social impacts of using these systems. Many users reported
changes in their personal activities, such as sleeping less and watching
less TV. Overall, only 4% of the users reported that the system had no
effect on their lives (95% reported a positive impact with 47% describing
this as a "large" impact). Some users did report spending more time socializing
(outside of the system) and that the system has been beneficial for meeting
people and engaging in discussions. Also, system is useful in maintaining
contacts with friends and relatives who may not be nearby. One goal of
CNs is to encourage and to revitalize community involvement. The present
survey asked NCF users directly if "the NCF encouraged you to get more
involved in community life" and the results suggest that this goal of increased
community involvement is not being reached. A second goal is to allow users
to learn the skills necessary to become info and computer literate, and
to provide easy access to valuable info. Users reported improved computer
literacy and some improvements in general literacy. They also reported
that system was often beneficial for finding info and for informal learning.
Thus, it appears this goal of personal learning is being reached. NCF has
been very successful in introducing users to Internet and creating a market
for commercial Internet service providers. Socializing and entertainment
are imp areas of benefit from systems such as this and interpersonal communications
seems to be a key use of this system. These aspects could be emphasized
in development and marketing of commercial N services."
Patrick, Andrew S., Black,
Alex, & Whalen, Thomas E. (1995). Rich, young, male, dissatisfied computer
geeks? Demographics and satisfaction with the NCF. In D. Godfrey &
M. Levy (Eds.), Proceedings of Telecommunities 95: The international community
networking conference (pp. 83-107). Victoria, British Columbia: Telecommunities
Canada.
"The National Capital FreeNet
(NCF) in Ottawa Canada is one of the largest and most successful community
online services in the world. An examination of this system may provide
valuable information for planning future services. A survey was completed
by 1073 NCF users and the results indicated that the NCF users are not
a specialized group in the community. Although there is a large gender
imbalance, they are not exclusively male (especially when compared to other
similar systems). There is a broad range of ages represented on the system,
and a wide variety of education levels. Income levels for NCF users, especially
household incomes, are quite comparable to the local region. NCF users
are not necessarily highly experienced in computers or computer networks.
In areas where there are discrepancies with the local regional data, data
from other studies suggests that the NCF is less extreme than other comparable
system. NCF users are quite satisfied with their system. Their levels of
satisfaction are not strongly related to the demographic variables measured
here, but the amount of computer experience seems to be the strongest factor
(in the negative direction)."
Savolainen, Reijo. (In press).
Seeking and using information from the Internet: The context of non-work
use. In Tom Wilson (Ed.), Information seeking in context II: An international
conference on information needs, seeking and use in different contexts
(August 14-17, 1998, Sheffield, UK). London: Taylor Graham.
"The study discusses the
ways in which the Internet is used in information seeking and communication.
The analysis focuses on non-work purposes of network use such as monitoring
everyday events, hobbies and seeking a new job. The conceptual framework
draws on the studies of "way of life", the approach of "uses and gratifications"
and the "social influence" theory. The empirical findings are based on
the analysis of 23 theme interviews and a national survey conducted by
Statistics Finland. E-mail and WWW appeared to be the most popular network
services, followed by home banking and discussion groups. In general, the
utilization of the Internet for information seeking is still infrequent
in non-work contexts. Electronic newspapers are mainly used in the search
for orienting information; the purposes of seeking problem-specific information
range from checking individual facts to health issues. Slow response time,
inefficient search engines, lack of search skills and the fragmentary nature
of the network resources are seen as the major factors hampering the use
of the Internet as a channel of information seeking."
Schalken, Kees, & Tops, Pieter. (1994). The digital city: A study into the backgrounds and opinions of its residents. In Proceedings of the Canadian Community Networks Conference, August 15-17, 1994. Carleton University, Ottawa.
Pettigrew, Karen E., & Wilkinson, Margaret Ann. (1994). Controlling the quality of community information: An analysis of the effects on dissemination of the differences between I&R agencies and community networks. Information & Referral, 16, 185-194.
Bertot, John C., & McClure, Charles R. (1998b). Victorian public libraries and the Internet: Results and issues. Footscray, Victoria: Maribyrnong Library Service.
Newton, Robert, MacLennan, Ala, & Clark Allison, J. D.. (1998). Public libraries on the Internet. Public Library Journal, 13 (1), 2-7.
Ormes, Sarah, & McClure,
Charles R. (1997). A
comparison of public library Internet connectivity in the USA and UK.
In Sarah Ormes & L. Dempsey (Eds.), The Internet, networking, and the
public library (pp. 24-40). London: Library Association Publishing.
"In late 1995/early 1996
comprehensive surveys of public library Inernet connectivity took place
in the UK and USA. The data produced from these surveys gives the first
opportunity to develop a transatlantic picture of Internet activity in
public libraries. It is now possible to see whether the same patterns of
usage or non usage are appearing in both countries, whether there are similar
trends or differences in the development of services and whether both library
services are encountering the same barriers which are preventing or limiting
public library Internet connectivity. It will be an interesting opportunity
to draw conclusions about public library Inernet connectivity across the
different cultures in which they operate."
Thompsen, Philip A. (1997). Toward a public lane on the information superhighway: A media performance analysis of the community-wide education and information service initiative. Unpublished Master's thesis, University of Utah.