Community Informatics StudioACRL Panel Presentation by Martin Wolske

ALA Annual 2013

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A 13-YEAR JOURNEY FROM SERVICE-LEARNING TO COMMUNITY INQUIRY

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“We must rapidly begin the shift from a "thing-oriented" society to a

"person-oriented" society. When machines and computers, profit

motives and property rights are considered more important than

people, the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism are

incapable of being conquered.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Beyond Vietnam” address, given at

New York City’s Riverside Church on April 4, 1967

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Technological Determinism

• Technology drives the development of its social structure and cultural values– Classical: the efficiencies inherent in technology

lead towards natural selection of social processes that integrate the technology

– Cyberlibertarianism emphasize:• ICT as inevitable, irresistible, & world-transforming• Individualism, ecstatic self-fulfillment, & rational self-

interest• Supply-side, free-market capitalism

Sources:– Jacques Ellul (1954) The Technological Society– Langdon Winner (1997) “Cyberlibertarian Myths and the Prospects for Community”,

Computers and Society

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Social Shaping of Technology

• Considers how social, institutional, economic, and cultural factors impact:– The direction and rate of innovation– The form of technology and technological practices– The outcomes of technological change for different

groups in societySource: Williams, R, & Edge, D. (1996). The social shaping of

technology.

• Example– Safiya Noble (2012) –“Missed Connections: What

Search Engines Say About Women”

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Source: Bishop, Bruce, & Jeong, 2009

From Service Learning to Community Inquiry

Swee

t Spo

t

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THE COMMUNITY INFORMATICS STUDIO

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What is Community Informatics?

• “Using technology to support community development goals” (Stoecker, 2004)

• “A sustainable approach to community enrichment that integrates participatory design of information technology resources, popular education, and asset-based development to enhance citizen empowerment and quality of life.” (Campbell & Eubanks, 2004)

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What is Studio-Based Learning?

• Learning to be a professional using master/apprentice model (Lackney, 1999)

• Students’ “purposes” + current environment + teacher as guide = current learning (Dewey, 1938)

• Iterative design process through desk critiques

• Working within studio space provides important modeling of professional practice

• Integral pedagogy in architecture and fine and applied arts.

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Source: Wolske, Rhinesmith, and Kumar (in review)

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Public Computing Center Design

Logic Models

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The Whip Hair Design

Source:

http://www.prairienet.org/sites/whip

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I believe that to fully capitalize on studio-based learning to advance LIS-led Community Engagement, the following Community Informatics values are key:

• Sustainable Approach to Community Enrichment• Asset-Based Perspective• Popular Education & Participatory Design• Difference is a Resource• Teach, Research, & Practice with Community• Building Healthy Communities

Informed especially by Stoecker (2012); Eubanks (2011); Friere (1970/1993); Dewey (1938)

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ConclusionHow can the Community Informatics Studio can be understood as a model of experiential learning to support LIS teaching, research and practice?

• Studio pedagogy resonates strongly with students because it is rooted in experiential learning

• Studio pedagogy invites students into research on current topics in LIS through the design problem

• Studio pedagogy can foster social justice education & challenge technological determinism

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Resources & ReferencesStudent projects are documented at:

http://www.prairienet.org/engagementhttp://www.prairienet.org/op/

Bishop, A., Bruce, C., & Jeong, S. (2009). Beyond service learning. In (Eds.) Service learning: Linking library education and practice. Chicago, IL: American Library Association.

Campbell, N. D. & Eubanks, V. (2004). Community informatics as a pathway to social change. Retrieved from http://www.brillomag.net/COPC/CI/

Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and education. New York, NY: The Macmillan company.

Eubanks, V. (2011). Digital dead end: Fighting for social justice in the information age. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

Elull, J. (1967). The Technological Society. Vintage Books.Freire, P. (1970/1993). Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York, NY: Continuum.King, M.L. (1967) Beyond Vietnam: A Time To Break The Silence. Speech

delivered at New York's Riverside Church on April 4, 1967. Transcript retrieved from http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article2564.htm

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Lackney, J. A. (1999). A history of the studio-based learning model. Retrieved from http://www.edi.msstate.edu/work/pdf/history_studio_based_learning.pdf

Noble, S. (2012). Missed Connections: What Search Engines Say About Women. Bitch Magazine, 54. Retrieved from http://bitchmagazine.org/issue/54

Stoecker, R. (2012). Research Methods for Community Change 2nd ed. Sage Publications.

Stoecker, R. (2005). Is community informatics good for community? Journal of Community Informatics, 1(3). Retrieved from http://www.ci-journal.net/index.php/ciej/article/view/183/129

Williams, R, & Edge, D. (1996). The social shaping of technology. Research Policy 25.

Winner, L. (1997). Cyberlibertarian myths and the prospects for community. Computers and Society, 27(3). Retrieved from http://delivery.acm.org/10.1145/280000/270864/p14-winner.pdf

Wolske, M.(2012). A 12 year journey from traditional service learning to community inquiry, Proceedings of the CIRN 2012 Community Informatics Conference: ‘Ideals Meet Reality’. Retrieved from https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/handle/2142/35070

Wolske, M., Rhinesmith, C., & Kumar, B. (in review). Community Informatics Studio: Designing Experiential Learning to Support Teaching, Research, and Practice. Journal of Education in Library and Information Science.