Creating Content through Community Inquiry

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Creating ContentthroughCommunity Inquiry

• Ann Bishop and Chip Bruce
• Library Information Science
• U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

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What is Inquiry?

• Creating opportunities to engage people in active
  learning based on their own questions.
• A learner centered and learner driven process.
• A cycle where each question leads to an
  exploration which will then lead to more
  questions to investigate.
• The process of asking, investigating, creating,
  discussing, and reflecting, and then asking again.

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Inquiry Activities at UIUCUnderstanding the
inquiry processand developing environments that
support it

• Inquiry Page (communityware)
• Set of overlapping communities
• Learning opportunities
• Research on community inquiry

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Inquiry Pagehttp//inquiry.uiuc.edu/

• Partner projects
• Resources on inquiry
• Tools for student and community inquiry
• Calendar
• Listservs
• Inquiry Units
• Community Inquiry Labs

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Community Inquiry Labs
A place where members of a community come
together to develop shared capacity and work on
common problems. "Community" support for
collaborative activity and for creating knowledge
that is connected to people's values,
history, and lived experiences. "Inquiry"
support for open-ended, democratic, participatory
engagement. "Laboratory" a space and resources
to bring theory and action together in an
experimental and critical manner. A CIL is most
importantly a concept
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SisterNet http//sisternetonline.org/ourinquiry.h
tml

• New model for Black women's organizing
• Wholeness through physical, emotional, spiritual,
  and intellectual health
• Political strategy to resist oppression and shape
  livable communities
• Community health fairs, conferences, and
  learning/action circles

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SisterNets CIL in Action Taking Action for Water
Quality
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Paseo BoricuaCommunity Library
Projecthttp//www.prairienet.org/pbclp/community_
inquiry_lab.htm

• Puerto Rican Cultural Center in Chicago's
  Humboldt Park neighborhood
• Galvanizes neighborhood residents around
  community projects
• Addresses critical issues gang violence, AIDS,
  social and environmental justice, literacy, and
  economic development

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Corrales Community Libraryhttp//leep.lis.uiuc.ed
u/publish/odaniel/Corrales/waterlab.htm

• What can local residents in this New Mexico town
  do to ensure a sufficient supply of clean water?
• A CIL where people can review and comment on
  local government reports, pursue research, and
  learn about local conditions related to water
• Developed as part of NSF Water CAMPWS

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Learning

• Users of the Inquiry Page
• Developers
• practicums, internships, independent study
• weekly meetings
• workshops
• sequence of courses gt graduate specialization

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Research on Inquiry

• How can we
• connect learning life?
• support participatory design?
• accommodate diversity shared values?

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Connect Learning and LifeESLARP Sample Inquiry
Unit
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Support Participatory Design
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Accommodate Difference Shared ValuesPaseo
Boricua Community Library Projecthttp//www.prair
ienet.org/pbclp
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Create Your OwnCommunity Inquiry Lab!
http//www3.isrl.uiuc.edu/dlinderm/cilbuilder1.2/
partners.php
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Conclusion

• Design appropriate technology
• Generativity participatory design
• Sustainability incorporation into community
• strengths and needs

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Contact Information
Ann Bishop abishop_at_uiuc.edu Chip Bruce
chip_at_uiuc.edu Meetings Tuesday, 4-5, 131
LIS Workshop August 26