The Facebook Project - The Missing Box: The Racial Politics Behind the Facebook Interface

There is no race, ethnicity or nationality category available the default Facebook profile. This, combined with the fact that Facebook is a visually-driven website, suggests that Facebook serves to inadvertently or covertly perpetuate two racist or discriminatory norms: the colorblind mentality and racialized visual classification of others. This paper quickly traverses through a basic theory of identity that dictates that persons incur an on-going dialectic between individual and social identity, both on and offline. It contends that Facebook is an advantageous place to perform and portray one???s social identity and is largely visually-driven, therefore the interface is of paramount importance. Racial, ethnic, or national identity is of significance to many individuals and the lack of a place to express this is a form of discrimination. Such a category should be added to Facebook???s set of basic identity options. Guidelines for a successful implementation are provided.unpublishedis peer reviewe

Health Inspectors on Local Boards of Health: the Impact on Communities’ Environmental Health Governance

Background: This study examines whether having a required health inspector on a local board of health (LBOH) improves the board’s information on environmental health. Methods: Analysis uses the national random sample of 351 U.S. LBOHs in the 2011 Profiles collected by the National Association of Local Boards of Health (NALBOH) and examines whether having a required health inspector on a LBOH increases the likelihood it receives information on 10 environmental health topics. Results: LBOHs overall received little information on environmental health, and 48% reported wanting no or little additional information. Having a required health inspector on a LBOH did not increase the likelihood of a LBOH receiving information on 8 environmental health topics. On two additional topics, food safety and groundwater protection, LBOHs with a required health inspector are less likely to report receiving information. A required health inspector board member also did not significantly influence the openness of a LBOH to receiving more information on environmental health. Conclusions: While LBOHs are the predominant public health department governing agencies in the United States, this study points to a low level of training and knowledge about environmental health issues. Having a required health inspector board member also does not improve LBOHs’ reported likelihood of receiving information

Design jams in iSchools: Approaches, challenges and examples

Through a live demonstration, we will showcase a group of focused design techniques known collectively as a Design Jam. Design jams are about looking at a particular design challenge and thinking-by doing. Although they often have a component of brainstorming, they involve additional activities, including paper prototyping, and storytelling with personas and scenarios. After the design jam, we will share experiences of teaching design techniques in ischools.published or submitted for publicationis peer reviewe

Effects of antenatal betamethasone on preterm human and mouse ductus arteriosus: comparison with baboon data.

BackgroundAlthough studies involving preterm infants ≤34 weeks gestation report a decreased incidence of patent ductus arteriosus after antenatal betamethasone, studies involving younger gestation infants report conflicting results.MethodsWe used preterm baboons, mice, and humans (≤276/7 weeks gestation) to examine betamethasone's effects on ductus gene expression and constriction both in vitro and in vivo.ResultsIn mice, betamethasone increased the sensitivity of the premature ductus to the contractile effects of oxygen without altering the effects of other contractile or vasodilatory stimuli. Betamethasone's effects on oxygen sensitivity could be eliminated by inhibiting endogenous prostaglandin/nitric oxide signaling. In mice and baboons, betamethasone increased the expression of several developmentally regulated genes that mediate oxygen-induced constriction (K+ channels) and inhibit vasodilator signaling (phosphodiesterases). In human infants, betamethasone increased the rate of ductus constriction at all gestational ages. However, in infants born ≤256/7 weeks gestation, betamethasone's contractile effects were only apparent when prostaglandin signaling was inhibited, whereas at 26-27 weeks gestation, betamethasone's contractile effects were apparent even in the absence of prostaglandin inhibitors.ConclusionsWe speculate that betamethasone's contractile effects may be mediated through genes that are developmentally regulated. This could explain why betamethasone's effects vary according to the infant's developmental age at birth

Community Engagement: Prairienet Computer and Internet Training Program

An executive summary of two community engagement projects: the new Prairienet technology training and a mini-documentary on community engagement projects of Fall 2008. Video online at: http://www.communityinformaticsprojects.com/490CE.htmlunpublishednot peer reviewe

Digital Divide 2.0 : African American Communities and Library Resources in Illinois

In the information era inequality is increasingly dictated by a myriad of issues related to both access and use of computer and internet technologies. Mere access to the web is an indisputably insufficient claim to equity; attention must also be paid to issues such as autonomy, skill, purposes, and perceptions related to technological access and participation in cyberspace. The final???and still yet emerging???barrier to equality is termed here as Digital Consciousness, a state of being which most digitally disadvantaged populations have little opportunity to develop. This is understandably so as the recipe for such an understanding includes socialization, digital literacy, and a realization of self and structure in the modern web. All of these factors are dependent upon both access and use. To develop a Digital Consciousness a person must have avenues and contexts available that provide these ingredients. The library is one potential space for this, but it is unclear to what extent contemporary libraries effectively facilitate this process. The inequalities that African American communities have endured historically have been harsh, and digital inequality is no exception. To truly remedy the digital inequality for the African American people and other disadvantaged populations we must call for extensive change; a social movement situated within the context of the information revolution. This movement must embody cyberdemocracy, collective intelligence, and information freedom, each of which is dependent upon Digital Consciousness. This report assesses the computing and internet resources present in numerous Illinois public libraries that serve African American populations. Library outlets are evaluated for their capacity to enable patrons to develop Digital Consciousness. The study finds that while libraries do a moderately good job providing basic resources for connectivity, creation, and the reception and production of knowledge, they do not live up to the potential that they could be. The paper concludes with discussion about how to best address challenges and start crafting sustainable and effective solutions.unpublishednot peer reviewe

The Facebook Project - Performance and Construction of Digital Identity

In recent years an impressive number of youth have taken to joining popular online social networking service (SNS) websites. One of the most famous and prosperous of these within the US college student community is Facebook.com. Facebook functions as a purposed network of identities, deposited expressions, and interactive media that make for a meaningful digital space that has become interlaced into the day-to-day lives of most students. The Facebook ecology facilitates an emergent, intricate, and robust arena of interactions and representations that serve to mediate the construction of identity. How is it then, that participants perform???and thus construct???their identities on Facebook.com? This paper begins to answer this question within the folds of an intriguing, if not elaborate exploration. It reviews pertinent background information on Facebook, as well as its social relevancy, and highlights some of the applicable psychological and sociological theories on identity, starting with Erving Goffman???s dramaturgical approach. Several salient, mediating elements of digital architecture are discussed, including anonymity, disembodiment, virtual space, temporal context, interface and metaphors, and their correspondent relation to Facebook. The literature review includes a concise analysis of much of the material already available on Facebook and should bring readers up to speed with the perspective employed for the research questions in this work. The scope of this study includes examination of Facebook activity, perceptions, and personal identity management specifically found in two surveys conducted on the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign undergraduate student population roughly a year apart ??? one from May of 2006 and one from May of 2007- that shared inquires into the same topics. These data are employed in order to offer insight into and examples of the various social intricacies at play in Facebook, particularly with a focus on the representation of identity information, privacy and sharing preferences, and social norms. Among instances of identifying examples of audience and performance the findings indicate that users of all kinds are active on Facebook. Interestingly enough, many students do feel Facebook is invasive to their privacy, but clearly not enough so to reduce their constant use of the system. With only a few exceptions, the level of personal identity information people share on Facebook is pretty similar to what they would announce in the face to face world. These conclusions hold important implications about the state of social norms and digital identity and may serve as the basis for future research on Social Networking Services.unpublishedis peer reviewe

The Facebook Project: Social Capital and the Chief

In light of increasing racial tensions in recent years on the University of Illinois campus, the Ethnography of the University Initiative and Diversity Research Project have called for new assessments of campus climate in regards to race. This paper explores a new but crucial space of race related discourse that plays an important role in the everyday lives of undergraduate students: Facebook.com. Social networking services extend social capital by impacting individuals and groups and Facebook in particular has amplified student support of Chief Illiniwek, the now deposed symbol of the University of Illinois. The pro-Chief social movement is a powerful example of the way Facebook can potentially be abused for a misguided cause. The Chief represents a myriad of issues relating to racial tensions, including disrespect and inappropriate representation of a racial minority group as well as a topic that provokes responses exemplary of colorblind racism or discrimination. Therefore Facebook is an environment where we need to establish sufficient and effective advocacy and empowerment as a method of social change. This paper draws upon previously established survey data (Ginger 2008) and exploratory qualitative content analysis (manifest and latent) to paint a picture of the contemporary and historical usage of Facebook related to the Chief. Student perceptions in regards to campus climate, actions taken in accordance with the Chief are examined in parallel with the character of groups surrounding the topic. Ultimately the findings and discussion render the suggestion to include more administrative and educator awareness and utilization of the same digital venues for social capital in Facebook for social change as well as a call for better communication processes (dialogue) between participants. Given the necessity to alter preferences in order to cause lasting effects on perceptions of race and the high caliber emotional content encountered in Chief-related groups it would seem these digital spaces are an crucial tool and context for actors leading social movements to understand and engage. See www.thefacebookproject.com for more details. The Moodle listing only contains excerpts. Please see the Facebook Social Capital FINAL.pdf attachment.unpublishe

Exploring Methods in Community Informatics

Community Informatics (CI) is an emerging field of study, practice and activism that has grown in popularity and influence in recent years. As an academic discipline CI is typically situated within iSchools and provides an important venue for their connection to community knowledge, educational practice, and social justice movements (Gurstein 2007). The term was originally brought into popular use by Loader and Gurstein in the late 90?s and contrasted in relation to the overarching study of social informatics, which at the time was mostly concerned with business and government connections to information technologies (Durrance and Williams 2010). As ICT?s and cultures embedded in our information society have evolved, however, the lines between community, institutional, and individual ICT cultural practices have blurred; no longer can public computing be conceptualized as just a machine at the local library or can digital divide power inequities be cast as a simple lack of access to information. As result community informatics has become widely interpreted in terms of research, theory and methods and places of application. This has given rise to a need for continued discussion over the definition and application of methods in community informatics. Our poster seeks to provide representation of some of the methodological perspectives encountered in a few projects of the Community Informatics Initiative (CII), a research and teaching center with an associated curriculum that is part of the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Our work is far from conclusive, but instead intended to be a starting point for discussion about theories and examples of CI methods in action. Specifically, we address: Participatory Action Research - Our toolbox is one of pragmatism and progress (that is, we not only see solutions, but hold them to be essential), typified by studies which are conducted with the community (collaboration and partnership), for the community (giving voice and ensuring everyone gains from insights and reaps the rewards) and by the community (citizen scientists and community member-led projects). In effect our work is interdisciplinary, multi-method and inherently critical, a diverse and flexible portfolio of what works, involving deductive and inductive techniques and data collection ranging from ethnography to statistics to content analysis to social network modeling. The overriding principle behind our research efforts is an ethical commitment to positive outcomes for the communities involved as well as individuals and our greater society as a whole. This drive rests on the assumption that the production of knowledge that happens in communities should help to drive the production of knowledge and systems of analysis or study present in universities. Further, most PAR adopters see research as subservient to community needs; if we walk away from a research project without significant or sufficient data but still leave the community better off than they were before, then we usually consider the effort to be a success. If you take this set of traits you find a tool set and perspective that's potentially independent of both information science and institutions. CI thus becomes more than just an emerging field, but a set of convictions, actions and ways of integrating ethics and agency into ones world view as an actor - be they a researcher, activist, policy-maker or in some other role. Community Inquiry ? Community inquiry presents an effective and appropriate informative model for CI. Professor Chip Bruce provides a compelling explanation: _?Community inquiry is inquiry conducted of, for, and by communities as living social organisms. Community emphasizes support for collaborative activity and for creating knowledge, which is connected to people?s values, history, and lived experiences. Inquiry points to support for open-ended, democratic, participatory engagement. Community inquiry is thus a learning process that brings theory and action together in an experimental and critical manner.?_ (Bruce 2008) This definition features significant overlap with the PAR perspective presented above and draws upon John Dewey?s rich conception of inquiry. It stresses addressing community-defined problems by building upon pre-existing local resources and knowledge and necessitates reflexivity ? a questioning of community membership, values and goals ? by representing the process as a cycle. This cycle is visually represented as a dynamic process of asking questions, performing investigations, creating understandings, and discussing and reflecting on them. Cyberpower - As sites of public computing and potential places for community organization many libraries, civic centers and social service agencies have evolved in to what might be referred to as ?Community Technology Centers? or CTC?s. Alkalimat and Williams (2002) propose that CTC?s may be a primary ?organizational basis for democracy and social inclusion in the information society.? (Alkalimat 2004, p. 73). Citing Tim Jordan (1999, p. 208), an STS researcher who was one of the first to critically pioneer the emerging landscape of culture, politics, power and inequality on the web and in information society at large, they explain that Cyberpower, ?the effect of online activity on power? (Alkalimat 2004, p. 79-80), is a potential measurable outcome from CTC?s for individuals, groups and on an ideological basis. Cyberpower can be operationalized through a variety of metrics, such as valuable skills, experiences and social connections gained (in the case of Alkalimat and Williams, social capital), though always with a focus on an increase in an individual or group?s ability to influence or address issues related to their needs. Ultimately Cyberpower suggests an emphasis on providing disempowered individuals more than just access to online activities and technology resources, but critical and creative perspectives that allow them to shape both the use of such tools and related behaviors and gain more control over their participation in our emerging information society (Banks 2006). This becomes a potential refutation of the critique that the employment of ICT?s for development (ICT4D) is simply another project of digital capitalism and way to plug more poor people into consumerism and increase existing power disparities (Pieterse 2005). This trio of perspectives is a slice of the informative basis and interpretive framework behind methods present in community informatics. Our poster proceeds to present example CII projects related to each, which feature integrative strategies (storytelling with multimedia, relationship building, community memory, continuing education, and knowledge sharing), future and current settings (Sao Tome Africa, small town and rural CTC?s, schools and libraries, and the local CU community), and diverse audiences (both children and adults, volunteers and CII staff, as well as community leaders). We overview a set of Community Informatics projects, ranging from completed to in-planning stages, including: Social and Environmental Justice On the Fifth and Hill Toxic Site - The problem is not new: a toxic site in the middle of a residential community, and an ongoing dispute between neighborhood activists and a large corporation about the health hazards it poses. The situation present in North Champaign is only a symptom of larger problems of social injustice related to race, health and corporate responsibility. It is no coincidence that the mostly African-Ameican neighborhoods are poor nor is it particularly surprising to find that the issue of environmental injustice sits alongside problems of poor relations with law enforcement, and lack of adequate support from local government. This project involved the use of mapping and new media communication technologies to present many of the environmental and health issues present in North Champaign. Future Directions in Community Technology Center Research ? Community technology centers, small libraries and non-profit organizations all struggle to manage their technology assets. Issues of digital literacy, external threats like computer viruses, rapidly changing hardware and burgeoning software options make today?s IT environment difficult to navigate, even for experts. To meet this challenge, 21st century organizations require effective and robust management systems and education strategies that can deliver a variety of functions and positive outcomes. This semester long study focused on prototyping dynamic, web-based solutions for these challenges. They included: ? A dynamic inventorying system that tracks the ?health? of computers, and is capable of transmitting technical information to system administrators in the event of failure. IT administrators can access a complete software and hardware portfolio for each asset, quickly and easily. ? A geographic information system which helps visually organize the location of community technology centers in a city or region. GIS tools also enhance the overall situational awareness of organizations. ? A knowledge-sharing system to allow community help-desk organizations to disseminate critical information and improve training efforts. These type of systems help connect experts with beginners, and foster relationship building at all levels of the organization. ? Use of the Wordpress Content Management System (CMS) for truly community-driven web resources. ? Web-based technology training guides and tutorials designed to be modular, multimedia and most importantly, empowerment oriented. They not only teach essential digital literacy skills but also encourage relevant and critical use of technology through active and contextualized learning. ? A customized Linux distribution and software built specifically to support community technology education needs. Combined with guides and documentation this helps to ensure sustainability. In addition we explored the possibilities of CTC-based education programs in a digital learning series for kids that included Storytelling in [Stop] Motion and Comics and Community Stories

Prairienet and community networking: An annotated bibliography

This Lab Note is a working bibliography, prepared as part of a book we are researching and writing about Prairienet. Other authors include Paul Adams, Ann Bishop, Karen Fletcher, Greg Newby, and Martin Wolske. Prairienet is the 15-year-old electronic community network in Champaign, Illinois initiated by faculty at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science. The book project formed part of the graduate-level course LIS490CIC Community Informatics Corps, taught in Spring 2008 by Kate Williams.published or submitted for publicatio