What is community informatics? A global and empirical answer

1. 4 45 Can we define community informatics not as a social movement or service project, but as a research field?  Do we have a global, empirical, picture of informatization in communities?  What does the field tell us? We collected 524 empirical studies of one or more local, historical, organic (place-based) communities and information technology. We found these by reviewing TOCs of 5 social/ community informatics journals and 3 journals in other fields, 1990-present. INTELLECTUAL SPACE: With articles concentrated in three disciplines, we do see a research community forming.  Four leading journals have published more than half the articles.  POLITICAL SPACE: With 60% of the studies examining the UK and its former colonies, the research community is not yet global. Work in other languages is needed.  Certain regions are overrepresented, others underrepresented. HUMAN SPACE: Although 50% of people are rural, community informatics studies mostly urban settings. Different disciplines help create a global picture of informatization by studying rural settings. SOCIAL SPACE: Community informatics does see the importance of local institutions, focusing thus far on nonprofits. NEXT STEPS: Citation analysis by university and  keyword.  Coding by theory ... methods ... technologies ... findings.  Examining cultural heritage organizations, including libraries.  Comparing LIS and ICTD.  Analyzing conference proceedings and edited volumes.  Collecting in other languages, especially Chinese. What is community informatics?A global and empirical answer eBlackCU.net honoring ‘Difference Makers’ in Champaign-Urbana, IL. CI Lab research affiliate Hui Yan 闫慧 studying IT use in central China. Champaign-Urbana community memory project digitizing yearbooks. by Kate Williams, Shameem Ahmed, Noah Lenstra, and Qiyuan Liu 刘启元, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign Public computing facility at Occupy Wall Street, Fall 2011.