Connecting Canadians: Investigations in Community Informatics

Connecting Canadians examines the role of communityinformatics, or community-based ICT initiatives, in this process oftransition. The Community Research Alliance for Community Innovationand Networking (CRACIN) set out to study how civil societygroups-in locations ranging from Vancouver to Labrador and fromremote Northern communities to Toronto and Montreal-sought toenable local communities to develop on their own terms within thebroader context of federal and provincial policies and programs.Drawing on diverse theoretical perspectives, from sociology to libraryand information sciences to women’s studies, the essays not onlydocument specific local initiatives but analyze the overall trajectoryof the government’s vision of a digitally inclusive Canada.