Certificate in Community Informatics

After satisfactory completion of 3 Community Informatics courses (12 credits), which can be a part of the Master of Library Science program, students may apply online to receive a certificate. “LIS 590 CO: Community Informatics,” is required and 2 others are selected from a recommended course list. This coursework will have introduced them to:

• ways that diverse communities work to address their problems,
• theories that adequately account for the complexity and diversity of distributed collective practice,
• tools to mediate work on concrete tasks within communities,
• effective processes for developing shared capacity in the form of knowledge, skills and tools.

Students can participate in the CI program on either a full- or part-time basis, as an on-campus, in-Chicago or LEEP (online) student. All CI classes are also available to students not working towards the CI certificate.

With this foundation, recipients of LIS degrees with a CI certificate may work in a variety of settings such as public and school libraries, non-profit organizations, cultural heritage groups and municipal governments as librarians, youth media instructors, and researchers, for example. Providing community information and referral is another job option. We especially encourage access to and participation in careers in library and information science for students traditionally underrepresented in graduate study and research.

Courseload | Curriculum | Financial Aid | Admission Requirements

Community Informatics

Community Informatics (CI) focuses on the space between two concepts, community and informatics. This stresses that reciprocity must characterize relationships that emerge out of these concepts, because the balance of power among groups is often unequal and resources are used differently. There is a critical need to understand not only how communities access, create, organize and share information, but also the types and qualities of connections between and among communities. Community members spearhead both naming the issues of the community and the process leading to solutions. People involved in CI use insights from fields such as sociology, planning, computer science, critical theory, women's studies, library and information science, management information systems, and management studies to empower personal, social, cultural and economic development of and within communities. We prioritize collaborations with marginalized communities to create solutions to the most serious crises threatening society as a whole: poverty, health, violence, food security, etc.

Students in CI work with community members, faculty and other students to build innovative community technology centers and networks, software, and library services in local, national, and international communities. Coursework focuses on theory, research, and practice in community informatics, social entrepreneurship, and community library and information services. Students are prepared to apply what they have learned to the creation of information services across a wide range of community-based and public interest organizations.

The CI program has unique strengths and expertise that come from fifteen years of university-campus partnerships with people in East St. Louis, Chicago, and north Champaign. More recently we have partnered with organizations in rural Illinois and West Africa. Hands-on engagement with these ongoing programs makes for a blended experience. A partnership between GSLIS and the Puerto Rican Cultural Center in Chicago provides special opportunities for students to pursue their coursework on-site in an inner-city neighborhood famed for its innovative approach to community-based learning. The project-centered approach helps students apply what they are studying to real-world situations that involve community partners in meeting local needs. Students have the potential for sustained relationships with communities.

Central to the CI program and certificate is The Community Informatics Initiative (CII), one of the three GSLIS research and teaching centers. Faculty within GSLIS as well as other scholars across campus partner on research and teaching projects funded by the Illinois Informatics Institute. CII also sponsors workshops and symposia on campus and in Chicago.

Courseload

The master's degree program requires 40 hours of graduate study, including two GSLIS core courses, "LIS 501: Information Organization and Access" and "LIS 502: Libraries, Information, and Society." Students pursuing the CI certificate take an additional three courses in any order. "LIS 590 CO: Community Informatics," is required and 2 others are selected from a recommended course list. To complete the certificate, students choose electives that meet their interests and needs. Since each person’s background, goals and interests are different, other elective courses may be applied toward the certificate after approval. Contact "Sharon Irish"-slirish, at illinois.edu- for more information.

See the master's degree program information for rules governing how the remaining hours in the master’s program may be earned. The CI faculty are willing to talk to prospective and current students about what courses will best meet student needs. We maintain a list of current CI students who are eager to share their experiences with prospective students and be peer mentors for admitted students. Contact "Sharon Irish"-slirish, at illinois.edu- for more information.

Refer to the LEEP Online Education information for the specific requirements for the online degree program. If they have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, non-degree seeking students may also take CI courses as community credit students and thus also obtain the certificate.

Curriculum

GSLIS Core

LIS501 Information Organization and Access (4 hours)

LIS502 Libraries, Information, and Society (2 or 4 hours)

Required CI Certificate Course

LIS590CO Community Informatics (4 hours)

Recommended CI Elective Courses (take at least 2)

Highly Recommended:
LIS 490CE Community Engagement
LIS 590RE Social Science Research in LIS

Also Recommended:
LIS 451 Intro to Network Systems
LIS 490DD Digital Divide: Policy, Research and Community Empowerment
LIS 490GIG Geographic Information Systems
LIS 590BTW Serving the Child in Schools and Community
LIS 590CE Civic Entrepreneurship
LIS 590CI Community Information Systems
LIS 590IBO, LIS590IBL Inquiry-Based Learning
LIS 590ITB Information Technology and the Black Experience
LIS 590ST Strategic Information Management

Students may also supplement their program of study by taking other LIS electives, or electives outside GSLIS and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Financial Aid

The Tuition and Financial Aid page page in our Admissions information will give you details about the types of financial aid students may be eligible for, and how to go about applying for it. See the CII Grad Assistantships and Fellowships page for specific aid available to CI program students.

Admission Requirements

Admission requirements for the CI program are the same as those for all master's degree program applicants. Please review the general MS program information as well as the admissions section of our website for minimum admission requirements and to learn how to apply. For further information, contact Sharon Irish at -slirish, at illinois.edu-.

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