Extending the Services and the Accessibility of Community Networks

Community networks are community-oriented information and communication systems that are generally patterned after the public library’s model of free, inclusive service and commitment to universal access. To serve the community network objectives it is therefore important to have easy and widespread information access. In this paper we present the Campiello system that proposes both enhanced information services and complementary user interfaces to better serve the community network objectives. Enhancement of the services is obtained by introducing collaborative filtering functions to support easier navigation in the information space of the community. To extend access to the community network, a paper-based interface is used, that supports exchange of information with the network, from physical locations spread in town. A large screen based interface is also used, which provides collective easy entry points to the most recent and relevant community information.