WebJunction

The U.S. Library Program, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, provided a specialized program to tribal communities in the Four Corners area, including libraries or technology sites in the states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. The Native American Access to Technology Program (NAATP) provided hardware, software, and training support through 161 sites serving 43 tribes.[1] Like other facets of the Gates funded U.S. Library Program, direct Foundation support for these services will soon discontinue. Technical support will become user driven through WebJunction, the Web site that supports an online community advocating public access computing.

The NAATP program followed an "extended collaboration process" that encouraged joint decision-making based on local needs. Preliminary findings indicate that, for example, the standard model of offering computer classes was not as effective as face-to-face tutoring sessions between a trainer and the user.[2] WebJunction.org offers rich content, from feature articles to monthly newsletters, online courses, and threaded discussion areas. Given the text-dense nature of WebJunction, Indigenous users might welcome a customized approach to locating relevant information on the site.

In spring 2004 seven graduate students in the "Library Instruction and Information Literacy" class in the School of Information at the University of Texas at Austin created an interface to WebJunction.org content tailored for Native users. They embraced this opportunity to combine learning styles theory and instructional methods to create a unique Web environment that might be useful for a target audience, those working to support public access computing in Indian country. This interface can be found at http://www.ischool.utexas.edu/~loriene/nativebridge.

Students were guided in their work by the work of Dr. Greg Cajete and his model of indigenous information seeking. This is a cyclical process that encompasses the following actions: being, asking, seeking, making, having, sharing, and celebrating. [3] They added a close understanding of their own learning styles as explained by the Kolb learning styles inventory. [4] Class discussion of these theories provided a decision-making framework and some guiding principles for constructing the Native Bridge. Students suggested that the interface be graphical, appeal to a variety of learning styles, save time for the user, provide simulated face-to-face interaction, reflect indigenous values, and, when possible, incorporate humor. To the later end, the class adopted Dr. Roy's dog, Sheila, as our urban rez (reservation) dog mascot. Sheila (AKA Speed Bump) appears on the Bridge in cartoon and photographic form.

The Native Bridge provides content on four click-levels. The class worked to blend WebJunction's railroad theme with reflections of Native culture. Level one, the introductory page, welcomes visitors to the site and features an illustration of a train exiting from an tunnel and approaching the signature WebJunction signpost. " Clicking here brings the visitor to a hub representing a medicine wheel with links to five main content areas on WebJunction: Policies and Practices, Technology Resources, Buying Guide, Learning Center, and Community Center. Each of these content area links to five or six key features on WebJunction. For example, by clicking on "Community Center," the visitor can link to an article about the San Carlos (Arizona) Public Library, selected by WebJunction as its featured Library of the Month for February 2004. The fourth level clicks are either links directly to WebJunction or to value-added segments of the Native bridge.

Value added features include a glossary of technical, organizational, and procedural terms, a history of the Native Bridge project, and biographies, including images, of the Native Bridge creators and their mascot, Sheila, AKA Speed Bump. Two other special features include a ticketing system to encourage registration on Web Junction and the Web site mascot. On the second-level hub or orienting page visitors are invited to "Claim a ticket" for WebJunction. The advantages of registering are listed, including the opportunity to take online courses, print a certificate for completing courses, communicate on the message boards, receive updated information about WebJunction, and participate in site evaluation.

Work on the Native Bridge will continue through the summer with a masters student undertaking evaluation of the site as a whole. We invite visitors and comments to the Native bridge! Contact Dr. Loriene Roy at loriene@ischool.utexas.edu for further information.

References

1. Gordon, Andrew C., Jessica Dorr and Margaret Gordon (2003), "Native American Technology Access: The Gates Foundation in Four Corners," The Electronic Library 21 (5): 428-434.

2. Sirois, John E., Margaret T. Gordon, and Andrew C. Gordon. "Native American Access to Technology Program: Progress Report. A Report to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. December 2001." Available at http://www.gatesfoundation.org/nr/downloads/libraries/eval_docs/pdf/NAATP_Progress_Report_2001.pdf

3. Cajete, Gregory (1994) Look to the Mountain: An Ecology of Indigenous Education. Skyland, NC: Kivaki Press.

4. Svinicki, Marilla D. and Nancy M. Dixon (1987). "The Kolb Model Modified for Classroom Activities," College Teaching 35 (4): 141-146.