Hi all, Re. below, are a couple of recent references from Current Cities that might be of interest to you and/or your colleagues:) Have a nice weekend, Leo --- McIver, Jr., William, William F. Birdsall, and Merrilee Rasmussen. "[40]The Internet and the Right to Communicate" [41]First Monday 8(12) (1 December 2003) (http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue8_12/mciver/). - The authors assert that the emergence of the Internet challenges traditional conceptions of information rights, because it opens new territory that does not fit easily into the parameters that govern traditional media outlets. But the debate about information rights on the new medium tends to happen in a piecemeal fashion, governed by various stakeholders or professions with an interest in the process. They see a need to craft a more holistic framework that encompasses the entire spectrum of information rights, and the right to communicate in particular. To explore this concept, they define and differentiate between 'hard' and 'soft' laws. Hard laws are statutory and legislative, while soft laws are less binding, and exist in the form of charters, declarations and guiding principles. They examine how the right to communicate can be implemented in realistic terms, arguing that a grass roots movement is necessary to push society to create a process for defining information rights. Gurstein, Michael. "[24]Effective Use: A Community Informatics Strategy Beyond the Digital Divide" [25]First Monday 8(12) (1 December 2003) (http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue8_12/gurstein/). - The author assesses the huge industries, both intellectual and cultural, that have sprung up to comment on the "digital divide". He evaluates the various concepts underlying the idea of this schism and its effect on the populace, and argues that it is mostly a marketing vehicle for technology firms and Internet service providers. He presents an alternative approach, which is to focus on "effective use." This idea is based in community informatics theory, which defines the Internet as a new force in culture and society that is not easily measured by conventional means. He argues that instead subsidizing technology providers, it would be more effective to tie the debate about the digital divide to real-world issues like health care delivery, the environment and concrete economic injustices. Current Cites - ISSN: 1060-2356 Copyright (c) 2004 by the Regents of the University of California All rights reserved. Copying is permitted for noncommercial use by computerized bulletin board/conference systems, individual scholars, and libraries. Libraries are authorized to add the journal to their collections at no cost. This message must appear on copied material. All commercial use requires permission from the editor. All product names are trademarks or registered trade marks of their respective holders. Mention of a product in this publication does not necessarily imply endorsement of the product. To subscribe to the Current Cites distribution list, send the message "sub cites [your name]" to [log in to unmask], replacing "[your name]" with your name. To unsubscribe, send the message "unsub cites" to the same address. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Leo J. Deveau, M.Ed., MLIS 9 Chestnut Avenue Wolfville, Nova Scotia B4P-1V7 "The map is not the territory." -Ludwig Wittgenstein "If your job bores you, it will bore us." -Mark Bernstein My directory of links can be found at: http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/~ljdeveau/Homepage.html