Home

Teaching

Research

Publications

Students
Nadia's picture Nadia Caidi
Associate Professor

Faculty of Information
University of Toronto 		phone: (416) 978-4664
fax: (416) 978-8942
nadia.caidi@utoronto.ca

45 Willcocks Str., 3rd floor, #335
Toronto, Ontario M5S 1C7

Research Projects

The State of Information Post 9/11

Funding agency: This research has been funded by two grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (2004-2010).

The objectives of this research project are to examine the legislation, policies and practices around "information" and informational activities in various countries, following the 9/11 attacks. In their quest for protecting citizens and enhancing national and global security, many governments have increasingly tightened control over the production, management and diffusion of any information deemed of a sensitive nature. This research project examines the significance and the consequences of such practices for various sectors of society, including the media and publishing sectors, the scientific and academic circles, civil society, and ultimately the broader public.

Information Practices of Ethno-Cultural Communities (IPEC)

Funding agency: This research is funded by grants from the Faculty of Information Studies and the Joint Center of Excellence on Research on Immigration and Settlement (CERIS).

The quality of information and one's efficiency in acquiring and processing it is critical for new immigrants’ adjustments to their adopted country. The aim of the IPEC study is to inform our understanding of the information practices of ethno-cultural communities in the Greater Toronto Area. There are various components to this research:

Information Resources and Social Inclusion

The findings of the IPEC study will provide insights to frontline information providers about the types of information needed by individuals to deal with situations encountered in their everyday lives, along with the choice of information sources, and successful outcomes. The findings will serve to influence government programs and funding priorities concerning information provision and access strategies to improve inclusion of these communities into the Canadian social fabric.

  • Caidi, N., Allard, D., & Quirke, L. (2010). "The Information Practices of Immigrants." Annual Review of Information Science and Technology (ARIST), 44: 493-531.

  • Caidi, N., D. Allard, & C. Luk. (Forthcoming article). "Locating Public Libraries in a Multicultural Society: Lessons from Toronto, Canada." (Please contact us for a pre-print)

  • Caidi, N. (2006). "Building 'Civilisational Competence': A New Role for Libraries?" Journal of Documentation, 62(2), 194-212.

  • Caidi, N., C. Luk, & D. Allard. (2005). "Information Access and Socio-Economic Integration: Public Libraries' Impacts in the Lives of Three Immigrant Communities in Toronto." Presentation at the 10th International Metropolis Conference, Toronto, Ontario. October 17-21, 2005.

  • Caidi, N. & Allard, D. (2005). "Social Inclusion of Newcomers to Canada: An Information Problem?" Library and Information Science Research, 27(3), 302-324.

  • Caidi, N. & Allard, D. (2005). "The Information Needs and Uses of New Immigrants and their Implications for Social Inclusion." INSCAN (International Settlement Canada), 18(4), 6-8. [French version also available in the same issue: "Les besoins et les utilisations d'information chez les nouveaux immigrants et leurs implications pour l'inclusion sociale"].

  • Caidi, N. (2004). "Youth, ICTs and Civic Participation." Canadian Issues/Themes Canadiens. Special Issue on "Engaging Canada's Youth." Association of Canadian Studies, Fall 2004. Pp.14-16.

  • Caidi, N. (2004). "Information Practices of Ethno-Racial Communities in Toronto." Presentation at the 7th National Metropolis Conference, Montreal, Quebec. March 25-28, 2004.

  • Caidi, N. (2004). "Tell me where you get your information and I will tell you how integrated you are." Seminar talk at the Joint Center of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Settlement. Toronto, March 10, 2004.

  • Caidi, N. (2004). "What does information have to do with culture... or health?" Seminar talk at the Center for Research on Womens' Health. Toronto, February 26, 2004.

Designing Culturally-Sensitive Interfaces and Content

The study includes needs assessment and design of culturally-sensitive interfaces and culturally-relevant content for a variety of groups (health information for immigrant women; social services for refugees, etc.).

Digital Libraries For and With Aboriginal Communities (DLAC)

Funded by grants from the Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto and by CRACIN
Contacts: Nadia Caidi (Univ. of Toronto) and Brian Walmark (KORI)

Aboriginal communities have faced tremendous challenges in establishing libraries for their people in what are often remote and isolated communities. The aim of this project is to assess the feasability of developing digital libraries that are culturally relevant and meaningful to the ways of knowing of the aboriginal communities of Norther Ontario. For the purpose of this project, we partnered with the Keewaytinook Okimakanak (KO), a treaty council representing six First Nations communities in Ontario's far north. In partnership with members of the community, our aim is to develop a strategy to create a digital library for elementary and secondary school students. KO is an ideal partner to work with in order to devise ways in which digital libraries can be developed to complement their existing knowledge and learning infrastructure (K-Net) along with their other great initiatives such as KiHS, the Internet High School or the TeleHealth initiative.

As part of DLAC, an On Demand Book Service is being developed. For more information, check the DLAC website.

  • Caidi N., & Lam, M. (2010). Working with First Nations: The On-Demand Book Service. BooksOnline'10 Workshop at the 19th ACM International Conference on Information and Knowledge Management (CIKM) 2010. October 26, 2010. Toronto. ON.

    • Also check the Research on Information and Communications Technologies with Aboriginal Communities (RICTA). The objectives of the RICTA network were: 1) to conduct collaborative research networking in a spirit of respect, sharing, inclusion, consensus and commitment; 2) to make Canada an international leader in research on ICT with Aboriginal communities and nations; 3) to foster opportunities for research training and mentoring project. A number of Aboriginal communities in Canada are successfully using ICT for telehealth and distance education. An opportunity exists now to further develop and disseminate a knowledge base on ICT and broader Aboriginal community development. RICTA members include 24 social scientists from Canadian universities, three international researchers, nine community and government representatives, and one private sector representative.

    The Canadian Research Alliance for Community Innovation and Networking (CRACIN)

    Funding agency: This research is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council's Initiative on the New Economy.

    The CRACIN project (PIs: Andrew Clement, Michael Gurstein, Marita Moll, and Leslie Shade) examines the role and impact of community networking initiatives. Within this broad initiative, I am the project leader for a study on "Community Networking and Libraries," whose aim is to assess the opportunities and challenges afforded to libraries by the advent of new types of organizations (eg., community networks) that increasingly provide services traditionally offered by libraries.
    • Caidi, N., MacDonald, S. & Chien, E. (Forthcoming). “Community Networks and Libraries: Strenghtening Ties to Communities” (35 pages). In A. Clement et al. (eds). CRACIN Papers Edited Volume. Athabasca University Press.

    • Caidi, N. & Chien, L. (2007). "Community Networks and Libraries: Synergy or Tensions?" Paper presented at the Fourth CRACIN Workshop, Montreal, QC. June 20-22, 2007.

    • Caidi, N. & Clement, A. (2004). "Digital Libraries and Community Networking: The Canadian Experience." Poster presentation at the ACM-IEEE Joint Conference on Digital Libraries (JCDL), Tucson, AZ. June 5-7, 2004.

    • Participant in the "Future of Digital Libraries in Canada" workshop. March 11-14, 2004. Vancouver, BC.

    Global Information Village Plaza

    Building on the success of the first Global Information Village Plaza, organized in 2002 at the American Society of Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T) conference, follow-ups were designed in 2003 and 2004, all of which maintained the interactive format (aimed at giving ASIS&T members an opportunity to express their personal views about the challenges and opportunities that the so called "information society" represents in their personal and professional lives) and adding new features.

    More information on the Global Information Village Plaza is available on the SIG-III website.

    Also see the special issue of the Bulletin of ASIS&T on the "Global Information Village Plaza". 31(4), April/May 2005.

    Technologies of Democracy

    In the past decade, the digital democracy literature has witnessed a departure away from purely deterministic approaches that view ICTs as a technical 'fix' and toward a more balanced view of the combined potential of technology, democracy and communication. In this research, we examine empirically the validity of three core claims of digital democracy that arise from the various initiatives and studies (Jankowski & van Selm, 2000; Tsagarousianou, 1999; van Dijk & Hacker, 2000) namely, obtaining information, engaging in deliberation, and participating in decision- making).

    The user group chosen is the student body at a major Canadian university. University students are in that specific age group and category of users that are portrayed as the less resistant groups in adopting new technologies. Our aim was to explore how university students are using computer networks to participate in civic life, especially as it relates to their involvement in (and input on) higher education policies and university life. By extension, the role of ICTs in the development and sustainability of the student community in a university environment will be examined. In the process, there are many questions that will be raised, particularly around the notion of access to and reliability of public information; equality of access to infrastructure and information services, protection of privacy, and quality of discourse.

    • Caidi, N. (2004). "Youth, ICTs and Civic Participation." Canadian Issues/Themes Canadiens. Special Issue on "Engaging Canada's Youth." Association of Canadian Studies, Fall 2004. Pp. 14-16.

    • Hall, S. & Caidi, N. (2003). "Technologies of Democracy: Participation and Access in the University Environment." Proceedings of the Canadian Association for Information Science, Halifax, NS, Pp. 19-30.

    Professional Societies

    • American Society for Information Science & Technology (ASIS&T) and the award-winning SIG-III (International Issues in Information).

    • Association for Internet Researchers (AoIR).

    • Canadian Association for Information Science (CAIS).

    • International Communication Association (ICA).

    • Society for the Social Studies of Science (4S).
    validate