CALL FOR PAPERS IS NOW OPEN: 
CIRN 2009: Empowering communities: learning from community informatics 
practice.


     4-6 November 2009 Monash University Prato Centre, Italy
www.ccnr.net/prato2009

     To submit an abstract for a referred or non-referred paper, the PhD
colloquium, a workshop or a poster session, please go to
www.ccnr.net/prato2009.

     CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT & CALL FOR PAPERS

     We are seeking abstracts and proposals from academics, practitioners
and PhD students for the 7th conference and workshop event at the Monash
University Centre, Prato Italy (near Florence).

     The Centre for Community Networking Research, Monash (www.ccnr.net), in
conjunction with the Community Informatics Research Network
(www.ciresearch.net), and sponsors has held highly successful annual events
since 2003, as well as associated workshops over the years, in the UK,
France, and Portugal.

     The conference has an increasing representation of delegates from
Francophone and Spanish-speaking countries, and we welcome your attendance.
While the official conference language is English, if there are sufficient
papers for either language, language-specific sessions will be arranged.

     This conference is also being run in conjunction with the IDIA2009
Conference 28-30 October 2009 Kruger National Park, South Africa, Digitally
Empowering Communities: Learning from Development Informatics Practice,


     KEY DATES

        *  1 April 2009: all 250 word abstracts due for consideration - the
earlier the better.
         * 1 May 2009 : acceptance/rejection of abstracts. Refereed papers
are blind peer reviewed.
         * 1 July 2009 : papers due
        * 1 September 2009: final version of papers after blind peer review
(for academic papers) for publication in the official conference
proceedings.


    Major Theme:

     The idea of 'empowerment' has a number of special connotations in the
Community Informatics space. Community Informatics is an approach to
empowering communities with information and communication technologies.
There is a widespread expectation that Community Informatics will enhance
democracy, develop social capital, build communities, develop economies and
empower individuals and groups, and result in many different forms of social
change. Community Informatics, in bringing together communities and
technologies, works across at least three dimensions, though there may be
others which are relevant


        * The Context and Values held by different stakeholders in Community
Informatics
         * The Processes and Methodologies which are brought to bear in
Community Informatics
         * The Systems (both technical and human) which are brought to bear
in Community Informatics


     We use cases or examples of projects and programs to consider the
intersection between these three dimensions. The different interpretations
that can be given to the concept of 'empowerment' gives rise to a number key
questions about the relationships between the different dimensions of
community informatics and how we describe and analyze the communities and
cases we work with.

     For more details, see www.ccnr.net/prato2009

     Other themes


     Papers & presentations on other topics within the community informatics
realm are also most welcome, including topics including contributions on all
aspects of community informatics, including information theory or the
relationship between the body, technology, and community.

     PhD Colloquium

     PhD students are encouraged to submit a short paper (1000-2000 words)
in the PhD colloquium for discussion with academics and other students. The
paper should be about your PhD research and is NOT limited to the conference
themes. This is an excellent opportunity for feedback about your research
and an opportunity to meet other students, researchers, and practitioners
and be published.


     LOCATION

     The Prato campus is an exceptional environment in which to exchange
ideas for academics, students, practitioners or policymakers. We emphasize
participatory processes in the conference. The Centre is just off the main
piazza of a small Tuscan town. It is close to Italian transport hubs
including Pisa and Florence airports.

     COST

     The Conference cost will be approximately 310 and a moderately priced
conference banquet will also be held in Prato. Registration concessions will
be available for students and people from developing countries. Hotel and
other accommodation is reasonably priced. For more information, refer to
www.ccnr.net/prato2009


Larry Stillman
 For the Conference--2009