The Civic Index , a ten point community self-evaluation tool, helps communities develop their problem solving capacity by providing a method and a process for first identifying and recognizing their strengths and weaknesses, and then structuring collaborative approaches to solving shared problems. Today's column discusses the Civic Index component of Community Information Sharing. . Solving Whether it is the media, a civic organization, a university or a school system, communities must have mechanisms for gathering and sharing information, and educating the public about the issues. Community information sharing is the composite of all these mechanisms. Without comprehensive and accessible information sharing, a community's ability to work toward solutions to the challenges they face, make balanced judgements and head off contentious disputes is impaired.
Futurists say our society has left the industrial age and entered the information age.
The link between information access and citizen participation is irrefutable. Citizens must understand the vital issues of their communities so that they can make informed decisions. Riverside, CA, a 1998 winner of the National Civic League's All-America City Award, provides a fine example for communities of making sure that everyone in their community has access to information. This program has 10 networked computer stations with Internet access and serves as the library service site for 16,000 residents of the Eastside. Ninety-eight percent of Eastside residents are of low and moderate income and have limited access to computers or the Internet.