Bishop Article Review

What were the information needs of members of this community?

• Community Services - Organizations
• Resources for children
• Healthcare
• Leisure activities
• Employment information and resources
• Education
• Crime and Safety

What barriers did members of this community face?

The members of this community who partook in this study found information barriers in:

• Cost
• Lack of informational and technological knowledge
• Lack of convenience

Many members of this community expressed the need for IT access in more convenient and applicable locations.  Many felt that to have the only public access in libraries was not very convenient.  Suggestions were made to have terminals in places where they could be used more purposefully such as stores, hospitals, schools, and courthouses.

How were these issues similar or dissimilar to to those faced by the Collins family in Legacy?

This study did not deal with members from the community facing mental barriers; participants in this study were very optimistic and excited to use information technologies and gain information.  This is a big contrast with the family in Legacy; especially Nicole's mother was very apprehensive to seek any sort of information and faced many mental barriers of fear and distrust.  Some of the other barriers did exist in both this study and the documentary.  The Collins family faced the barriers of cost and definitely lacked informational skills and knowledge.  

Another important point of Bishop's study was outlining reasons for seeking access.  These included self-improvement, fear of being left out, the desire to advance, and desire to obtain educational information.  We can see many of these same desires in the Collins family, especially in Nicole.  We can see how Nicole overcame many of the barriers her family was stuck behind to obtain the information and life she desired.