Home | Cultural Inventory | Public Engagement

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Public Engagement

Background

Internet Use Today

There is no doubt that we live in a wired world. Usership of the Internet continues to increase throughout the world and it is no different in Canada. Here are some significant facts:

• Of the more than 15 million adult Canadians who used the Internet from home in 2005, almost two-thirds used it every day during the typical month, and just under one-quarter reported using it 10 hours or more during the typical week.
  —Statistics Canada, 2007.

• Just under one-half (49%) of employed Internet users from age 35 to 54 reported accessing it from work for personal non-business use, while 9 out of 10 (91%) full-time students under age 25 who used the Internet reported accessing it from school.
  — Statistics Canada, 2007.

• In general, Internet use rises provincially from east to west, although only three provinces had usage rates above the national average of 68% - Ontario (72%), Alberta (71%) and British Columbia (69%).
  Source: The Daily, Tuesday, August 15, 2006. Canadian Internet Use Survey.

• More than 60% of Canada's online population are turning to public sector Web sites."
  Source: comScore Media Matrix, 2003.

• "33% of Canadians are turning to government sites as a form of communications channel."
  Source: comScore Media Matrix, 2003.

• In 2003, 97% of all elementary and secondary schools were connected to the Internet in 2003/04, as were 93% of computers." Source "Connectivity and Learning in Canada's Schools,
  — Statistics Canada, 2004.

• More than 66% of students use the Internet for researching information for project assignments or for solving academic problems.
  — Statistics Canada, 2007.

It is important to remember that the Internet is both a tool for e-commerce and for the delivery of information unrelated to financial transactions. In fact, users go online for information about all aspects of life and their society including arts, heritage, general cultural, and recreational uses. This is particularly true of younger users who use the Internet to socialize through interactive sites.

It is evident from the statistics noted above that it is incumbent on both public and private-sector institutions to become a part of the Information Society or the Knowledge Economy. The Internet has provided an unprecedented vehicle for the democratization of information not only with respect to governance but also for delivery of information for both formal and lifelong learning.

While Web content continues to grow at an astronomical rate, not all is reliable. In fact, the majority is likely unreliable and there is an enormous gap in authoritative content that must be filled by organizations and institutions operating in the public trust. The private sector, generally speaking, creates information for economic advantage. But, as is demonstrated above, individuals of all ages go to the web to learn. This means that authority of content is a huge issue and it is incumbent on public trust institutions, whether governments, educational institutions, and charitable organizations, to fill this need.

Creative Edmonton Web site

As a partner in the Edmonton Cultural Capitals of Canada proposal, the Heritage Community Foundation not only defined the Cultural Inventory process but also built in the creation of a dynamic Web presence to showcase "Creative Edmonton." The Foundation is an educational trust committed to connecting people with heritage. The Foundation creates digital resources about all aspects of the historical, natural, cultural, scientific, and cultural heritage of Alberta. The Foundation is one of Canada's largest Web publishers, if not the largest and its Web sites draw on the resources of museums, archives, arts and heritage organizations and institutions, and private collections. The Foundation is dedicated to the development of multimedia, online learning resources that make learning about heritage a fun and interactive experience. All Web sites are designed with curriculum linkages to the Alberta Program of Studies.

The Heritage Foundation's core project is the Alberta Online Encyclopedia—www.albertasource.ca—the primary intellectual legacy project for Alberta's centenary in 2005. It currently comprises 77 websites and, in 2006, AlbertaSource.cas received in excess of 68 million hits, with over 2.5 million site visits of over 20 minutes duration.

Based on this knowledge of the Web environment, the Heritage Community Foundation has developed the Creative Edmonton Web site (www.creativeedmonton.ca). The site has been designed to not only make available information about the cultural inventory process and findings, but also to encourage research in the area of arts, heritage, and culture. It can become a one-stop place to find out about what makes Edmonton a creative and culturally vital city.

The site navigation provides an entry point into significant content as follows:

• Canada's Cultural Capital 2007
  This section will provide an overview of Edmonton's proposal and will have a hyperlink to Edmonton Cultural Capitals of Canada Web site.

• The Cultural Inventory
  This section contains an overview of the inventory process and the final report; the report is available in a PDF format for printing.

• The Cultural Plan
  This section will present what the plan is and the process; the Plan will be available in a PDF format for printing.

• The Cultural Surveys
  This section will present the survey methodology, the survey instruments and the Survey Report; the Survey Report is available in PDF format for printing.

• Cultural Organizational Directory
  This interactive database is an ever-growing information source on the array of arts, heritage, and other cultural organizations located in Edmonton; this will be accessible from any page on the Web site.

• Research Archive
  This section contains a brief outline of the research methodologies and directions undertaken during this project. It will also include links, where applicable, to selected resources as well as a number of those resources in their entirety (e.g. Cultural Futures Project Report, Leger Edmonton Cultural Capital Study Report, etc.). This section will also contain an extensive sample project research bibliography. This section will be accessible on every page of the Web site.

• Cultural Map
  This section will contain a colour-coded ward map of Edmonton. Clicking on each ward will produce a list of all the organizations contained within the directory database which are located within the boundaries of that ward. This section will be accessible on every page of the Web site.

The Web site, based on the growing public use of the Internet, is envisioned as a dynamic site that will continue to grow and to which both the City of Edmonton and the cultural community will contribute. The site will be a part of Albertasource.ca, the Alberta Online Encyclopedia, and will benefit from the established brand and visitorship. The site will also have extensive hyperlinks to not only cultural organizations' Web sites but also, potentially, individual creators' sites.