Community Inquiry Labs (iLabs) are brought to you by
The Graduate School of Library and Information Science
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Inquiry Labs, v. 3 (iLabs) is a web based application that has been developed at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, to facilitate collaboration within and between different communities.
iLabs provide a flexible way to incorporate digital inquiry infrastructure and repositories within the context and practices of individual communities. They also represent a significant expansion of ICT applications from those previously available at the Inquiry Page Web site ( inquiry.uiuc.edu). iLabs are a Web-based suite of open source software tools that one can draw from to construct an interactive Web site. People create iLabs on-the-fly and on their own, to support inquiry activities within and among groups.
Any user can create an iLab -- at no cost and without HTML coding, software installation or owning or maintaining server space -- by filling out a Web form that includes checking-off which iLab "bricks" or tools to include in their Web site. Information about setting up an iLab with bricks of various types can be found in the can be found in the links to the left titled Creating an iLab (Part I, II and III or No Screenshots).
Currently available iLab bricks include:
- Text Display Panel: to display formatted text and images using an in-place HTML editor (no coding required)
- Bulletin Board: to support online discussion.
- Document Center: for uploading, organizing and sharing files.
- List Tool: a general-purpose tool that can be used to create Web-based logs or journals (commonly called "blogs"), project management or other timelines, an address book, a glossary, an annotated list of Web bookmarks, etc.
- Inquiry Unit Builder: a tool to manage complex, multi-purpose units having multiple text sections, document attachments, and options for sharing.
Each inquiry community adopts and adapts iLab software to suit its own needs and activities. iLabs have been adapted by people from all walks of life, to support different kinds of inquiry activities, including: neighborhood activism, university courses, research projects, committee work, K-12 education, conference presentations, developing international professional associations, and art projects.
iLab resources (publications, presentations, posters, etc.) are also accessible on the web.
