For our Intro to Network Systems class at GSLIS we designed and built two public computing labs in East St. Louis, IL, one at Pirtle’s Variety, and the other at The Word Cafe and Christian Bookstore.

This was an immersive, from-the-ground-up process wherein we surveyed our partners and their patrons to determine their technological and social needs, devised solutions to those needs within the constraints of budget and the donated computers and software available, and implemented those solutions, both in our staging lab and at the site itself.

For sustainability purposes, we also provided training materials and thorough documentation for all of the hardware and software solutions implemented. Close attention was also paid to the design of the physical space, with a view towards carefully integrating technology into the existing lifeways of the community.

The course concluded with a public presentation, in which we explained our project, the needs of the community, and how the technology and design choices we made could meet them.