Vol. 7, No. 1• November 2002
Unveiling the Virtual Resource Community (VRC)
Are you concerned about the cuts North Carolina is making in human services? Or would you like to find an article about some common mental health issues affecting children in foster care? Or do you have a question you would like to ask a social work researcher or teacher?
Then visit a new web-based tool—the Virtual Resource Community—where you can e-mail the General Assembly, find article and book citations, and connect with social work researchers and teachers.
Created by the Jordan Institute for Families, part of the UNC–Chapel Hill School of Social Work, with a grant from the Smallwood Foundation, the VRC is a virtual village with a library, a government building, and a community center.
The library is filled with citations of articles and books written by UNC–Chapel Hill social work faculty and contains links to other online libraries. The government building houses links to North Carolina and federal government agencies and includes a section of information for action. The community center is a lecture hall—a place where faculty showcase their research through downloadable PowerPoint presentations—and an information desk—where users can pose research-related social work questions and have them answered by content experts.
“The intent of the VRC is to become a “one-stop” resource for scholars, social workers, policy makers, families, and individuals to find and share information, as well as learn how to apply the latest research to enhance their work,” said Jordan Institute Executive Director Nancy Dickinson.
Pending future funding, there are plans to expand the VRC by adding:
- Frontline—A place for real-time interactive discussions
- The Loop—A message board for users to share and solicit information
- The Family Room—A center where families can exchange information about services and resources
The VRC is accessible at <http://sswnt5.sowo.unc.edu/VRC/index.html>.
Copyright � 2002 Jordan Institute for Families
