Bulletin of the Association for Information Science and Technology最新文献

EDITOR'S SUMMARY

Special Interest Group/Information Needs, Seeking and Use (SIG/USE) convened at the 2015 ASIS&T Annual Meeting to explore the links between theory and practice in information behavior. In his keynote address, Ross Todd urged the audience to go beyond models and aim for synthesis and meta-analysis, focusing on the user. Lightning talks addressed a social cognitive theory analysis of a program for disadvantaged youth; adults with limited literacy and health information; mobile information workers; forming a community of practice; and information sharing practices among online communities. A key takeaway was that research should actively involve communities and their members rather than simply being about them. Safiya Noble's keynote highlighted hidden biases in automated search engine returns with encouragement to design algorithms enabling users to opt in or out of filtered returns. Attendees explored the topics raised further during a mixer chat and table talks. The symposium ended with presentations for the best paper, poster and research proposal and awards for student and international conference travel.

EDITOR'S SUMMARY

At the 2015 ASIS&T Annual Meeting, Special Interest Group/Social Informatics (SIG/SI) celebrated its 11th research symposium and the more than 100 panels, papers and posters presented over the years. The theme, “The Impacts of Social Informatics Research,” was evident in studies illustrating social informatics in a variety of contexts. Speakers explored the use of communications technology in marginalized communities and language use in informal chat about illegal behavior in online communities. Presenters also examined human rights in Indonesia, taking a value-oriented approach in social informatics research, efforts to create a safer internet and ways big data marginalize individuals through algorithms used in quantitative analyses. A panel considered where social informatics fits in the IT curriculum of iSchools. An examination of social connectedness through digital channels and devices won the Best Paper Award.

EDITOR'S SUMMARY

Skewed information content delivered in search results, unwelcome emails, “news” stories or as advertising are telltale signs of an invisible filter bubble that distills the information we receive. Users are often unaware of how information is screened and beyond our control. Yet information architects have considerable influence in shaping content delivery as they design information environments. IAs can enhance user satisfaction by removing imposed limits, creating a setting that empowers users to understand and control the information environment and enabling them to exert their own perspective and agency. Design efforts in information architecture should liberate content for the user, leading to delight in mind-broadening discoveries.

EDITOR'S SUMMARY

Nadia Caidi, 2016 ASIS&T president, reported on attending conferences of the Council of Scientific Society Presidents (CSSP), the American Library Association (ALA) and ALISE (Association for Library and Information Science Education), highlighting the groups' intersecting interests and overlapping challenges. Information issues were present across much of the CSSP conference, including a focus on human behavior and interaction, adapting to changes in scholarly publishing and maintaining data integrity and security. The Midwinter Meeting of ALA, of which ASIS&T is an affiliate, included developments in library and information services and demonstrated the strong ties between the organizations and our goals. At the ALISE meeting training and accreditation were focal points; ASIS&T will participate in ongoing discussions on the topic. Planning for the ASIS&T 2016 Annual Meeting in Copenhagen continues, certain to deliver a stimulating mix of views on the fields of library and information science and technology.

EDITOR'S SUMMARY

With reproducibility of research becoming a leading issue in academia, libraries are examiningtheir role in promoting data and information transparency. The National Science Foundation's requirement for data management plans in research projects, grant applications stressing evidence of unbiased results and scholars' demands for standards for reproducibility together highlight the need for attention to the issue.Libraries increasingly seek staff with skills to support their data repositories, curation and data management services, and library and information science programs are responding to the growing need for specialization, including courses in research reproducibility. A ready solution may be for librarians to develop best practices for research transparency and methods to document research workflow. As the demand grows for evidence that research can be replicated, libraries are well positioned not only to manage research data properly but also to enable it to be analyzed for reproducibility.

EDITOR'S SUMMARY

Special Interest Group/Classification Research (SIG/CR) explored the significance of studies on classification and its real world effects through paper presentations by students and faculty at the 2015 ASIS&T Annual Meeting workshop. Presenters looked at the effects of approaches to classifying and structuring knowledge and at the ways classification models frame similarities and differences and influence views of society and the world. Among the papers on specific models and cases were presentations on capturing situation semantics in metadata, classifications of violence and disasters and historians' perspectives on organizing information. Fundamental philosophical positions were shown to inform classifications, and the effects of classificatory systems evolve with time. Other papers addressed the cultural, political and theoretical consequences of compiling a controlled vocabulary, outsourcing metadata and information resources for classification of social and cultural issues. The workshop ended with the announcement of new officers and presentation of student scholarships.

EDITOR'S SUMMARY

Bringing comic relief to the 2015 ASIS&T Annual Meeting, SIG CON opened with discovery that the alleged nephew of the group's figurehead, Dr. Llewellyn C. Puppybreath III, and speaker at the 2014 meeting was an imposter of dubious character. With the purloined ceremonial wand accounted for, the 2015 symposium opened with a presentation on the I-Index, an anti-establishment altmetric, eschewing group recognition in favor of individualism and self-citation. A paper on the correlation among computer science doctorates, rising arcade revenues and climate warming in Australia highlighted the income and career opportunities available to techies relocating to Oz. Analysis of ASIS&T members' social media posts revealed a skewed distribution of posters, topics and irrelevant content, especially by Association leadership. The session also featured a Monty Python character reporting on fatal answers at the Bridge of Death, multiple personalities of Dr. N. E. Doofus and a séance with illustrious ASIS&T members spanning the spectrum from living to dead.

EDITOR'S SUMMARY

At the 2015 ASIS&T Annual Meeting Aaron Doering, professor of learning technologies at the University of Minnesota, shared his passion for using technology to transform education. Doering offered transformational advice for the teaching and learning process, starting with the importance of creating experiences that engage learners and inspire change. Doering's approach is based on adventure learning, enabling students to design their learning experiences, studying real world issues through his team's on-site activities and coordinating with related classroom learning opportunities. Linked by global information services, collaborative learning occurs without boundaries. Students can share stories with community members around the world, continually broadening their awareness, perspective and connections and even be recognized as topic experts in their own geographic areas. Doering urged meeting attendees to actively pursue innovation in education and to maximize the potential of technology to transform and expand learning possibilities.