Pub Date : 2021-09-02DOI: 10.33137/ijidi.v5i3.36159
Lynne Bowker
Using a lingua franca for scholarly communication offers some advantages, but it also limits research diversity, and there is a growing movement to encourage publication in other languages. Both approaches require scholars to access material through other languages, and more people are turning to machine translation to help with this task. Machine translation has improved considerably in recent years with the introduction of artificial intelligence techniques such as machine learning; however, it is far from perfect and users who are not trained as professional translators need to improve their machine translation literacy to use this technology effectively. Machine translation literacy is less about acquiring techno-procedural skills and more about developing cognitive competences. In this way, machine translation literacy aligns with the overall direction of the Association of College & Research Libraries’ (2015) Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education, which encourages a conceptual, rather than a skills-based, approach. This case study presents a pilot project in which machine translation literacy instruction was incorporated into a broader program of information literacy and delivered to first-year students—both Anglophone and non-Anglophone—at a Canadian university. Students were surveyed and, overall, they found the machine translation literacy module to be valuable and recommended that similar instruction be made available to all students. Academic librarians are well positioned to participate in the delivery of machine translation literacy instruction as part of a broader information literacy program, and in so doing, they can promote linguistic diversity and better enable students and researchers from all regions to participate in scholarly conversations.
{"title":"Promoting Linguistic Diversity and Inclusion","authors":"Lynne Bowker","doi":"10.33137/ijidi.v5i3.36159","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33137/ijidi.v5i3.36159","url":null,"abstract":"Using a lingua franca for scholarly communication offers some advantages, but it also limits research diversity, and there is a growing movement to encourage publication in other languages. Both approaches require scholars to access material through other languages, and more people are turning to machine translation to help with this task. Machine translation has improved considerably in recent years with the introduction of artificial intelligence techniques such as machine learning; however, it is far from perfect and users who are not trained as professional translators need to improve their machine translation literacy to use this technology effectively. Machine translation literacy is less about acquiring techno-procedural skills and more about developing cognitive competences. In this way, machine translation literacy aligns with the overall direction of the Association of College & Research Libraries’ (2015) Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education, which encourages a conceptual, rather than a skills-based, approach. This case study presents a pilot project in which machine translation literacy instruction was incorporated into a broader program of information literacy and delivered to first-year students—both Anglophone and non-Anglophone—at a Canadian university. Students were surveyed and, overall, they found the machine translation literacy module to be valuable and recommended that similar instruction be made available to all students. Academic librarians are well positioned to participate in the delivery of machine translation literacy instruction as part of a broader information literacy program, and in so doing, they can promote linguistic diversity and better enable students and researchers from all regions to participate in scholarly conversations.","PeriodicalId":232185,"journal":{"name":"The International Journal of Information, Diversity, & Inclusion (IJIDI)","volume":"126 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122695784","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-09-02DOI: 10.33137/ijidi.v5i3.36196
Amelia M. Anderson
Anecdotal accounts suggest that librarianship is a rewarding career for some autistic adults, though no empirical evidence exists to support such claims. Additionally, barriers may exist for autistic librarians, both in job seeking and in on-the-job experiences. As autistic adults are un- and underemployed more than their neurotypical peers, it is important to understand the role that libraries can play in supporting their employment. In this qualitative study, ten librarians with graduate degrees, who self-identify as autistic, describe their experiences in job seeking and daily working experiences in the library field through interviews in multiple formats. Results indicate issues around disclosure and accessibility, and that librarians thrive when their skills are prioritized and when they feel like they are helping or doing meaningful work. Additionally, these librarians find their way into the profession through exposure to libraries and take comfort in working with like-minded people. Finally, autistic librarians in this study describe the hope that hiring managers and library supervisors have at least some knowledge and understanding of autism, along with the willingness to learn more.
{"title":"Job Seeking and Daily Workforce Experiences of Autistic Librarians","authors":"Amelia M. Anderson","doi":"10.33137/ijidi.v5i3.36196","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33137/ijidi.v5i3.36196","url":null,"abstract":"Anecdotal accounts suggest that librarianship is a rewarding career for some autistic adults, though no empirical evidence exists to support such claims. Additionally, barriers may exist for autistic librarians, both in job seeking and in on-the-job experiences. As autistic adults are un- and underemployed more than their neurotypical peers, it is important to understand the role that libraries can play in supporting their employment. In this qualitative study, ten librarians with graduate degrees, who self-identify as autistic, describe their experiences in job seeking and daily working experiences in the library field through interviews in multiple formats. Results indicate issues around disclosure and accessibility, and that librarians thrive when their skills are prioritized and when they feel like they are helping or doing meaningful work. Additionally, these librarians find their way into the profession through exposure to libraries and take comfort in working with like-minded people. Finally, autistic librarians in this study describe the hope that hiring managers and library supervisors have at least some knowledge and understanding of autism, along with the willingness to learn more.","PeriodicalId":232185,"journal":{"name":"The International Journal of Information, Diversity, & Inclusion (IJIDI)","volume":"17 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124798310","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-08-16DOI: 10.33137/ijidi.v5i3.36197
Vandana Singh, Brice Bongiovanni
This article presents the results of a research study about the experiences of women in Open Source Software communities. The lack of women in computing professions serves as a cause of social inequity and in this research we develop a nuanced understanding of the experiences of women participating in open-source software. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with eleven women representing multiple countries and a variety of open-source software projects. The theory of individual differences in gender and information technology (IT) laid the foundation for data analysis and interpretation. The results demonstrate varied experiences of women, the need for women-to-women mentoring, and the need for presence and enforcement of Codes of Conduct in the online communities. Women shared their experiences of working in a variety of roles and the importance of all the roles in product development and maintenance. The persistence of women in OSS communities despite the toxic masculine culture, and their interest in improving the environment for other women and marginalized newcomers, was evident from the interviews.
{"title":"Motivated and Capable but No Space for Error","authors":"Vandana Singh, Brice Bongiovanni","doi":"10.33137/ijidi.v5i3.36197","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33137/ijidi.v5i3.36197","url":null,"abstract":"This article presents the results of a research study about the experiences of women in Open Source Software communities. The lack of women in computing professions serves as a cause of social inequity and in this research we develop a nuanced understanding of the experiences of women participating in open-source software. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with eleven women representing multiple countries and a variety of open-source software projects. The theory of individual differences in gender and information technology (IT) laid the foundation for data analysis and interpretation. The results demonstrate varied experiences of women, the need for women-to-women mentoring, and the need for presence and enforcement of Codes of Conduct in the online communities. Women shared their experiences of working in a variety of roles and the importance of all the roles in product development and maintenance. The persistence of women in OSS communities despite the toxic masculine culture, and their interest in improving the environment for other women and marginalized newcomers, was evident from the interviews.","PeriodicalId":232185,"journal":{"name":"The International Journal of Information, Diversity, & Inclusion (IJIDI)","volume":"210 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-08-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114366996","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-06-21DOI: 10.33137/ijidi.v5i5.34765
Schenita Floyd
Artificial intelligence (AI) has infiltrated every industry and every aspect of our society. Business leaders have seen the shift AI has created and they are reacting swiftly to stay competitive. They are investing heavily in AI and hiring engineers and other technical professionals to capitalize on AI-based innovations. Engineers are problem solvers, innovators, and at the forefront of AI technologies; their daily jobs require the consumption of an enormous amount of information to solve problems, enhance existing products, or create new products. Engineering positions require extensive interaction with peers, experts, and other experienced engineers in a male-dominated field. Male dominance causes many women engineers to experience more biases and challenges than their male colleagues, especially minority women engineers. As AI infiltrates our society, will the challenges faced by minority women engineers subside or increase and will they participate in and drive innovations using AI? The purpose of this research paper is to assess the workplace sentiment of African American women engineers in the AI field. To assess African American women engineers’ workplace experiences within the AI field, machine learning text analysis was conducted on data extracted from Twitter. The practical implications of this research highlight African American women engineers’ perspectives and experiences, encourages African American women in engineering, and inspires future engineers in AI related careers.
{"title":"Assessing African American Women Engineers’ Workplace Sentiment within the AI Field","authors":"Schenita Floyd","doi":"10.33137/ijidi.v5i5.34765","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33137/ijidi.v5i5.34765","url":null,"abstract":"Artificial intelligence (AI) has infiltrated every industry and every aspect of our society. Business leaders have seen the shift AI has created and they are reacting swiftly to stay competitive. They are investing heavily in AI and hiring engineers and other technical professionals to capitalize on AI-based innovations. \u0000Engineers are problem solvers, innovators, and at the forefront of AI technologies; their daily jobs require the consumption of an enormous amount of information to solve problems, enhance existing products, or create new products. Engineering positions require extensive interaction with peers, experts, and other experienced engineers in a male-dominated field. Male dominance causes many women engineers to experience more biases and challenges than their male colleagues, especially minority women engineers. As AI infiltrates our society, will the challenges faced by minority women engineers subside or increase and will they participate in and drive innovations using AI? \u0000The purpose of this research paper is to assess the workplace sentiment of African American women engineers in the AI field. To assess African American women engineers’ workplace experiences within the AI field, machine learning text analysis was conducted on data extracted from Twitter. The practical implications of this research highlight African American women engineers’ perspectives and experiences, encourages African American women in engineering, and inspires future engineers in AI related careers.","PeriodicalId":232185,"journal":{"name":"The International Journal of Information, Diversity, & Inclusion (IJIDI)","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"117288841","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-05-25DOI: 10.33137/IJIDI.V5I2.34806
J. Winberry
Social justice is increasingly identifiable within library and information science (LIS) research and practice. However, numerous scholars have raised the concern that social justice has been commodified in order to benefit the powerful and therefore the possibility of actual and constructive change has been minimized in numerous cases. In response, this researcher undertook a literature review of self-identified “social justice” research in 2 large academic databases—Library Information Science & Technology Abstracts (LISTA) and Library and Information Science Source (LISS)—in order to identify the types of social justice research in LIS. The result of the review identified 247 records and included results from peer reviewed journals, books, and conference proceedings from which a typology of 2 research types (e.g., knowledge and practice) and 8 sub-types (e.g., metatheoretical, theoretical, ideational, methodological, empirical, narrative, professional, and pedagogical) was identified. Identification of this typology is helpful for organizing existing social justice research within LIS, assisting in the examination of connections between theories and methods, and contributing to a broader goal of arguing that social justice is an emerging sub-discipline within LIS. Future research is needed to grow this typology and increase research in areas that remain understudied such as LIS-centered metatheoretical, theoretical, and methodological social justice research.
{"title":"More than Lip Service","authors":"J. Winberry","doi":"10.33137/IJIDI.V5I2.34806","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33137/IJIDI.V5I2.34806","url":null,"abstract":"Social justice is increasingly identifiable within library and information science (LIS) research and practice. However, numerous scholars have raised the concern that social justice has been commodified in order to benefit the powerful and therefore the possibility of actual and constructive change has been minimized in numerous cases. In response, this researcher undertook a literature review of self-identified “social justice” research in 2 large academic databases—Library Information Science & Technology Abstracts (LISTA) and Library and Information Science Source (LISS)—in order to identify the types of social justice research in LIS. The result of the review identified 247 records and included results from peer reviewed journals, books, and conference proceedings from which a typology of 2 research types (e.g., knowledge and practice) and 8 sub-types (e.g., metatheoretical, theoretical, ideational, methodological, empirical, narrative, professional, and pedagogical) was identified. Identification of this typology is helpful for organizing existing social justice research within LIS, assisting in the examination of connections between theories and methods, and contributing to a broader goal of arguing that social justice is an emerging sub-discipline within LIS. Future research is needed to grow this typology and increase research in areas that remain understudied such as LIS-centered metatheoretical, theoretical, and methodological social justice research.","PeriodicalId":232185,"journal":{"name":"The International Journal of Information, Diversity, & Inclusion (IJIDI)","volume":"77 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-05-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134119639","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-05-18DOI: 10.33137/IJIDI.V5I2.36678
Bharat Mehra
Editorial
编辑
{"title":"Operationalizing Theories and Methods to Integrate Social Justice in LIS Scholarship","authors":"Bharat Mehra","doi":"10.33137/IJIDI.V5I2.36678","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33137/IJIDI.V5I2.36678","url":null,"abstract":"Editorial","PeriodicalId":232185,"journal":{"name":"The International Journal of Information, Diversity, & Inclusion (IJIDI)","volume":"30 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-05-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114455618","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-05-17DOI: 10.33137/IJIDI.V5I2.34830
Scott Sikes
Initiated in the 1970’s, the Appalachian Oral History Project contains thousands of oral histories collected from residents of the Central Appalachian region. A significant portion of these oral histories were conducted with Black residents of the region, thus serving as a repository of voices long left unheard in the dominant historical narrative. Like many such collections, the audio cassettes were left to gather dust for decades. A project has recently begun to digitize and preserve all of the oral histories. What do the oral histories in the AOHP collection have to say to us today about both Black identity in Central Appalachia and the use of oral history to confront questions of place and identity? More importantly, how do contemporary Black residents in one of the same communities in which the oral histories were originally conducted wish to respond to the recorded interviews? Digital recordings were played for Black residents of the same community from which many of the original oral histories were collected in order to foster conversation and dialogue about the material. Using ethnographic methods, this research illustrates the ways new forms of archival work and historical scholarship provide a crucial opportunity to enhance what we know of place and identity and allows for stories to be reclaimed by the people and communities from which they came. Within these intersections of theory, method, and discipline is found space for information science research to push beyond traditional boundaries and that wholly embrace the political and the fight for social justice.
{"title":"Meaning and Memory","authors":"Scott Sikes","doi":"10.33137/IJIDI.V5I2.34830","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33137/IJIDI.V5I2.34830","url":null,"abstract":"Initiated in the 1970’s, the Appalachian Oral History Project contains thousands of oral histories collected from residents of the Central Appalachian region. A significant portion of these oral histories were conducted with Black residents of the region, thus serving as a repository of voices long left unheard in the dominant historical narrative. Like many such collections, the audio cassettes were left to gather dust for decades. A project has recently begun to digitize and preserve all of the oral histories. What do the oral histories in the AOHP collection have to say to us today about both Black identity in Central Appalachia and the use of oral history to confront questions of place and identity? More importantly, how do contemporary Black residents in one of the same communities in which the oral histories were originally conducted wish to respond to the recorded interviews? Digital recordings were played for Black residents of the same community from which many of the original oral histories were collected in order to foster conversation and dialogue about the material. Using ethnographic methods, this research illustrates the ways new forms of archival work and historical scholarship provide a crucial opportunity to enhance what we know of place and identity and allows for stories to be reclaimed by the people and communities from which they came. Within these intersections of theory, method, and discipline is found space for information science research to push beyond traditional boundaries and that wholly embrace the political and the fight for social justice.","PeriodicalId":232185,"journal":{"name":"The International Journal of Information, Diversity, & Inclusion (IJIDI)","volume":"51 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-05-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133441068","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-05-13DOI: 10.33137/IJIDI.V5I2.35067
Damian Mellifont
The inclusivity of neurodiversity conferences is a new field of research. Utilising Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) as an example, this study aims to critically investigate issues of inclusivity in the flyers advertising these conferences. This exploratory research is informed by 22 conference flyers and 14 scholarly articles retrieved from respective internet and Google Scholar enquiries. These articles offered evidence-based justifications for a greater inclusion of OCD-focused content in neurodiversity conferences. The study cautions that the lack of explicit inclusion of OCD as a topic among conferences can be harmful to persons who identify with this particular type of neurodivergence. This study offers a sound base from which future research focusing upon other forms of neurodivergence and issues of neurodiversity conference inclusivity and intersectionality can develop.
{"title":"A Qualitative Study Exploring Neurodiversity Conference Themes, Representations and Evidence-Based Justifications for the Explicit Inclusion and Valuing of OCD","authors":"Damian Mellifont","doi":"10.33137/IJIDI.V5I2.35067","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33137/IJIDI.V5I2.35067","url":null,"abstract":"The inclusivity of neurodiversity conferences is a new field of research. Utilising Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) as an example, this study aims to critically investigate issues of inclusivity in the flyers advertising these conferences. This exploratory research is informed by 22 conference flyers and 14 scholarly articles retrieved from respective internet and Google Scholar enquiries. These articles offered evidence-based justifications for a greater inclusion of OCD-focused content in neurodiversity conferences. The study cautions that the lack of explicit inclusion of OCD as a topic among conferences can be harmful to persons who identify with this particular type of neurodivergence. This study offers a sound base from which future research focusing upon other forms of neurodivergence and issues of neurodiversity conference inclusivity and intersectionality can develop.","PeriodicalId":232185,"journal":{"name":"The International Journal of Information, Diversity, & Inclusion (IJIDI)","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134343881","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}