SIG-USE Annual Symposium

Each year, as part of the ASIS&T Annual Meeting, SIG USE hosts a symposium that brings together researchers from around the world to reflect on a central theme relevant to SIG USE. Here you can find a record of each of our past symposiums.

SIG-USE 2023 23rd Annual Research Symposium at ASIST 2023: The Evolving Nature of the Human Side of Information Research

The Evolving Nature of the Human Side of Information Research

Date: October 7, 2023 (Saturday)

Time: 9:00 AM-12:00 PM (Eastern Daylight Time)

Virtual Workshop

About the 2023 SIG-USE Symposium

The 23rd Annual SIG-USE Research Symposium is focused on the evolving nature of the human side of information research. As technology and society continue to evolve, it is becoming increasingly important to consider the human aspects of information research - human information practice, innovative approaches, and interaction and ethical challenges. It will consist of panel discussions, extended abstract presentations, breakout group discussion sessions, short lightning talks, and Awards presentations. It is intended for students, faculty, researchers, and information professionals who are interested in information behavior and practices research and in the translation of findings from this research area into professional practice. It is open to both members and non-members of SIG-USE.

We live in an era of changes and developments in terms of the technologies, digital tools and online environment. While technology has played a critical role in the evolution of information research, the human side of information research warrants attention more than ever before. Humans are highly social and emotional beings, and times of global crisis can have deep and lasting impacts on our lives.

Call for participation

SIG-USE Symposium organizers invite extended abstracts (1,000-2,000 words) and lightning talk abstracts (500 words) contributions that describe completed research and research-in-progress, and that showcase empirical, conceptual, theoretical, and methodological findings or rich practice cases and demonstrations, from researchers, graduate students, and practitioners. Our major goals include information researchers sharing their experiences and supporting others in the field and facilitating information exchange among esteemed and emerging scholars and professionals, to engage critically with the field, and provide feedback on preliminary work and works-in-progress.

Specific issues to be addressed depend on the interest of the participants and the issues they bring into the workshop. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

Human Information Practices: How have human information practices evolved? How everyday information practices, personal information management, and collaborative information behavior affect diverse users in a variety of contexts?
Innovation and Change: Evolution of new technologies and global crises has impacted every sphere of human life, including education, services, and engagement in the LIS field. This situation has forced information professionals to adapt and innovate to the development of new tools and techniques, such as AI advancements, data analytics, machine learning, and social media, which are revolutionizing the field. How do emerging technologies impact human information research processes? How can we adapt and change information practices and services for the better user experience? How can information science continue to innovate and evolve, particularly with emerging technologies, to maximize its benefits for stakeholders and to create resilient processes?
Interaction and Ethical Challenges: Explore the unique interplay between our embodied and digital social interactions during times of crisis and change. Socio-technological challenges to how information professionals uphold ethical standards and what measures can be taken to address such concerns. How do we overcome challenges with respect to diversity, equity, and inclusion to create meaningful change?
Though the changes and developments bring new opportunities and possibilities, concerns persist, and questions arise as society evolves. How have the roles of researchers and participants changed in this evolving digital landscape?

Submission Categories:

- Extended abstracts (1,000-2,000 words)

These should ideally be works-in-progress or completed research.
Preference will be given to submissions that focus on the resilience of humans during times of crisis and change, or how our work as information researchers can contribute to positive change in the world.
Abstract topics will be presented in the breakout rooms, so submissions that generate stimulating dialogue and exchange are ideal.

- Lightning talk abstracts (500 words)

Provide an opportunity for more one-on-one feedback on early work and work-in-progress.
Empirical results are not required.
Can include multimedia, technology demos, etc.
We encourage submissions that showcase (digitally through a video, animation, etc.) some novel ways of engagement with communities or ways of telling our research stories and creating change in the world through information research (e.g., information visualization techniques).

Submissions should adhere to the following guidelines:

All submissions should be formatted according to the ASIS&T 2023 conference guidelines (template here) except for submission lengths.
File type and names:
File types accepted: doc, docx, or pdf
Please use the following format for submission file name:
[First author’s surname].siguse2023 e.g. Fernando.siguse2023
Please access the submission website to upload your submission https://vuw.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3jDV151WjM4P2R0
All submissions will be peer-reviewed. Accepted submissions will be made available online prior to the beginning of the symposium. This platform will allow community members to provide feedback and generate questions on the contributions prior to the symposium. The extended abstract discussions will be used to seed breakout group discussions during the workshop itself.
Presenters who have their extended abstracts accepted should plan on presentations of up to 5 minutes and lightning talk abstracts accepted should plan on presentations of up to 3 minutes. Details of these requirements will be provided after notifications of acceptance.

Schedule

The Virtual Workshop will take place over a half-day (Eastern Daylight Time). This is our schedule:

09.00 - 09.15 AM Welcome and Overview of the Symposium

09.15 - 09. 40 AM Extended Abstract Presentation

BREAKOUT ROOM 1

EA#1 . Beyond the Search Box: Navigating Socioeconomic Influences on Mental Health Search Patterns

Hengyi Fu, Assistant Professor, School of Library and Information Studies, The University of Alabama

EA#9 . Teens’ information behavior in dealing with mental health issues

Xiaofeng Li, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, PennWest University
Xiaojun Yuan, Ph.D., Associate Professor, University at Albany, State University of New York

EA#8 . Shaping Information Experiences: Insights from Social Dynamics in Multispecies Families

Niloofar Solhjoo , PhD student in Information System, School of Information Management , Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand

(05 Minutes Each Presentation, Last 10 Minutes Overall Q & A)

BREAKOUT ROOM 2

EA#3 . Education Over Restriction: Toward a More Balanced Perspective of Children and Digital Media

Denise E. Agosto, Professor, College of Computing & Informatics, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA USA
June Abbas, Interim Director and Professor, School of Library and Information Studies, University of Oklahoma, OK USA
Gabrielle Salib, Ph.D. Candidate, College of Computing & Informatics, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA USA

EA#5 . Antecedents of Health Information Seeking for Multi Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR TB) Patients in Rural Bangladesh

Mahbub E Shobhanee, Research Assistant, East West University Center for Research and Training Dhaka, Bangladesh
Emran Hasan, Former Outbreak investigation Officer, Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), Khulna, Bangladesh

EA#7 . Understanding digital hoarding behaviors among humanities researchers in digital scholarship

Mingxia Jia, PhD student, Nanjing University of Science and Technology
Yuxiang (Chris) Zhao, Professor, Nanjing University

(05 Minutes Each Presentation, Last 10 Minutes Overall Q & A)

BREAKOUT ROOM 3

EA#4 . Reference Services in the AI Era: Exploring Opportunities and Challenges for Information Users and Professionals

Yin Zhang, Professor, School of Information, Kent State University
Feng Ru Sheu, Associate Professor, University Libraries, Kent State University
Yuening Zhang, Associate Professor, University Libraries, Kent State University

EA#6 . Do as AI Do: AI and Support for Training Workers in the Skilled Trades

Chelsea Collier, School of Information, The University of Texas at Austin, U.S.A.
Kenneth R. Fleischmann, School of Information, The University of Texas at Austin, U.S.A.
Tina Lassiter, School of Information, The University of Texas at Austin, U.S.A.
Sherri R. Greenberg, The LBJ School of Public Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin, U.S.A
Raul G. Longoria, Walker Dept of Mechanical Engineering, Cockrell School of Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, U.S.A.
Sandeep Chinchali, Chandra Family Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Cockrell School of Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, U.S.A.

EA#10 . New Book Alert: Empowered or Left Behind - The Use of Technology during COVID 19

Dr. DeeDee Bennett Gayle, Associate Professor of Emergency Management, University at Albany, SUNY
Dr. Xiaojun Yuan, Associate Professor of Information Science, University at Albany, SUNY

(05 Minutes Each Presentation, Last 10 Minutes Overall Q & A)

09. 40 - 09. 50 AM Q & A Extended Abstract Presentations

09.50 - 10.00 AM Morning Tea Break

10.00 - 11.00 AM Panel Presentation and Discussion

Innovating Information Practice Concepts: Information Avoidance, Pamela McKenzie, Associate Dean and Professor, Faculty of Information and Media Studies, University of Western Ontario, Canada

Harmful Practices: Ethical Challenges in Information Research, Nadia Caidi, Professor at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Information (iSchool), Canada

AI and the Dilemma of Human Centered Research, Chirag Shah, Professor in Information School (iSchool) at University of Washington, USA

(15 Minutes Each Panel Presentation & Last 15 Minutes Panel Discussion)

11.00 - 11. 25 AM Lightning Talks

LT#1. Examining Privilege: Information Practice of Immigrants and First Generational College Students, Abass O. Ahmed, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Denise E. Agosto, Drexel University, Philadelphia

LT#2. Disability and TikTok: Embodied, Collective Information Creation Behaviors, Ethical Challenges, and Opportunities for Community Partnered Research for Positive Impact, Morgan Lundy, Doctoral Candidate, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign

LT#3. How Knowledge Intermediaries Gather and Make Sense of COVID 19 Information: An Interview Study, Jodi Schneider, Associate Professor of Information Sciences, School of Information Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, and Togzhan Seilkhanova, PhD Student, School of Information Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign University of Illinois Urbana Champaign

LT#4. Toward a Metatheory of Uncertainty, Amanda Hovious, PhD, Assistant Professor; Emporia State University, School of Library and Information Mangement

LT#5. Information Seeking and Sharing Among Doctoral Student Peers: Factors Influencing the Choice of Peer, Peymon Montazeri, Ph.D. Candidate, School of Information Studies, McGill University, Joan Bartlett, Associate Professor, School of Information Studies, McGill University

LT#6. That’s about Enough Investigate Individual Differences on Information Satiety, Wenyuan Wang, School of Information and Library Science, UNC Chapel Hill

LT#7. Creating a Personal Intelligent Agent Tailored for Older Adults, Xiaojun Yuan & DeeDee Bennett Gayle, College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity, University at Albany, State University of New York

LT#8. Racelessness and Racialization in Immigrant Demographic Information: Reflexive and Introspective Thoughts on 'Methodological Whiteness', Ana Ndumu, College of Information Studies, University of Maryland College Park, USA, Nenna Orie Chuku, Department of Information Studies, University College London, UK

(03 Minutes for Each Presentation)

11.25 - 11.35 AM Q & A Lightning Talks
11.35 - 11.40 AM Membership Recruitment
11.40 - 11.55 AM Award Presentations
11.55 - 12.00 PM Closing Remarks

Important Dates:

Extended deadline for submission: July 31, 2023
Notifications of acceptance: August 31, 2023

To register for the 2023 ASIS&T SIG-USE Symposium, please visit: https://www.asist.org/am23/23registration/

SIG USE Student Conference Travel Award

This year, the SIG USE will offer registration support for up to 20 students enrolled in an undergraduate, master's or doctoral program to attend the SIG USE Symposium virtually. Applications to be considered for SIG USE Student Conference Travel Award should be submitted via email to the Awards Co-Chairs Saira Soroya (sairasroya@gmail.com), Hengyi Fu (hfu4@ua.edu), Iulian Vamanu (iulian-vamanu@uiowa.edu) and Md Anwarul Islam (anwar81du@gmail.com) by the deadline of Sunday, August 13, 2023.

To apply, please submit an application package consisting of a cover letter, a 250-word statement, and a letter of endorsement from a faculty member.

Please don't hesitate to contact us with any questions you may have. We hope to see you there!

Namali Suraweera, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, namali.suraweera@vuw.ac.nz David Stokes, University of California, Los Angeles, USA, istokes@ucla.edu
Nosheen Fatima Warraich, University of the Punjab, Pakistan, nosheen.im@pu.edu.pk
Owen Stewart-Robertson, McGill University, Canada, owen.stewart-robertson@mail.mcgill.ca

SIG USE 2022 22nd Annual Research Symposium at ASIST 2022: The Human Side of Information Research: Innovation, Integrity, Interaction, and the Body-as-Information

The Human Side of Information Research: Innovation, Integrity, Interaction, and the Body-as-Information

Date and Time : October 8^th 2022 - 8:00 PM-10:30 PM (Eastern Daylight Time)

October 9^th 2022 - 8:00 AM-10:30 AM (Eastern Daylight Time)

This year ASIS&T will be in-person, but we are offering the SIG-USE symposium online as a pre-conference event to encourage submissions and participation from members around the world. The symposium will be split over two days/times to reach participants in as many locations and time zones as possible. Times are shared in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), which is based on the conference location in Pittsburgh, PA.

About the 2022 SIG-USE Symposium

The 22nd Annual SIG-USE Research Symposium is focused on the human side of information research. This includes, but is not limited to: supporting each other through our work as information researchers; human resilience as an information phenomenon; and the human body as an instrument for research. This symposium is an opportunity for information researchers to share their experience and support like minded others in the field. Primary goals include: facilitating information exchange among scholars and information professionals, serving as a space for emerging scholars and professionals to engage critically with the field, and providing feedback on preliminary work and works-in-progress.

Call for participation

Humans are highly social and emotional beings, and times of global crisis can have deep and lasting impacts on our lives. The lingering, but slowly dissipating, COVID-19 pandemic shifted the way that we do many things in our everyday lives. This symposium seeks to encourage discussion around the human side of information research, especially during times of great change and global crisis. We invite participants interested in questions such as: How do we collect research in uncertain times? How do we adapt to the needs of our participants? How can our bodies be instruments for data collection? How can our research create meaningful change?

SUBTOPICS AND THEMES

Innovation and Change: The field of information science has grown and shifted rapidly over the past several decades, and has experienced exponential change due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic (Tang et al., 2021). This global crisis has had “devastating repercussions” on educational institutions and how they train and support their students - which includes LIS programs (Poole & Zhang, 2021, p. 315). This theme seeks to ask how we can adapt and change for the better as a field, especially in difficult times.

Ethics and Integrity: Information research often takes place on a spectrum of mixed methods. Every approach brings with it unique challenges for ensuring that research is done ethically and with integrity (Barriage et al., 2016). This theme encourages presentations on how we as information researchers and professionals can maintain a commitment to ethical standards, especially during times of global crisis and change.

In-person vs. Online Interaction: Even before the onset of the recent pandemic, studies have illustrated that our online and offline relationships can be intertwined and build upon each other (Xie, 2007, 2008). This theme is meant to encourage submissions that tease out the unique interplay between our embodied and digital social interactions during times of crisis and change.

Human Body-as-Information: Our embodied experiences in the world are full of information - from the smelling and tasting of food (Hartel, 2006; Ocepek, 2018) to the sensations we feel within our own bodies (Chen, 2015). This theme seeks to consider how the human body can be a site of data collection in information research.

Submission format & timeline:

Submission formatting: All submissions should be formatted according to the ASIS&T 2022 conference guidelines (template here) except for submission lengths. For this, please follow the word counts in the symposium description.

Submission length: Lightning talk abstracts - 500 words.

File type and names: File types accepted: doc, docx, or pdf

Please use the following format for submission file name:

[First author’s surname].siguse2022.[lightning talk]

e.g. Davis.siguse2022.shortpaper or Chen.siguse2022.lightningtalk

Submitting: Submissions should be submitted through email to siguseasist@gmail.com. When submitting, please include “SIG-USE Symposium 2022” in the subject line of your email.

Multiple authors: For submissions with multiple authors, we encourage you to cc them on the email thread of your submission.

*Please note your timezone/location in your submission.

Timeline: Submissions will be open until 8/25/2022 EXTENDED to 9/18/22

Only submissions received before this date will be accepted.

Notification of acceptance will be sent to authors by 9/25/2022. as soon as possible

Tentative Schedule

10/8 8:00-10:30pm (Eastern Daylight Time)

8:00-8:15 Welcome and overview of the symposium

8:15-8:45 Keynote talk

8:45-9:45 Short paper presentations I

9:45-10:00 Lightning talks I

10:00-10:15 Breakout group discussions I

10:15-10:30 Award presentations and closing

10/9 8:00-10:30am (Eastern Daylight Time)

8:00-9:00 Short paper presentations II

9:00-9:15 Lightning talks II

9:15-9:45 Breakout group discussions II

9:45-10:30 Award presentations and closing

Please don't hesitate to contact us with any questions you may have. We hope to see you there!

Nathan Davis, School of Information, The University of Texas at Austin, United States

nathandavis@utexas.edu

Namali Suraweera, Department of Library and Information Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka namali@kln.ac.lk

SIG-USE 2021 21st Annual Research Symposium at ASIST 2021: Methods for Real-World Impact with Information Behavior Research

SIG-USE 21st Annual Research Symposium at ASIST 2021: Methods for Real-World Impact with Information Behavior Research

Date: Saturday, October 30^th, 2021

Time: 8:00AM – 12:00PM MDT

Format: Hybrid (with all presentations pre-recorded and presented via Zoom)

OVERVIEW

The 21st Annual SIG-USE Research Symposium focuses on the theme of methods for investigating and making real-world impact with human information behavior and practices research. This theme is closely linked to the overall 2021 Annual Meeting theme of “Information: Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Justice, and Relevance,” acknowledging that social researchers hold power, and are able to make differences not only through the work that they do but also how they do it. Human information behavior and practices researchers are uniquely poised to positively impact the lives of individuals and communities through carefully planned and executed research designs. Critical race, gender, and ability theories and perspectives (e.g., Delgado & Stefanic, 2012); transformative frameworks or institutional ethnographies (Creswell, 2013; Smith, 1987); and participatory tools such as photovoice or draw-and-write (Given et al., 2013) are just some examples of ways in which researchers can enable, as Creswell (2013, p. 27) says, “the ‘voice’ of the participants [to be] heard throughout the research process”; moreover, “the research [may] contain an action agenda for reform, a specific plan for addressing the injustices of the marginalized group.”

This symposium is an opportunity for researchers, students, faculty, and information professionals who are interested in information behavior and practices to discuss the metatheories, methodological approaches, research methods, and techniques that shape human information behavior and practices research, and that translate to positive differences in the world.

The symposium will feature an informative panel presentation as well as several paper and poster presentations, in order to explore different methodological and methods-related developments and challenges in information behavior and practices research. The symposium will also offer a Q&A session for authors who are interested in submitting their works to the upcoming Library and Information Science Research (LISR) special issue on information behavior and information practices methods. The symposium invites completed research and research-in-progress submissions that showcase empirical, conceptual, theoretical, and methodological work, as well as richly described practice cases and demonstrations. Welcomed topics include, but are not limited to:

methodological explorations of the field of information behavior and information practices;
expansion and evolution of information behavior and information practices methods;
examination of the current use of information behavior and information practices methods;
development of new methods that advance information behavior and information practices;
systematic approaches to incorporating well-established methods from other fields; and
assessment of impacts of information behavior and information practices research interventions.

In 2021, SIG-USE will continue a tradition begun in 2020 and award free symposium registration to up to 20 students (undergraduate, Master’s, or doctoral) in support of their attendance at the symposium. To apply, students should complete the Student Registration Award Application Form (https://tinyurl.com/w75nj56w) and email it to the Award Co-Chairs Xiaofeng Li (xli@clarion.edu), Millicent Mabi (millicent.mabi@alumni.ubc.ca), and Xiaojun (Jenny) Yuan (xyuan@albany.edu) by Friday, September 24th. Preference will be given to students who are presenting papers or posters at the symposium.

INTENDED AUDIENCE

This symposium is intended for researchers and practitioners of all levels of experience and all backgrounds who are interested in information behavior and practices, and methods for investigating them. It is open to both SIG-USE members and non-members.

WORKSHOP FORMAT

The symposium will strengthen and build the community of scholars and information professionals interested in human information behavior and practices research by facilitating information exchange; providing a place for those new to information behavior and practices to engage critically; and allowing for feedback on preliminary and ongoing work.

Panel Presentation, with LISR Special Issue Q&A Session

The symposium will begin with a brief panel discussion, which will provide a dynamic, fast-paced overview of evolutions in methods to study information behavior and practices during the tenures of 3-4 LISR editorial board members.

Following this panel will be a discussion session with time devoted to an LISR special issue organized by SIG-USE. With much interest generated in special-issue publication at SIG-USE’s Research Symposium in 2020, this year’s symposium will offer another opportunity for participants to contribute to a special issue of a journal. In preparation, they may engage in a short, informal conversation and receive feedback from scholars familiar with LISR, the chosen journal, and guest editors of the upcoming special issue on methods for investigating information behavior and practices, and/or foregrounding the impact of such research. Attendees interested in turning their work into special issue submissions may submit their preliminary work as a paper to the symposium and participate in this portion of the symposium (participation in the Symposium is optional for those wishing to submit to the special issue).

Papers and Posters

There will be two devoted paper and poster sessions to address the methods-related issues in and impacts of information behavior and practices research. We are open to posters covering preliminary or ongoing work, as well as papers that present completed research in more depth. We especially welcome empirical works that employ, test, or extend existing methods for investigating information behavior and practices, and that emphasize the implications and impacts of this research.

Paper presenters will be allowed 8-10 minutes for presentation plus 5 minutes of Q&A; poster presenters will be allowed a ‘2-minute madness’ presentation and then 5-10 minutes of time in a virtual break-out room for discussion. Presenters will be required to pre-record their presentations, followed by live Q&A. Following each paper and poster session, there will be an option for 15-minute virtual break-out discussion sessions to facilitate interaction among attendees.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Please submit an anonymized Word or PDF file via email to sarah.barriage@uky.edu and lethomso@live.unc.edu. Include author information in the body of the email (authors’ names, institutions, and corresponding author’s email address), but no author names within the document. Ensure:

Submission is Word or PDF attachment, with filename format “2021_SIGUSE_FirstAuthorLastname_Paper/Poster”.
Papers should be abstracts or extended abstracts of no more than 1500 words, including title and keywords (5 or fewer).
Posters should be abstracts of no more than 750 words, including title and keywords (5 or fewer).
Submissions are to be double-spaced in 12-point type, Times New Roman font, with 1” margins on all sides.
All citations and references are in APA format.

Early bird deadline: July 16, 2021 (to receive a decision in time for early bird registration)

Final deadline: August 16, 2021

Fees for ASIST/SIG-USE members and non-members, before and after early bird deadlines, can be found here: https://www.asist.org/am21/registration/

WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

8:00AM-8:05AM Welcome and Overview

8:05AM-9:00AM Panel Presentation & Discussion, including LISR special issue Q&A

9:00AM-10:00AM Paper and Poster Presentations I

10:00AM-10:15AM Break, or Break-Out Session

10:15AM-11:15AM Paper and Poster Presentations II

11:15AM-11:30AM Break, or Break-Out Session

11:30AM-11:45AM Break-Out and Informal Discussion

11:45AM-12:00PM Award Presentations, and Closing

2021 Symposium Co-Chairs

Please don't hesitate to contact the Symposium Co-Chairs with any questions you may have.

Sarah Barriage – sarah.barriage@uky.edu

Leslie Thomson - lethomso@live.unc.edu

SIG-USE 2020 20th Annual Research Symposium at ASIST 2020: Grand Challenges in Information Behavior Research – Theory

About the 2020 SIG-USE Symposium

The 20th Annual SIG-USE Research Symposium focuses on the grant challenges in information behavior and information practices research. This symposium is an opportunity for researchers, students, faculty and information professionals who are interested in information behavior and information practices research to discuss the grand challenges of theory development in these areas. The symposium will facilitate information exchange among scholars and information professionals, provide a place for those new to information behavior and practices to engage critically with the field, and allow both scholars and practitioners to get feedback on preliminary and ongoing work. The symposium will feature a dynamic panel, full paper presentations, and poster session to explore different development and challenges in information behavior and practices research. The symposium also offers an unique mini-workshop for authors who are interested in submitting their works to the JASIST special issue on Information Behavior and Information Practices Theory.

In 2020, SIG USE will be awarding free symposium registration to up to twenty students (master’s or doctoral) in support of their attendance at the ASIS&T SIG USE Virtual Symposium: https://www.asist.org/sig/siguse/sig-use-annual-symposium/

To apply, complete the Student Registration Award Application Form and email to Award Co-Chairs Sarah Barriage (sarah.barriage@uky.edu) and Xiaojun (Jenny) Yuan (xyuan@albany.edu), by Friday, September 25^th, 2020.

Preference will be given to students who are presenting a paper or poster at the symposium.

About the 2020 SIG-USE theme

There are several challenges to the development and application of theory in the field(s) of information behavior and information practices. While there is a long and rich tradition of creating models and frameworks in information behavior (e.g., Case & Given, 2016a; Ellis, 1993; Godbold, 2006; McKenzie, 2003; Wilson, 1999), this has not been the case with the development of theories. This is not to say that that theoretical work has not happened, as evidenced by work such as Chatman (1999), Dervin (1998), Savolainen (2008), as well as the collection of theories published in the book Theories of Information Behavior (Fisher, Erdelez, & McKechnie, 2005). However, criticism remains that there is a lack of cohesive theory and/or that theory borrowed from other fields may be treated in shallow ways. Deficiency in theoretical development has contributed to a lack of shared definition and boundaries of the field, evident in the split between information behavior and information practices research (e.g. Savolainen & Wilson, 2009).

As a relatively young field – originating in the late 1970s and early 1980s (Ellis, 2011) – an important step in the evolution of information behavior and information practices is the continued development of its own theory, as well as the systematic incorporation of relevant theories from related fields. This special issue proposes to continue and extend the work begun in Theories of Information Behavior (Fisher et al., 2005), a book composed of the contributions from the participants of the 2003 ASIS&T SIG-USE Symposium.

We invite considerations regarding questions and grand challenges of information behavior and information practices theories, including, but not limited to:

theoretical explorations of the field of information behavior and information practices;
expansion and evolution of information behavior and information practices theories;
examination of the current use of information behavior and information practices theories;
development of new theories that advance information behavior and information practices;
examination of models and their relation to information behavior and information practices theory;
systematic approaches to incorporating well-established theories from other fields.

Intended Audience

This symposium is intended for researchers and practitioners of all levels of experience and all backgrounds who are interested in the theoretical development in information behavior and practices research. It is open to both members and non-members of SIG-USE.

Workshop Format

The symposium is designed to encourage discussions on the grant challenges in information behavior theory research. The symposium will facilitate information exchange among scholars and information professionals, provide a place for those new to information behavior and practice to engage critically with the field, and allow both scholars and practitioners to get feedback on preliminary and ongoing work. As a conference workshop, the symposium will take place over a half day. It will consist of a panel discussion, full paper presentations, poster presentations, JASIST special issue mini-workshop session, and awards presentations.

Panel

The symposium will begin with a panel discussion, which will give a dynamic and multifaceted look at the challenges in information behavior and information practices research. Panelists are yet to be determined, but they will be experienced information behavior researchers and/or practitioners who have grappled with theoretical exploration in information behavior and practices research.

Full Papers

There will be two paper sessions to address the challenges and opportunities of theory development in information behavior and information practices research. Each session will present three papers. The Elfreda Chatman award presentation will be scheduled to be the first paper presentation in Session I. Presenters will be allowed 15 minutes for presentation plus 5 minutes of Q&A. Papers will be clustered by theme. After each paper session there will be a 15-minute breakout session to facilitate interaction among attendees. The two paper sessions will be moderated by SIG-USE symposium co-chairs and members.

Posters

The symposium will include posters, which will present preliminary or ongoing work of less depth than the papers. We especially welcome preliminary empirical works that employ, test, or extend existing information behavior and information practices theories. While the posters will be on display throughout the symposium, presenters will have the opportunity to engage in conversations with other symposium participants during a 30-minute poster session.

Submission Guidelines

Please submit an anonymized Word or PDF file via email to siguse2020@gmail.com. Please include author information in your email (authors' names, institutions, and the corresponding author's email address). Do not include any author names on the paper.
Submission is in Word or PDF format (as email attachment) with the filename in the format of "2020_SIGUSESymposium_FirstAuthorLastname_SubmissionType (full paper or poster)".
Length: Full paper: 2,500-6,000 words, including title, abstract (no more than 200 words) and keywords (no more than five keywords); Poster: 500 words or fewer
Submissions are to be double-spaced in 12-point type, Times New Roman font, with 1" margins on all sides of the paper. All citations and references must be in APA format.
Early bird deadline: July 22, 2020, to receive a decision by July 31, in time for early bird registration.
The final deadline for submission is August 15, 2020. We will send out notifications of acceptance for this deadline by September 13.

JASIST Special Issue Mini-Workshop

The symposium will offer a unique opportunity for contributors to engage in an informal conversation to get feedback from the guest editors of the JASIST special issue on Information Behavior and Information Practices Theory. Attendees who are interested in turning their work into special issue submissions are encouraged to submit their preliminary work as full paper to the symposium and participate in the mini-workshop. More information about the JASIST Special Issue can be found here: www.asist.org/2020/02/25/....

Awards

The symposium will conclude with the announcement of SIG-USE award recipients. Notably, the symposium will include a 15-minute presentation from the recipient of last year's Elfreda A. Chatman Research Proposal Award.

Schedule

13:00-13:05 Welcome and overview of the Symposium (zoom meeting)

13:05-13:55 Panel discussion (topic: development and grand challenges in information behavior and information practices research. About 5 panellists, a 8-minute talk for each panellist.) (zoom meeting) [Pengyi Zhang, Kyung Won, Jenna Hartel, Preben Hansen, & Vanessa Kitize] 10min discussions + Q&A

13:55-14:55 Paper presentations I (via zoom presentation) - 15min

Elfreda Chatman Award Presentation
Xiaojun Yuan - ICT (Information Communication Technologies) and Emergency Management: Studies on Human Information Behavior During Pandemic
Kaitlin Costello - The potential of feminist technoscience for advancing research in information practice.
Devon Greyson - Metasynthesis of Information Behavior Theory: A Solution to the “Problem” of Many Midlevel Models?

14:55-15:20 Poster session/break (short presentations via zoom)

Ronald W Buie - Modelling Information Processes of Healthcare Analytics Teams
Lo Lee - Revisit the Home for Creativity: Three Opportunities in Information Behavior Research
Tien-I Tsai & Chin-Ya Huang - Exploring the Collaborative Information Practices of Domestic and International Students through the Frameworks of Social Information Seeking and Information World Mapping
Shubhangi Bansal - examining information behaivors with a historical digital collection to inform future use and increase access
Emily Vardell & Ting Wang - Applying the Model of the Health Insurance Decision-Making Process to Individuals Changing Health Insurance Plans
LaVerne Gray & Joseph Winberry - Sister Circles of “Sage” Black Women: Expanding Information Practices Theory in a Cultural-Feminist Context

15:20-16:20 Paper presentations II (via zoom presentation)

Nitin Verma - Deepfakes and Disinformation: A Grand Challenge for Information Behavior Research (video received)
Elliott Hauser - How Can We Make Certain? Certainty as a Phenomenon Within Information Behavior
Asen Ivanov - Information Evaluation as Behaviour and Practice
Dania Bilal - Theory use in youth information behavior and interaction research, 1999-2019

16:20-16:40 Award presentations and closing (zoom)

16:40-17:00 JASIST special issue mini-workshop

About SIG-USE

SIG-USE, the ASIS&T Special Interest Group for Information Needs, Seeking and Use, wishes to promote holistic, contextual studies of human information-related behavior and practices, and to consider how research findings can be applied to the provision of information services and to the design of information systems. SIG-USE members are concerned with people's behavioral and cognitive activities, as well as their affective states, as they interact with information all along the information–communication chain. These concerns include, but are not limited to:

the generation and recognition of information needs
the seeking (and non-seeking) of information
the exploration of information sources available in a given context or situation
the retrieval of information from available information sources
the uses that are made (and not) of information
the sharing of information with others
the management of personal information

2020 Symposium Co-Chairs

Please don't hesitate to contact the Symposium Co-Chairs with any questions you may have. We hope to see you on Zoom.

Xiaofeng Li - xli@clarion.edu

Jiqun Liu - jl2033@scarletmail.rutgers.edu

SIG USE 2019 19th Annual Research Symposium at ASIST 2019: Re-envisioning the Impact and Engagement of ...

Re-envisioning the Impact and Engagement of Information Behavior Research

Date: October 19, 2019 (Saturday)
Time: 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Location: M10 (Level 1), Crown Conference Centre, Melbourne, Australia

About the 2019 SIG-USE Symposium

The 19th Annual SIG-USE Research Symposium focuses on the impact and engagement of information behavior research. This symposium is an opportunity for researchers, students, faculty and information professionals who are interested in information behavior and practice research to discuss the impact of that work, particularly the translation of findings and discussions into professional practice in today’s “anyone, anywhere, anytime” information environment.

A productive and effective research field should make an impact, whether through social change, economic development, or technological innovation. In recent years, many scholars have voiced concerns that the field of information behavior (or practice) has not been making such an impact, and there have been recent calls for researchers in the field to consider new paths for making impact. Moreover, research should recognize and respond to its contemporary situation to make the world a better place. Our world is facing a number of challenges. To name but a few: environmental sustainability, privacy and security, extremism, and urban living. How can information behavior research engage with and respond to such challenges?

In this symposium, we will ask: as a research community, how do we make an impact? How can we? How should we? How are our findings making their way into practice and technology? How is our work contributing to other fields? Relatedly, we ask: how do we identify or demonstrate the impact we are making?

The symposium will facilitate information exchange among scholars and information professionals, provide a place for those new to information behavior and practice to engage critically with the field, and allow both scholars and practitioners to get feedback on preliminary and ongoing work. The symposium will feature a dynamic panel, full paper sessions and posters, as well as engaging breakout discussion sessions to explore different subthemes regarding impact and engagement.

Schedule

14:00–14:10 Welcome and overview
14:10–14:55 Panel
14:55–15:10 Responses to panel (large-group discussion)
15:10–15:30 Presentation from the winners of the 2018 Elfreda A. Chatman Research Proposal Award
15:30–16:00 Coffee break with posters
16:00–16:45 Paper presentations I
16:45–17:00 Breakout group discussions
17:00–17:30 Paper presentations II
17:30–17:45 Breakout group discussions
17:45–18:00 Award presentations and closing

Panel (14:10–14:55)

Heidi Julien, Baharat Mehra, and Ina Fourie will present and discuss issues of impact and engagement in information behavior research.

2018 Elfreda A. Chatman Research Proposal Award Winners (15:10–15:30)

Devon Greyson and Kaitlin Costello will present the results of their winning proposal, “Sympathy Sockpuppets: A Pilot Study on Non-Nefarious Online Community Infiltration”

Registration

	Early Bird (Through Aug 2)	Advance (Aug 3 to Oct 4)	After Oct 4
ASIS&T Members	$100	$125	$150
Non-Members	$120	$145	$170
Student Members	$60	$85	$110

All prices in U.S. Dollars.

The registration fee will cover Symposium costs and an afternoon break with snacks.

You can register for the Symposium while registering for the Annual Meeting. To register for the 2019 ASIS&T Annual Meeting and the SIG-USE Symposium, visit: https://www.asist.org/am19/registration

You may register for the SIG-USE Symposium even if your submission is not accepted, or if you did not submit anything.

Additional Details: Panel, Edited Book, and More

The accepted submissions will be made available online prior to the beginning of the conference to allow community members to provide feedback and generate questions on the contributions prior to the symposium. This platform will be open to all the IB international community, so that even those who cannot make it to this year’s annual meeting (SIG-USE members or otherwise) will have a chance to contribute to the discussions. These discussions will be used to seed breakout session discussions during the workshop itself.

In addition to paper and poster sessions, the Symposium will feature an invited panel who will discuss issues related to impact and engagement and invite attendees into conversation.

The symposium will conclude with the announcement of SIG-USE award recipients. Notably, the symposium will include a 15-minute presentation from the recipient of last year’s Elfreda A. Chatman Research Proposal Award.

We anticipate that the contributions to this symposium will become part of an edited book proposal. Contributions will include the full papers from the symposium, and we will invite the panelists and poster presenters to prepare substantive contributions.

Additionally, we will implement a system to capture the discussions and conversations that happen in the breakout sessions so that they don’t get lost, such as hashtags for social media or a designated scribe. These will be collected and published online after the symposium.

About SIG-USE

SIG-USE, the ASIS&T Special Interest Group for Information Needs, Seeking and Use, wishes to promote holistic, contextual studies of human information-related behavior and practices, and to consider how research findings can be applied to the provision of information services and to the design of information systems. SIG-USE members are concerned with people’s behavioral and cognitive activities, as well as their affective states, as they interact with information all along the information–communication chain. These concerns include, but are not limited to:

the generation and recognition of information needs
the seeking (and non-seeking) of information
the exploration of information sources available in a given context or situation
the retrieval of information from available information sources
the uses that are made (and not) of information
the sharing of information with others
the management of personal information

2019 Symposium Chairs

Please don’t hesitate to contact the Symposium Chairs with any questions you may have. We hope to see you in Melbourne!

Tim Gorichanaz, Drexel University – gorichanaz@drexel.edu
Waseem Afzal, Charles Sturt University – wafzal@csu.edu.au
Millicent Mabi, University of British Columbia – millicent.mabi@alumni.ubc.ca

SIG USE 2018 18th Annual Research Symposium at ASIST 2018: The Future of Information Behavior

Moving Toward the Future of Information Behavior Research and Practice

Update: View the paper presentations given at the 2018 symposium

Date: November 10, 2018 (Saturday)
Time: 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Location: Hyatt Regency Vancouver, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

About the 2018 SIG-USE Symposium

The 18th Annual SIG-USE Research Symposium focuses on the future of information behavior research. We live in an era of change in terms of the technologies, platforms, and tools at our disposal. With these changes, we are also witnessing changes in communication practices, in the meaning and form of information, and in information behaviors. There has been a significant global shift in the ways that information and knowledge is produced, shared, and used. We have seen developments such as the crowdsourcing of knowledge work, the use of new communication channels in information diffusion activities, and the emergence of online environments serving as “third places” and “information grounds”. As we consider the future, there are many ways that we might consider information behavior research including users, application, contexts, and methods to study information behavior and practice. This Symposium aims to facilitate information exchange between and among students, researchers, and information professionals who focus on different aspects of the future of information behavior research. It also aims to serve as a forum for graduate students, researchers, and practitioners new to this area to engage critically with the theme, and for scholars and practitioners alike to receive feedback on preliminary works and works-in-progress.

Call for Participation

SIG-USE Symposium organizers invite poster (500 words or less) and short paper (2000 words or less) contributions that describe completed research and research-in-progress, and that showcase empirical, conceptual, theoretical, and methodological findings or rich practice cases and demonstrations, from researchers, graduate students, and practitioners.

Specific issues to be addressed depend on the interest of the participants and the issues they bring into the workshop. Potential topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

Actors/users: Individuals may have very different information needs and seek, process, and act upon information in diverse ways.

How has the concept of the user/actor in information behavior research changed over time?
What effect has this had on the ways that we study users’ information behaviors, and on our efforts to facilitate users’ abilities to access and make use of information?
How can we facilitate equitable access and use of information across diverse populations?

Applications: Applications, technologies, and enablers may play a role in or shape our information behaviors, including information seeking, processing, and use.

New technologies offer opportunities for identity construction and empowerment, or do they?
How can information behavior research address local and global issues relating to health, environment, economics, and human rights, among others, creating value for all?

Contexts: Information behaviors occur in many contexts, including within work and recreational settings, and as a part of everyday life. They also arise out of needs in particular situations, such as in response to health conditions, and may be triggered due to factors such as serendipitous encounters. How do characteristics of organizations and information society (e.g., cultural norms, legal frameworks, communication structures, political hierarchies, etc.) influence the access to and use of information and technologies?

Methods: Users, applications, and the contexts in which information behaviors occur are continually evolving. What does this mean for the methods that we use to study information behavior, and moreover, for practice?

With all of these developments, we also encounter questions concerning research ethics. Though the future brings new opportunities and possibilities, concerns persist and questions arise as society evolves. How have the roles of researchers and participants changed in this evolving digital landscape?

Submission Categories

Short Papers (2000 words or less):

Will be followed by small group discussions, so submissions that generate stimulating dialogue and exchange are ideal
Tend to have richer discussion of the methods and results
Provide more contextualization of the work within the background literature

Posters (500 words or less):

Provide an opportunity for more one-on-one feedback on early work and work-in-progress
Preliminary work is not required

Poster and short paper abstracts should adhere to the following guidelines:

Please access the submission website to upload your submission: https://utk.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3lTWAmYnImINTo1
Please submit an anonymized Word or PDF file.
The deadline for submission is August 22, 2018 (extended from August 15)
We will send out notifications of acceptance by September 26, 2018.

All submissions will be peer-reviewed. Accepted documents will be circulated prior to and following the Symposium, when possible. Presenters who have their short paper accepted should plan on presentations of up to 8 minutes in total. Short-paper presenters should also expect to e-mail their slides in advance of the Symposium. Poster presenters will stand next to their posters and present a short 30-second introduction to their research. Details of these requirements will be provided after notifications of acceptance.

Tentative Schedule

The Workshop will take place over a half-day. It will be comprised of Short Paper and Poster presentations, break-out group discussion sessions, and Awards presentations. This is our anticipated schedule:

13:00-13:10 Welcome and overview of the Symposium
13:10-13:40 Short paper presentations I
13:40-13:55 Break-out group discussions
13:55-14:25 Short paper presentations II
14:25-14:40 Break-out group discussions
14:40-14:50 Small groups report out to the entire group
14:50-14:55 Poster Ignite talks
14:55-15:25 Poster Session/Break
15:25-15:55 Award presentations
15:55-16:15 Short paper presentations III
16:15-16:30 Break-out group discussions
16:30-17:00 Small groups report out to the entire group and closing remarks

Important Dates

August 22, 2018, 11:59 pm (Anywhere on Earth): Submissions due (Extended from August 15)

September 26, 2018: Notices of acceptance issued

Registration Fees

	Early Bird (Through 10/1)	Advance (10/2–11/2)	On site
ASIS&T Members	$130	$155	$180
Non-Members	$160	$185	$210
ASIS&T Student Members	$100	$125	$150
Student Non-Members	$130	$155	$180

The registration fee is $30 off for students (use discount code USE30 at registration), so if you are a student member and register no later than Monday, 1 October, 2018, it will be $100!

The registration fee will cover Symposium costs and an afternoon break with snacks.

Neither submission nor acceptance of an abstract are requirements for registration for the SIG-USE Symposium.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions you may have. We hope to see you there!

Annie Chen, University of Washington: atchen@uw.edu
Melissa Ocepek, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign: mgocepek@illinois.edu
Devendra Potnis, University of Tennessee at Knoxville: dpotnis@utk.edu
Yiwei Wang, Rutgers University: yw498@scarletmail.rutgers.edu

SIG USE 2017 17th Annual Research Symposium at ASIST 2017: Framing Inclusion and Exclusion in Information...

Framing Inclusion and Exclusion in Information Behavior Research and Practice

Date: October 28, 2017 (Saturday)

Time: 1:30 pm – 6:30 pm

Location: Hyatt Regency Crystal City, Washington, D.C. (Arlington, VA), USA

Keynote: Dr. Paul T. Jaeger, College of Information Studies and the Information Policy and Access Center (iPAC), University of Maryland

ABOUT THE 2017 SIG-USE SYMPOSIUM

The 17th Annual SIG-USE Research Symposium focuses on the theme of inclusion and exclusion. This theme acknowledges that advances in information and communication technology—such as the Internet, social media, and mobile devices—have afforded individuals and communities new ways of connecting with one another and of accessing vast quantities of information, but that many individuals and groups still remain at the periphery of the information society. These groups include, but are not limited to: older persons, geographically or socially isolated persons, migrant persons, disabled persons, economically disadvantaged and displaced persons, global youth, and others who are often considered at-risk and vulnerable. While some scholars have considered these populations and their information behavior and practices, the aims of this Symposium are to strengthen and build the community of scholars and information professionals who critically consider issues related to inclusion and exclusion in their work. It also aims to provide an opportunity for scholars and professionals to reflect and gain feedback on their ongoing studies, to take in new perspectives, and to engage in theoretical debates.

View the abstracts of the papers and posters that were presented at the symposium.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

The Symposium format is designed to encourage and advance discussion around the theme of inclusion and exclusion in information behavior research and information professional practice. We expect the day to run in roughly this order:

13:30: Welcome, participant introductions, and overview of the Symposium.
13:45: Keynote presentation by Professor Paul T. Jaeger.
14:30: Presentations and discussions.
16:00: Break time.
16:20: Presentations and discussions.
18.20: Symposium wrap-up/close.

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION

SIG-USE Symposium organizers invite poster (~500-word abstract) and short paper (<2000-word abstract) contributions that describe completed research and research-in-progress, and that showcase empirical, conceptual, theoretical, and methodological findings or rich practice cases and demonstrations, from researchers, graduate students, and practitioners.

Welcome topics include, but are not limited to:

Theoretical perspectives/frameworks that enhance understanding and offer new perspectives on the roles of information in relation to inclusion and exclusion. What theoretical perspectives are well-suited to studying this topic? Potential examples include activity theory, sense-making, or information grounds. Novel theoretical perspectives are also welcome.
Conceptual and methodological approaches for understanding the roles of information and technology in inclusion and exclusion. What are some of the relevant challenges and actual or potential innovations in this area?
Works discussing how diverse or marginalized populations engage with and through information, information seeking, information use, or information sharing—or discussing how such engagement can be promoted.
Works considering the adaptive information behavior and practices of diverse and marginalized populations in response to inclusion and exclusion.
Works considering the rise of digital spaces, and the challenges, opportunities, tensions, or benefits to using digital spaces to engage diverse or marginalized populations.
Works considering the ways in which developing an understanding of the information behaviors and practices of diverse and marginalized populations can inform the development and design of future information and communication technologies, information services, information management processes or tools, or educational strategies or opportunities.
Works, cases, or demonstrations considering individual, community, or institutional (e.g., organizational, governmental) perspectives on inclusion and exclusion.
Any works relating broadly to the theme of inclusion and exclusion.

Poster and short paper abstracts should adhere to the following guidelines:

Be submitted as two versions: the first should include (a) name(s), title, and institutional affiliation(s) at the top; the second should be blinded to facilitate review, and not include name(s), titles, or affiliation(s).
Be submitted as two .pdf files, named according to the following conventions: ‘2017_SIGUSESym_####_Lastname.pdf’ and ‘2017_SIGUSESym_####_Blinded.pdf’ (where ‘####’ is a 4- or 5-digit number of your choosing, to avoid multiple files with identical names).
Be e-mailed to Leslie Thomson (lethomso@ad.unc.edu) by midnight EST on September 10, 2017.

Accepted documents will be circulated prior to and following the Symposium, when possible. Please indicate in the text of the submission  e-mail whether or not we may post the abstract to the public SIG-USE website before and after the Symposium is held.

Presenters who have their abstracts accepted should plan on presentations of about 5-10 minutes in total, with some time allotted for questions. Short-paper presenters should also expect to e-mail slides in advance of the Symposium. Exact details of these requirements will be provided with notices of acceptance.

IMPORTANT DATES

September 10, 2017: Abstracts due (midnight EST)
September 26, 2017: Notice of acceptance

REGISTRATION FEES

(Early bird, pre-September 15, 2017 / Regular)

SIG-USE Members: $115 / $120
ASIS&T (but not SIG-USE) Members: $120 / $135
Non-Members: $140 / $145

The registration fee will cover Symposium costs, wireless Internet access, and coffee breaks.

Neither submission nor acceptance of an abstract are requirements for registration at the SIG-USE Symposium.

We hope to see you there!

Leslie Thomson: lethomso@ad.unc.edu

Chi Young Oh: jcoh@umd.edu

Stan Karanasios: stan.karanasios@rmit.edu.au

2017 ASIS&T SIG-USE Symposium Co-chairs

SIG USE 2016 16th Annual Research Symposium at ASIST 2016: Information Behavior in Workplaces

Information Behavior in Workplaces (SIG-USE)

This year’s SIG USE symposium focuses on information issues at work. It acknowledges social, individual and technological perspectives on the roles and flows that information takes as part of physical and digital work. The broad approach relates to the conference theme with a focus on information behavior (IB) or on information practices (IP) in connection to workplaces.

Earlier generations were accustomed to stable and localized work; now work activities and contexts have and are radically changing. During their work life, people may experience several career changes, are expected to learn new skills and adapt to new ideas as well as manage the increasingly fluid boundaries between work and leisure. Moreover, much of information and data are internetworked and accessible simultaneously by multiple mobile devices supporting networked communities anyplace, anywhere, anytime. This challenges both the creation and consumption of information used for work – or at work; it also affects how, when and where people work, as well as their productivity, collegiality and innovativeness.

Despite, or perhaps due to, the advances in technology, today’s workplaces remain challenged by how to create, discover, share, value and enhance information and knowledge at and for work; and, how to design and manage the systems that support these functions, which are so critical to organizationally effective and individually rewarding work. The issues are many, from the consequences of new devices that are stretching the ways that an organization works, to the efficacy dynamics (stress, motivation, collaboration, productivity, age, etc.) and to the new skills and expertise required to work in such changing and changeable environments. Information is indispensable in many, if not all, workplace activities; as a resource for getting work done as well as for learning, managing change, developing and maintaining processes and creating professional networks.

Specific issues to be addressed depend on the interest of the participants and the issues they bring into the workshop. Welcome topics include:

Critical cultural information behavior – how do we infuse our workplaces and practices with diversity and social justice sensibilities?
Collaborative IB; virtual team
Digital workplaces, peopleless offices & officeless people – what happens when the physical workplace dissolves?
Everyday Life Information (in the workplace)
Frameworks for understanding IB/IP in work settings
IB/IP and workplace or information systems design
Organizational behaviour research – what can we learn from this field of research that is relevant to IB/IP?
Organizational information genres
Personal Information Management (in the workplace)
The blurring of lines between personal and professional in digital information use in the workplace
The impact of mobile devices on IB/IP in the workplace
Workplace culture, diversity and inclusion – how these shape and are shaped by information behaviour (IB)/information practices (IP)?
and any other work-related informational topics

We aim to an interactive workshop to enable the fullest exchange of ideas amongst attendees. For this reason, we encourage participants to submit; even if participation without a paper/poster is an eligible option. The workshop features a keynote by Professor Hazel Hall (preliminarily confirmed), presentation of selected papers, a joint poster session between the SIGs, and roundtable discussions based on short papers and posters by participants.

Documentation: short papers and posters are shared digitally among the participants. Roundtable discussions are documented by a designated person in each group and collated by symposium chairs to a short summary that is made available for the participants afterwards.

SIG-USE symposium chairs

David Allen, Leeds University, UK
Katriina Byström, Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, Norway
Nicole A. Cooke, The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA
Luanne Freund, University of British Columbia, Canada

PROGRAMME SCHEDULE

Getting-Started featuring the SIGUSE posters: 12.45-13.45

13.45-14.45 USE – opening keynote
- Hazel Hall, University of Napier, UK – Watching the workers: researching information behaviours in, and for, workplace environments
14.45-15.45 Short Paper Session
- Diane Pennington, University of Strathclyde, UK – Supporting Workplace Information Needs of People with Dementia
- Morten Hertzum, University of Copenhagen, Denmark – Information Behavior and Workplace Procedures: the case of emergency-department Triage
  Helena Vallo Hult, University West, Sweden – The Emergence of Sharing and Gaining Knowledge: Towards Digital Collaboration in Everyday Work
15.45-16.00 Break
16.00-17.30 Roundtable discussions based on papers & posters, including summary in plenum:
17.30-17.45 SIG USE Awards session
- 2014 Award Winner Diane Sonnenwald, University College Dublin, Ireland – Visioning a New Future for Rare Historic Books and Manuscripts
- 2015 Award Winner Debbie Rabina, Pratt University, USA – Information needs of people in prisons and jails: A discourse analytic approach
- Presentation of 2016 Award Winners
17.45-18.00 USE – closing remarks

SIG USE posters:

FEES

Members – SIG-SI session: $100 – $120 after Sept. 2, 2016
Members – SIG-USE session: $100 – $120 after Sept. 2, 2016
Members – attending both SIG-SI and SIG-SI sessions: $180 – $200 after Sept. 2, 2016

Non-members – SIG-SI Session: $120 – $140, after Sept. 2, 2016
Non-members – SIG-USE Session: $120 – $140, after Sept. 2, 2016
Non-members – attending both SIG-SI and SIG-SI sessions: $230 – $250 after Sept. 2, 2016

SIG USE 2015 15th Annual Research Symposium at ASIST 2015: Making Research Matter: Connecting Theory and Practice

Theme: Making Research Matter: Connecting Theory and Practice

Date: November 7, 2015
Time: 1:30 to 6:30 pm
Location: Hyatt St Louis
Keynote Speakers: Ross Todd (Rutgers University) & Safiya Noble (UCLA)

About the 2015 Symposium:

Research and theory development in information needs, use, and seeking are grounded in work with individuals and groups of people from a variety of practice communities and sociocultural contexts. Reciprocally, work developed by information scientists has tangible impact on the life experiences of individuals within these communities. When connections between research activities and their societal and cultural contexts are overlooked, both research and practice suffer, and the usefulness of information science research is lessened.

The 2015 SIG USE Symposium will explore connections between theory building, research, and practice as they relate to information needs, seeking, and use. During the symposium, we will investigate multi-directional connections between theory and research, and societal and practice implications of information science research.

SCHEDULE:

1:30-1:40 Welcome and introduction
1:40-2:25 Keynote 1: Ross Todd
2:25-3:10 Lightning Talks
3:15 – 4:00 Mixer Chat and Break
4:00 – 4:45 Safiya Nobel Keynote
4:45 – 5:45 Table Talks
5:45 – 6:10 SIG USE award ceremony and wrap up

CALL FOR PROPOSALS:

The symposium welcomes all faculty, graduate students, and information professionals who are interested in exploring connections among theory, theory development, information science research, practice, and information use.

Attendees are invited to submit proposals for lightning talks. Lightning talks are intended to provide examples of research, theory development, and practice that will further conversation related to the symposium theme.

Lightning talks will address connections among information behavior research, theory building, practice, and the communities served by researchers and practitioners. Successful/accepted proposals will emphasize these connections and explore interplay among this continuum (or the lack thereof). Proposals will be accepted in a wide range of topical areas, but should address issues such as (but not limited to) the following:

Connections between theory and practice: talks that address practical implications of theory development for improving practice within specific communities or institutions, conduct of applied research, meeting specific information needs, and facilitating information use or seeking.
Implications of research for practice/behavior in communities: Talks that address the social, political, educational, health, and/or behavioral implications of theoretical perspectives (in research and practice) and research methodologies (including ontological, epistemological, and methodological assumptions, and theoretical frameworks) for specific communities and community members.
Influence of practice on theory and research: Talks that address the implications of practice within varied communities for developing information science research and theory. Case studies based on practice at specific institutions, or more broadly designed work is welcome.

Lightning talk format: Each lightning talk is permitted 1 speaker, 3 minutes, and up to 3 powerpoint slides. A mixer will follow the lightning talks, allowing discussion and questions about the talks.

Submission guidelines for the lightning talk abstracts:

Include your name, title, and institutional affiliation at the top of your submission
Proposal text must not exceed 500 words
Proposal should include: subject of the lighting talk (if the talk is based on a study, a brief study description), explicit connection to the symposium theme, and a final question to pose to the group
Submission is in pdf format with the filename in the format of “2015_SIGUSESymposium_YourLastname.pdf”
E-mail your proposal to (2015SIGUSE@gmail.com) by midnight EST on September 1, 2015. Deadline extended to September 8, 2015.
Accepted submissions will be posted to the public SIG USE website.

2015 SIG USE Symposium Planning Committee

Co-Chairs:

Amelia Gibson – angibson@email.unc.edu
Devon Greyson – devon.greyson@alumni.ubc.ca
Rebekah Willson – rwillson@csu.edu.au

Committee:

SIG USE 2014 14th Annual Research Symposium at ASIST 2014: Context in Information Behavior Research

Theme: Context in Information Behavior Research

Date: November 1, 2014 (Saturday)
Time: 1:30 to 6:30 pm
Location: Sheraton Seattle Hotel, Seattle, WA, USA

Keynote Speaker: Professor J. David Johnson, Department of Communication, University of
Kentucky, http://comm.uky.edu/jdjohnson

ABOUT THE 2014 SIG-USE SYMPOSIUM:

The importance of context in human information behavior research has been well established. Nonetheless, it has been observed that although contextual aspects are included in most research, they tend to serve as the backdrop of a study, and not as its focus. Stronger emphasis on context will enhance our understanding of information behavior.
The purpose of this symposium is to explore the role and impact of context, aiming to advance scholarship and knowledge concerning this key component of information behavior research.

This symposium will focus on themes including, but not limited to:

Conceptual and theoretical aspects: Focusing on the conceptual and theoretical understanding of context in information behavior research, papers may explore questions such as the following: What does “context” really mean? What is the nature of context in the research frameworks of information behavior studies (e.g., as the background/setting, the explanatory factor, the manipulation condition, or the outcome variable of a research study)? How are relationships between individuals, groups, and contexts surrounding the information behavior conceptualized? To what extent and in what way do variables representing features at broader levels of aggregation (e.g., group level, organizational level, societal level) affect the information behavior of an individual? What philosophical and theoretical perspectives and frameworks can be used to study contexts?
Methodological aspects: From the research method perspective, papers may examine issues such as: What factors need to be considered when selecting methods and/or instruments for studies of various contexts? What are the methodological challenges and opportunities of studying information behavior in a particular context?
Context-related research: With strong focus on contexts, papers may probe questions such as: What is the typical information behavior in a particular context? different is the information behavior in one context from the other? How does the context factor interact with other factors (e.g., user characteristics)?
Meta-analysis of context-related research: Context-related research may be analyzed to explore questions such as: What kinds of research have been done in relation to contexts? How do different aspects of context impact different LIS areas (e.g., information literacy, design of information systems/services, etc.) and in what way?

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE:

1:45 – 2:35 Keynote presentation

2:35 – 3:25 First round of Lightning Talks

3:25 – 3:45 Break

3:45 – 4:35 Second round of Lightning Talks

4:35 – 5:20 Word Café discussions

5:20 – 5:50 Group report

5:50 – 6:30 Award ceremony and wrap-up

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION

All the interested researchers, graduate students, and information professionals are invited to submit a proposal for a short presentation (i.e., approximately 5 – 8 minutes in the form of lightning talks). Proposals for lightning talks should be one to two pages long (500-1000 words) and outline the topic and themes that will be addressed during the talk. Proposed topics must be relevant to the Symposium theme – Context in information behavior research.

Submission guidelines for Lightning talk proposals:

Author’s name, title, and institutional affiliation should be included at the top of the proposal.
Proposal text must be 500-1000 words.
Submission should be in pdf or doc format. The file should be named as ‘2014_SIGUSEsympo_FirstAuthor’sLastName”.
Submission should be done by sending your draft to sigusesym2014@gmail.com (Subject: SIGUSE_FirstAuthor’sLastname). A proposal should be submitted by midnight Hawaii Time on September 1, 2014.
Accepted submissions will be made available through the public SIG-USE website both before and after the Symposium.
Accepted submissions may be invited for publication in the next volume of the SIG USE/ASIS&T Monograph Series.
If there are still open spaces available, the symposium will be open to ASIS&T attendees who do not have a Lightning talk. Registration is still required.

IMPORTANT DATES:

September 10, 2014: *NEW* Submission due date for extended abstracts or position papers
September 25, 2014: Notification of acceptance
October 25, 2014: Submission due date for Lightning talk slides

REGISTRATION FEES:

SIG-USE Members: $90
ASIS&T (but not SIG-USE) Members: $100
Non-Members: $120

The registration fee will cover workshop costs, wireless Internet access, and coffee breaks.

WORKSHOP PLANNING COMMITTEE MEMBERS:

Chairs:

K.-Sun Kim (Co-Chair) (kskim@slis.wisc.edu), University of Wisconsin – Madison
Lu Xiao (Co-Chair) (lxiao24@uwo.ca), University of Western Ontario

Members:

Nicole Cooke (nacooke@illinois.edu), University of Illinois
Nicole Gaston (nicolemgaston@gmail.com), Open Polytechnic of New Zealand
Amelia Gibson (and04g@my.fsu.edu), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Sei-Ching Joanna Sin (joanna.sin@ntu.edu.sg), Nanyang Technological University
Sue Yeon Syn (syn@cua.edu) and Sanghee Oh (sanghee.oh@cnu.ac.kr), Catholic University of America
Pertti Vakkari (pertti.vakkari@uta.fi), University of Tampere

For more information about SIG-USE: https://siguse.wordpress.com

Hope to see you there!

Please forward any questions that you have to K.-Sun “Sunny” Kim (kskim@slis.wisc.edu) or Lu Xiao (lxiao24@uwo.ca).

K.-Sun Kim & Lu Xiao
2014 ASIS&T SIG-USE Symposium Co-chairs

SIG USE 2013 13th Annual Research Symposium at ASIST 2013: Information Behavior on the Move: Information Needs, Seeking, and ...

Information Behavior on the Move: Information Needs, Seeking, and Use in the Era of Mobile Technologies

Date: November 2, 2013 (Saturday)
Time: 1:30 to 6:30 pm
Location: Centre Sheraton, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Keynote Speaker: TBA

ABOUT THE 2013 SIG-USE SYMPOSIUM:

We live in a time when mobile technologies are becoming more ubiquitous within people’s everyday lives, facilitating new forms of information seeking, sharing, creation, and re-use of information and data. Personal computer ownership has been far surpassed by mobile phone ownership and nearly equaled by smartphone ownership. In many developing countries, mobile computing has leapfrogged over personal computing in order to provide online access where none existed. Such prevalent use of cellphone and mobile technologies to access information has a significant impact on the study of information needs, seeking and use. These dramatic changes in technology preferences and use can be seen as altering the very ecology for the study of information behavior, and indeed, blur the contexts of systems and users. It can be argued that even those interactions that do not involve mobile technologies are influenced by the increasing mobility of information use.

The 13th Annual SIG-USE Research Symposium at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the American Society for Information Science & Technology (ASIS&T) will explore the ways in which information “on the move” is transforming or changing the nature of people’s information behaviors and the ways in which people’s information behaviors are, in turn, shaping technologies, services, work and leisure. We will also consider the impact of this transformation on the general assumptions and premises informing the research domain of information behavior. In this Symposium, we will explore the above themes through a keynote speech, short presentations, and small and large-group discussions.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

1:30-1:45 Welcome and introduction
1:45-2:30 Keynote presentation
2:30-2:45 Break
2:45-3:20 Small group discussions
3:20-4:10 First round of Ignite talks
4:10-4:20 Break
4:20-5:10 Second round of Ignite talks
5:10-5:45 Small group discussions
5:45-6:15 Chatman Award research presentations by 2013 winner(s) (5 minutes), and 2012 winners, Joung Hwa “Joy” Koo, Yong Wan Cho, and Melissa Gross of Florida State University (20 minutes). Joy and her colleagues will present their research regarding the information seeking practices of North Korean refugees in South Korea, with a focus on the relationship between the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms of this population and their information needs and information-seeking behaviors. Their award-winning research project is entitled “Is Ignorance Really Bliss?: Understanding the Role of Information-Seeking in Coping with Severe Traumatic Stress among Refugees.” This portion of the Symposium will conclude with a presentation of this year’s SIG USE awards (5 minutes).
6:15-6:30 Wrap-up: Large group discussion and evaluations

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION

For the short presentations, we invite researchers, graduate students, and practitioners to submit a ONE page proposal (no more than 500 words) in which they outline the topic and themes they would like to address during their Ignite talk. Each presenter will have 5 minutes to deliver his/her Ignite talk – 15 seconds to address each of the 20 slides they will have prepared for their talk, and will have an additional 3 minutes to take any questions that SIG-USE attendees may have. For an example of an Ignite talk, see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRa1IPkBFbg.

Proposed themes for submissions include:

Theoretical perspectives/frameworks that constitute the social, cultural and technological underpinnings of information behavior “on the move”;
The extent to which new information and communication technologies (e.g., social media, mobile technologies) are revolutionary vs. evolutionary within various information behavior contexts;
How environments in which information is literally “on the move” are providing a technological platform that facilitates the kinds of informal, social information sharing practices desired by users;
How a better understanding of people’s changing information behaviors might be used to inform the future development of information and communication technologies, services, practices, management and education;
What innovative strategies of inquiry and methods of data collection might be used to systematically investigate and fully capture and map “information behavior on the move”;
Any other themes that relate to the Symposium topic of “information behavior on the move”.

Submission guidelines for Ignite talk proposals:

Include your name, title, and institutional affiliation at the top of your proposal
Proposal text must not exceed 1 page (max. 500 words)
Submit proposal in pdf format
Name your file according to the following convention: ‘2013_SIGUSESymposium_Lastname.pdf’
E-mail your proposal to Beth St. Jean (bstjean@umd.edu) by midnight EST on September 13, 2013. Please use “SIGUSE Ignite Talk Proposal” as the subject line of your e-mail.
When you e-mail your submission, please be sure to indicate in the text of your e-mail whether or not we may post your proposal to the public SIG-USE website both before and after the Symposium is conducted.

IMPORTANT DATES

September 13, 2013: Ignite talk proposals are due
October 4, 2013: Notification of acceptance of Ignite talk proposals
October 25, 2013: E-mail your slides for your Ignite talk for uploading

REGISTRATION FEES

* SIG-USE Members: $110
* ASIS&T (but not SIG-USE) Members: $120
* Non-Members: $135
The registration fee will cover workshop costs, wireless Internet access, and coffee breaks.

Please forward any questions that you have to Mega Subramaniam (mmsubram@umd.edu) or Beth St. Jean (bstjean@umd.edu).

WORKSHOP PLANNING COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Mega Subramaniam (Co-Chair), University of Maryland;
Beth St. Jean (Co-Chair), University of Maryland;
Isto Huvila, Åbo Akademi University, Finland;
Eric Meyers, University of British Columbia, Canada;
Pei Lei, Nanjing University, China;
Michael Olsson, University of Technology Sydney;
Maria Souden, University College Dublin, Ireland;
Xiaojun (Jenny) Yuan, University at Albany, State University of New York.

To register for the 2013 ASIS&T Annual Meeting: http://www.asist.org/asist2013/register.html (early bird registration deadline: September 2, 2013)

For more information about SIG-USE: https://siguse.wordpress.com/

Hope to see you there!

Mega Subramaniam & Beth St. Jean
2013 ASIS&T SIG-USE Symposium Co-chairs

SIG USE 2012 12th Annual Research Symposium at ASIST 2012: Evolving and Emerging Research Methods in Information Behavior, ...

Evolving and Emerging Research Methods in Information Behavior, Needs, Seeking, and Use

Saturday, October 27, 2012, 1:30 – 6:30pm – lightning talk abstracts & Flickr Photostream

In 2012, information is being sought, shared and created more rapidly and in more ways than ever before. In exploring implications of new modes of communication, changing information forms and media, and the continual evolution of human-information interactions, today?s researchers are challenged to incorporate a greater variety of approaches and new innovative methods of study.

Join us for the 12th Annual SIG-USE Research Symposium, which will focus on evolving and emerging strategies of research inquiry! ASIS&T SIG-USE encompasses the wide range of research into human information behavior, needs, seeking, and use.

Brief “lightning talks” by workshop participants will include:

Important Dates

August 31, 2012 – Email brief description of lightning talk topic (150 to 250 words) to Jeanine Williamson (jwilliamson@utk.edu)

September 14, 2012 – Notification of acceptance of lightning talk proposal

October 15, 2012 – Email slides to be loaded in advance for your lightning talk

ABOUT ASIS&T SYMPOSIUM 2012

The 12th Annual SIG-USE Research Symposium will explore evolving and emerging strategies of research inquiry in information behavior, needs, seeking, and use by inviting participants to share their experiences with and knowledge of the next generation of research methods. Keynote speaker Dr. Lisa Given of Charles Sturt University, Australia, will engage attendees with a discussion of the use of photography, participant-driven methods, arts-based approaches and other new methods that push the boundaries of information behavior research. Participants in the symposium will give brief “lightning talks” on research methods that are either novel applications of established methods or are on the leading edge of emerging approaches in the field. Workshop attendees will also participate actively by proposing significant problems to be addressed, discussing them in small and large groups, and brainstorming about research methods that might be appropriate for addressing those problems. The Symposium will conclude with a summary and synthesis of the results from the group discussion and brainstorming, as well as a projection for next steps.

SCHEDULE

1:30-1:45 Welcome and introduction, including an explanation of procedures for lightning talks.
1:45-2:30 Keynote presentation on New Research Methods: incorporating photography, participant-driven methods, arts-based approaches and more.
SPEAKER: Lisa Given, Charles Sturt University
2:30-2:45 Break
2:45-4:00 First round of lightning talks on particular research methods, themes in the evolution of research methods, emerging trends, and proposed problems.
4:00-4:15 Break
4:15-5:30 Second round of lightning talks on particular research methods, themes in the evolution of research methods, emerging trends, and proposed problems.
5:30-6:00 Chatman Award research presentations by 2012 winner (5 mins), and 2011 winner, Julie Hersberger of University of North Carolina, Greensboro, on research into information needs and strategies of the homeless: “A Resilience and Information Behavior Model: Understanding Information Roles and Use Outcomes in Homeless Populations” (20 mins), followed by presentation of SIG USE awards (5 mins).
6:00-6:30 Wrap-up and evaluations

WORKSHOP FORMAT AND CALL FOR PARTICIPATION

The workshop features participatory methods including small and large group discussions, brainstorming, and lightning talks open to participation by all of the attendees. Participants in lightning talks (similar to pecha kucha) can use slides or interactive discussion but generally speak for no more than 2-3 minutes.

Participants are invited to give brief “lightning talks” on research methods and research problems for interactive brainstorming and discussion. The informal lightning talks will last 2-3 minutes with topics in areas such as particular research methods, themes in the evolution of research methods, emerging trends, or research methodology problems.
Workshop participants will provide a brief description of their topic or problem beforehand. This description should be around 150-250 words.

Those interested in attending the workshop without submitting a proposal for a topic or problem without giving a lightning talk may register at any time prior to the beginning of the workshop, provided that workshop spaces remain.
For those submitting a description of a proposed lightning talk on a research method or a research problem, please use the following submission guidelines:

Submit all files as pdf documents.
Put your name, title, and institutional affiliation in the upper left-hand corner of the first page Name your file as follows: 2012_SIGUSEworkshop_yourlastname.pdf
N.B.: Indicate in your email message whether or not you would like your submission to be posted publicly on the SIG USE website as part of the pre- and post-workshop materials.

Submissions are due by midnight local time on August 31, 2012 Email submissions to: Jeanine Williamson, jwilliamson@utk.edu

WORKSHOP PLANNING COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Jeanine Williamson (Chair), University of Tennessee; Karen Fisher, University of Washington, Seattle; Lisa Given, Charles Sturt University, Australia; Linnea Johnson, Simmons College; Lorri Mon, Florida State University; Soo Young Rieh, University of Michigan; Chirag Shah, Rutgers University; Maria Souden, University College Dublin, Ireland; Rong Tang, Simmons College; Barbara Wildemuth, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Bo Xie, University of Texas at Austin; Guo Zhang, Indiana University

More info about ASIS&T SIG USE: https://siguse.wordpress.com/
Register for the ASIS&T Annual Meeting: http://www.asis.org/asist2012/register.html

See you at ASIS&T 2012!

SIG USE 2011 11th Annual Research Symposium at ASIST 2011: Where Your World Meets Mine: Information Use Across Domains

Where Your World Meets Mine: Information Use Across Domains

SIG USE Research Symposium participant white papers discussing the intersections of information seeking and use with domains outside of information science:

Symposium Schedule – Salon F&G, 3rd Floor, Marriott

8:00 – 8:45 Continental breakfast.

8:45 – 9:00 Welcome and introduction – Lynn Westbrook

9:00 – 9:20 Introduction to the topic of information use across domains (Carole Palmer, Professor at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Director of CIRSS, Center for Informatics Research in Science & Scholarship )

9:20 – 10:00 Keynote presentation: Health and Healthcare (Nancy Roderer, Director, Welch Medical Library and Division of Health Sciences Informatics, Johns Hopkins University, and Bo Xie , Assistant Professor, College of Information Studies, University of Maryland) – moderator: Maria Souden

10:00 – 10:15 Break

10:15 – 11:45 Morning discussion groups

11:45 – 12:15 Discussion group wrap-up – moderator: Maria Souden

12:15 – 12:45 Chatman Award presentation and presentation of SIG USE awards

12:45 – 1:30 Lunch

1:30 – 2:15 Keynote presentation: Social work and social issues (Julie Hersberger, Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Library and Information Studies, The University of North Carolina at
Greensboro, and Jacqueline Solis, Coordinator of Liaison Services and Librarian for American Studies, Folklore, and Linguistics, Davis Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) – moderator: Denise Agosto

2:15 – 3:30 Afternoon discussion groups

3:30 – 4:00 Discussion wrap-up and conclusion – moderator: Denise
Agosto

Where Your World Meets Mine: Information Use Across Domains will explore the intersections of information seeking and use with domains outside of information science. In the last decade, information science-attention to cross-disciplinary questions has remained a central focus of the field. To some degree, working in information science inherently means working across boundaries.

As information behavior researchers and practitioners, we must not only be immersed in information science practices and perspectives, but able to entertain, incorporate, and challenge the perspectives of the various other domains in which we work.

This Symposium invites researchers, graduate students, and practitioners to reflect on and discuss experiences in their own work of boundary crossing, boundary living, and boundary pushing. A series of keynote dialogues will pair information behavior researchers with practitioners from related domains of study, with the goal of stimulating lively and focused discussion sessions among participants. Participants will emerge with new understandings of and reflections on how working across a wide range of disciplines and domains enables synergies between our world and the worlds of our collaborators.

Call for Proposals

WHERE YOUR WORLD MEETS MINE: INFORMATION USE ACROSS DOMAINS

The 11th Annual SIG-USE Research Symposium at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the American Society for Information Science & Technology (ASIS&T) will explore the intersections of information seeking and use with domains outside of information science. In the last decade, information science’s attention to cross-disciplinary questions has remained a central focus of the field. To some degree, working in information science inherently means working across boundaries. As information behavior researchers and practitioners, we must not only be immersed in information science practices and perspectives, but able to entertain, incorporate, and challenge the perspectives of the various other domains in which we work.

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION
An advance written submission is encouraged, but not required. Advance written information will enable workshop organizers to create working groups based on participants’ shared interests. Workshop attendees may choose any of the following options for participating:

1. REGISTRATION PLUS POSITION PAPER. Those interested in writing brief papers are invited to submit one-page position papers explaining how your work involves other domains outside of information science, including research, practice, service, collaboration, and teaching. Position papers will be posted on the SIG USE website prior to the workshop (with authors’ permission).

2. REGISTRATION PLUS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS/PROBLEM IDENTIFICATIONS. In lieu of writing a position paper, registrants may submit two or three discussion questions or problems related to the idea of information seeking and use across domains. These may be general questions and problems, or questions and problems closely related to your own work (e.g., “How are changing information practices affecting the field of digital humanities?” or “information privacy issues in organizational contexts”). The organizing committee is particularly interested in questions or problems that would be useful for guiding small group discussions at the workshop.

3. REGISTRATION PLUS IDENTIFICATION OF DOMAIN(S) OF INTEREST. Those with interests in specific domains can choose to list up to three domains of interest for the organizing committee to consider as topic areas for small group discussion.

4. REGISTRATION PLUS ANY COMBINATION OF OPTIONS 1 – 3, ABOVE. You may choose to submit any two or all three of the above items (position paper, discussion questions/problem identifications, and domains of interest).

5. REGISTRATION ONLY. Those interested in attending the workshop without submitting written materials may register at any time prior to the beginning of the workshop, provided that workshop spaces remain.

For advance submissions, please use the following submission guidelines:

* Submit all files as pdf documents.
* Put your name, title, and institutional affiliation in the upper left-hand corner of the first page.
* Put page numbers in the upper right hand corner of all pages.
* Name your file as follows:
2011_SIGUSEworkshop_yourlastname.pdf

N.B.: Indicate in your email message whether or not you would like your submission to be posted publically on the SIG USE website as a part of the pre- and post-workshop materials. Submissions are due by midnight local time on SEPTEMBER 9, 2011. Email submissions to:
Maria Souden (maria.souden@ucd.ie).

REGISTRATION FEES
* $105 for SIG USE members.
* $110 for nonmembers.

The registration fee will cover workshop costs, a light breakfast, coffee breaks, and lunch.

STUDENT BLOGGERS
SIG USE will pay the registration fees for two graduate students to attend the workshop and provide live blogging during the event. If you are interested in serving as a student blogger, indicate your interest via email to Maria Souden at maria.souden@ucd.ie. Student bloggers will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis.

WORKSHOP PLANNING COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
* Denise Agosto, Drexel University (chair) (dea22@drexel.edu)
* Maria Souden, University College Dublin (maria.souden@ucd.ie)
* Barbara Wildemuth, University of North Carolina (wildemuth@unc.edu)
* Xiaojun Yuan, University at Albany, State University of New York (xyuan@albany.edu)

SIG USE 2010 10th Annual Research Symposium at ASIST 2010: What in the World are We Talking About: The Differences That...

What in the World are We Talking About: The Differences That Definitions Make in Core Concepts (SIGs SI & USE)

Wednesday, October 27, 2010, Full Day 8:30am - 3:45pm, Lunch included (workshop fee)

All those interested in information needs, seeking and use -- as researchers, practitioners, and/or designers -- are invited to a one-day dialogue whose focus is "What in the world are we talking about.... the differences that definitions make in core concepts." Participants will be divided into concept working groups to discuss differences in labels and definitions for commonly used core concepts with the goal of growing in understanding what accounts for these differences. The intent will be to inform and illuminate rather than homogenize.

The workshop will open with 7 keynoters each answering briefly the question: "Why we need to ask 'what in the world are we talking about?' "

Those wishing to participate actively are invited to submit brief concept proposal papers for concepts they would like to see discussed. These brief 1200 word maximum proposals are "think pieces" in which each proposer is asked to explore their chosen concept, the definitions and labels they use, the definitions and labels they see others use, and how they understand the differences. Submissions accepted September 1-25. Full instructions, details, and contact information on the workshop are available at:
http://www.lib.utk.edu/refs/engineering/sigSI_and_sigUSEworkshopASIST_2010_finalREV.pdf

Speakers
Charles Cole, McGill University
Brenda Dervin, Ohio State University
Michael Olsson, University of Technology, Sydney
Soo Young Rieh, University of Michigan
Howard Rosenbaum, Indiana University
Steve Sawyer, Syracuse University
Christine Urquhart, Abersytwyth University, UK

Fees
Members $100, non-members $105, before Sept. 10, 2010
Members $105, non-members $110, after Sept. 10, 2010

If you are a member of SIG SI or SIG USE, you will receive a $5 discount.

SIG USE 2009 9th Annual Research Symposium at ASIST 2009: Collaborative Information Seeking and Sharing

SIG USE 2008 8th Annual Research Symposium at ASIST 2008: Future Directions: Information Behavior in design & the making of

Future Directions: Information Behavior in design & the making of relevant research

Half Day Workshop, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2008, 1:30-6:00pm (separate fee)

Sponsors: SIG USE, with SIG-SI

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION
Deadline: August 15, 2008

ASIS&T 2008’s conference theme, People Transforming Information – Information Transforming People, provides an important opportunity for the SIG USE symposium to offer guided reflection on the big questions around which information behavior researchers and practitioners can (or should) be making a difference. Our people-centered approach has enabled us to deepen our understanding of the ways in which people interact with information, information systems, and other people. Communicating these insights to researchers and practitioners in related areas of study and design, however, continues to pose a challenge for our community. Thus, the reflective moment to be offered by this year’s Symposium will be used to consider one particular challenge: communicating the significance of information behavour research to designers of products, systems and services.

The symposium consists of two keynote speeches and seminar discussions:

Keith Instone, Information Architecture Leader, IBM.com. Keith will share some of the IA challenges he faces every day working on a large and distributed corporate web site.
Professor Mike Thelwall, Leader of the Statistical Cybermetrics Research Group, University of Wolverhampton, UK. Mike has developed tools for gathering and analysing web sites, blogs and social networking sites.

Position Paper Submission for Attendees: Formal papers from attendees will not be expected; the Symposium will follow a seminar format focusing on participant discussion. Researchers and professionals interested in participating should submit a 1-page position paper (about 300 words) reflecting upon critical questions for information behavior research to the Symposium Organizers not later than August 15, 2008. Applicants are invited to reflect on the four questions that will frame the symposium and present ways that their research addresses them:

How does our research address the transformative relationship between people and information?
What are the fundamental questions that we should be looking at in our research?
How are we to move towards making a greater impact on organizations and designers?
How can or should information behavior research be presented to translate effectively into the language of other information research communities?

Experienced researchers may share information about their current research and insights from lessons learned through past projects, while those new to the field may describe their research or professional interests related to the Symposium themes. Position papers will be posted on the SIG USE website prior to the Symposium. Small discussion groups will be organized around symposium questions and themes emerging from position papers. Participants must register with ASIS&T for the Symposium. Symposium participants are invited to attend a SIG SI/USE networking lunch during the time between the SIG SI and USE symposia. Cost: Pay-on-your-own. Further details to be announced later.

Instructors

Keith Instone, Information Architecture Leader, IBM.com
Professor Mike Thelwall, Leader of the Statistical Cybermetrics Research Group, University of Wolverhampton, UK

Symposium Organizers

Yungrang Laura Cheng, School of Library and Information Science, Kent State University, Columbus, Ohio. Email: yrcheng@kent.edu
Ruth Vondracek, Research & Innovative Services, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon. Email: Ruth.Vondracek@oregonstate.edu
Theresa Anderson, Information and Knowledge Management Program, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Technology, Sydney. Email: Theresa.Anderson@uts.edu.au

Fees

Members $90, non-members $105, before Sept. 12, 2008
Members $105, non-members $120, after Sept. 12, 2008

Receive a $10 discount, if you take this SIG SI course and The 4th Social Informatics SIG Research Symposium: People, Information and Technology: The Social Analysis of Computing (8:30am-12:30pm)

SIG USE 2007 7th Annual Research Symposium at ASIST 2007: Mobility and Social Networks in Information Behavior

Mobility and Social Networks in Information Behavior

Half Day Seminar, Saturday, Oct. 20, 2007, 1:00pm-6:00pm (separate fee)

Searching WebMD, checking stock portfolios, meeting up through dodgeball.com, chatting with friends on MySpace, playing online games, sharing photos, making plane reservations, paying bills and shopping are all information-intensive activities that can occur outside traditional locales due to mobile technologies. Beyond employing hi-tech tools, mobility can also involve one's social networks – the people with whom one is connected and shares information and other resources. The 2007 SIG/USE Symposium will engage in the discussion of mobility and social networks as increasingly salient and important aspects of information behavior (IB) in an effort to consolidate research approaches in these areas.

The symposium will begin with keynote presentations by Marc Smith, senior Researcher, Microsoft Research, and Caroline Haythornthwaite, associate professor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Symposium participants will discuss key studies and current research and identify strengths and limitations for understanding how mobility and social network factors influence IB. The symposium will feature a seminar format focusing on participant discussion.

Prior to the meeting, the participants’ position papers will be posted on the SIG/USE website – www.asis.org/SIG/SIGUSE/ – and will be used to organize small-group discussions.

Instructors

Theresa Anderson, University of Technology, Sydney (Theresa.Anderson@uts.edu.au)
Sanda Erdelez, University of Missouri-Columbia (sanda@missouri.edu)
Karen E. Fisher, University of Washington (fisher@u.washington.edu)

Fees

Members $80, non-members $95, before Sept. 14
Members $90, non-members $105, after Sept. 14

SIG USE 2006 6th Annual Research Symposium at ASIST 2006: Information Realities: Exploring Affective and Emotional Aspects in...

Information Realities: Exploring Affective and Emotional Aspects in Information Seeking and Use.

Sponsored, in part, by Information Today and Microsoft Research.
Half Day Seminar, Saturday, Nov. 4, 2006, 1-6pm (separate fee)

Over the past 25 years, information scientists have explored situated information needs, seeking and use in order to gain a fuller understanding of human information behavior (HIB). These explorations have revealed the vital role of emotions and affect in information behavior. The development of new information systems and services, as well as theoretical and empirical investigations, must take into account emotional and affective factors. In an effort to develop a holistic approach to the user-centered paradigm, the 2006 SIG-USE Symposium will engage in the discussion of this increasingly salient and important aspect of information behavior.

The symposium will begin with introductory presentations:
The Influence of Affect in Information Seeking and Use: Considerations for Research and Practice.

Carol Collier Kuhlthau
Professor II Emerita, Library and Information Science and Director, Center for International Scholarship in School Libraries (CISSL)
Rutgers University

The Affective Revolution and Information Behavior Research

Diane Nahl
Professor and Chair, Library and Information Science Program, Information and Computer Sciences Department
University of Hawaii

Under the leadership of researchers and practitioners who focus on emotional and affective issues in their work, participants will discuss key studies and identify strengths and limitations for understanding how emotional and affective factors influence information behavior. In addition, participants may discuss their own information behavior grounded in data they collect and analyze prior to the conference. Participants to the symposium may voluntarily choose to keep an information behavior journal for two weeks that documents their own seeking and use practices, focusing on the emotional components of those practices. Through this process, participants will gain a deeper understanding of different research and methodological approaches to these issues.

To apply to the Symposium, experienced researchers and practitioners submit proposals. Examples of potential research areas include:

• Affective components of the information seeking, information sharing, or information encountering processes
• Affective needs of searchers
• Methodological approaches to the study of affect
• Emotional design issues
• Value-sensitive systems
• Affective issues in specific populations

The Symposium will follow a seminar format focusing on participant discussion. Synopses will be posted on the SIG USE website (www.asis.org/SIG/SIGUSE/) prior to the meeting and will be used to organize small-group discussions.

SIG USE Symposium 2006 Discussion 2006 Discussion Session Clusters

DISCUSSION SESSION 1:
2:45-3:45PM

Group 1: Theoretical Issues
Group 2: Special Populations A
Group 3: Technology Applications & Design A
Group 4: Work-related

DISCUSSION SESSION 2:
4:30-5:30pm

Group 1: Heath
Group 2: Web Behavior
Group 3: Youth
Group 4: Special Populations B
Group 5: Technology Applications & Design B

Symposium Organizers:

• Diane Nahl, Information & Computer Sciences Department, Chair, Library and Information Science Program, University of Hawaii (nahl@hawaii.edu)
• Dania Bilal, School of Information Sciences, College of Communication and Information, University of Tennessee (dania@utk.edu)
• Eric Meyers, The Information School, University of Washington (meyerse@u.washington.edu)
• Crystal Fulton, School of Information and Library Studies, University College Dublin, Ireland (crystal.fulton@ucd.ie)
• Ruth Vondracek, University Libraries, Oregon State University (ruth.vondracek@oregonstate.edu)
• Laura Cheng, School of Library and Information Science, Kent State University (yrcheng@kent.edu)

Instructors
Carol C. Kuhlthau is Professor II Emerita of the Library and Information Science Department and Director of the Center for International Scholarship in School Libraries (CISSL) at Rutgers University. Known for her research into the user's perspective of the information search process, she has written numerous papers, articles, and books including Seeking Meaning: A Process Approach to Library and Information Services. Her Information Search Process (ISP) model was the first to incorporate the affective components of information seeking. She is a frequent presenter on information literacy and topics related to her research. Among her many honors and awards are the American Library Association Jesse Shera Research Award, the AASL Distinguished Service Award, and Library and Information Technology Association Frederick G. Kilgour Award for Research in Library and Information Technology.

Diane Nahl is a Professor at the University of Hawaii, Information and Computer Sciences Department, and Chair of the Library and Information Science Program. She holds a BA in Psychology, an MLS and a PhD in Communication and Information Sciences from the University of Hawaii. She is co-editor of the upcoming SIG USE book Information and Emotions and her integrated ACS (Affective, Cognitive, Sensorimotor) information behavior model has been used to design information literacy curricula. Her 20-year research program has focused on affective issues in information seeking encompassing information behavior, information problem solving, human-system interaction, information technology literacy, and affective and cognitive information processing.

Fees
Members $80, non-members $90, before Sept. 22
Members $90, non-members $105, after Sept. 22
This workshop does not qualify for a $75 discount

SIG USE 2005 5th Annual Research Symposium at ASIST 2005: Connecting Research and Practice: Special Populations

Connecting Research and Practice: Special Populations

Saturday, October 29, 2005, 1:00pm-6:00pm (separate fee)

Introductory presentation:
The Burden of Being Special: Adding Methodological Clarity to Defining, Researching, and Serving Special by Brenda Dervin, Professor of Communication and Joan N. Huber Fellow in Social and Behavioral Sciences, Ohio State University

5th Annual Research Symposium of the
Special Interest Group on Information Needs, Seeking, and Use (SIG USE)
of the Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T)

Connecting Research and Practice: Special Populations
Saturday, October 29, 2005, 1-6pm, The Westin Charlotte, Charlotte , NC

Call for Participation

Information behavior (IB) researchers are increasingly turning their attention to “special populations,” people who share particular situations that yield unique ways in which they need, seek, manage, give, and use information. For example, recent studies of different age groups and studies dealing with people with specific illnesses have contributed to IB theory building and the field's overall understanding in important ways. The goal of the 2005 SIG USE Symposium is to examine selected special populations and ways in which related research has led to changes in the practice of designing and delivering information services.

The symposium will begin with an introductory presentation:

The Burden of Being Special:
Adding Methodological Clarity to Defining, Researching, and Serving Special Populations

Brenda Dervin
Professor of Communication and Joan N. Huber Fellow in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Ohio State University

Under the leadership of researchers and practitioners who focus on a special population in their work, participants will discuss key studies and identify their strengths and limitations for understanding and serving different groups. Through this process, participants will gain a deeper understanding of different research and service approaches and will be able to apply them in more valid and fruitful ways in their own work. Ultimately, the symposium may produce a collection of best practice research and service guidelines for special populations.

To apply to the symposium, experienced researchers and practitioners should submit a 1-page synopsis (about 300 words) in which they nominate a particular population for discussion and summarize their (and other key) related current research or practice. Those new to the field should similarly nominate a population for discussion and describe their research or professional interests. Examples of potential populations include:

Formal papers are not expected; the symposium will follow a seminar format focusing on participant discussion. Synopses will be posted on the SIG USE website prior to the meeting and will be used to organize small-group discussions.

Synopses should be emailed to the symposium organizers by August 1, 2005; applicants will be notified by September 1. Participation is limited to 40 people. Participants must register with ASIS&T for the symposium.

Symposium Organizers
Anita Komlodi, Department of Information Systems, UMBC, komlodi@umbc.eduKevin Rioux, Dep’t of Library and Info Studies, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, ksrioux@lis-uncg.netHsin-liang (Oliver) Chen, School of Information, The University of Texas at Austin
Crystal Fulton, Department of Library and Information Studies, University College Dublin, Ireland
Ruth Vondracek, University Libraries, Oregon State University

Presenters

Brenda Dervin
Professor of Communication and Joan N. Huber Fellow in Social and Behavioral Sciences Ohio State University

Others tba

Fee:
Members $60, non-members $75, before Sept. 16
Members $70, non-members $85, after Sept. 16
SIG USE members get an additional $10 off
This workshop day course does not qualify for a $75 discount

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