Intellectual Diversity and the Faculty Composition of iSchools

ABSTRACT We provide evidence and discuss findings regarding intellectual distribution and faculty composition of academic units involved in the iSchool community. To better understand the intellectual heritage and major influences shaping the development of the individual and collective identities in iSchools, we develop a classification of the intellectual domains of iSchool faculty education. We use this to develop a descriptive analysis of the community's intellectual composition. The discussion focuses on characterizing intellectual diversity in the iSchools. We conclude with a short discussion of the potential implications of these trends relative to the future development of the iSchool community

Exploring the evolution and characteristics of the ischool movement in china

This study examines the evolution of current interests and emerging characteristics in library and information science (LIS) from Chinese iSchools, including an analysis of the LIS landscape, space distribution, citation, emerging characteristics, and collaborations. This study considers a non-parametric approach to outline the structure of the iSchool movement in China, while clustering analysis helped us obtain information about the descriptions generated within unsupervised learning groups. It was found that Chinese iSchools play an intermediary role in the international development of Chinese LIS, which further promotes the dissemination and exchange of knowledge and international cooperation in LIS.</p

Who gets hired by top LIS schools in China?

In this study, we provide evidence and discuss findings regarding talent flow and intellectual diversity in library and information science (LIS) using a faculty hiring network of 274 full-time faculty members from 7 top LIS schools in China. We employ three groups of data items, including the universities they got Ph.D., their Ph.D. programs, and whether their graduation schools are iSchools. We use these to develop a descriptive analysis of the community's educational backgrounds. We show that faculty members in Nankai University are the most diverse, while Wuhan University, Nanjing University, Renmin University of China, and Peking University are experiencing intellectual inbreeding. Wuhan University has sent the largest number of talents to other LIS schools. Top LIS schools in China prefers those who graduated from LIS schools and more than half of the faculty members at each of the top 7 LIS schools graduated from iSchools. Overall, LIS faculty educational backgrounds analysis has considerable value in deriving credible academic hiring and revealing talent flow within the field

The landscape of lis research and teaching area: iSchools versus non-iSchools in North America

The purpose of this study is to investigate the differences and similarities in terms of research area and teaching area between the iSchools faculty members and non-iSchools faculty members within the traditional LIS schools offering a master’s programs accredited by the American Library Association (ALA) in the United States and Canada. The results indicate that iSchool faculty members have more interests on information system and retrieval while non-iSchool colleagues focus more on services on user populations, in both research area and teaching area

Information practices for sustainability: role of iSchools in achieving the UN sustainable development goals(SDGs)

In September 2015, the United Nations (UN) GeneralAssembly passed a resolution identifying 17 Sustain-able Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 associated tar-gets, and countries around the world agreed to achievethese by 2030. By conducting a thematic analysis offour key UN policy documents related to sustainabledevelopment, this paper argues that alongside financialand other resources, access to, and use of, appropriateinformation are essential for achieving SDGs. The paperalso reviews research on information and sustainabilityundertaken at the iSchools and the computer andhuman–computer interaction HCI communities. Giventhat the mission of iSchools is to connect people andsociety with the required information through the use ofappropriate technologies and tools, this paper arguesthat iSchools can play a key role in helping people, insti-tutions, and businesses, and thus countries around theworld achieve SDGs. The paper identifies 4 broad areasof teaching and research that can help iSchools aroundthe world prepare a trained workforce who can manage,and facilitate access to, information in specific domainsand contexts. It is also argued that cooperation and col-laborations among iSchools can promote a culture ofsustainable information practices among universitygraduates and researchers in different disciplines thatwill pave the way for achieving SDGs in every sector

Looking for the core: preliminary explorations of iCaucus syllabi

The purpose of this study is to perform an empirical analysis of existing "core" or "foundation" courses in iSchools to better understand what the community implicitly considers to be its foundational knowledge base. This paper presents a preliminary journal citation analysis of core syllabi from master’s programs in the iCaucus. Initial findings show journals from library science and information science dominate the field and only eight articles are cited by more than two courses. Finally, the disciplinary diversity of programs was calculated and visualized showing how interdisciplinarity is expressed across the iCaucus. The hope is that this initial report will help enroll additional collaborators, either as data providers or analysts, and stimulate a data-rich conversation about what we teach in core courses

Where did librarianship go in the teaching curricula of iSchools?

Purpose – Information schools (iSchools) emerged because of the fast technological developments and the urgent need of information in the contemporary society. Despite many advantages, the iSchool movement confronted several challenges. The current study is aimed to address one of the key challenges, where did librarianship go in the teaching curricula of iSchools. Design/methodology/approach – This research adopted a desktop-based survey of the North American and the European iSchools websites. Also, a comprehensive literature was reviewed to get insight on the phenomenon under discussion. Findings – Literature based findings disclosed that iSchool movement is evolving, 19 members in 2005 and currently it is made up of 119 members representing five continents envisioned to improve the relationships between information, people and technology, the core philosophy of the movement. The findings, based on desktop survey of the iSchools websites, clearly demonstrated that the focus of the iSchools intended to offer the academic programmes focusing technology-based curricula related to interdisciplinary fields of information by marginalizing librarianship which may create hurdles to progress the information field with true spirit. This trend is quite visible in the North American iSchools compared to the European iSchools. Originality/value – Specifically, this research would provide insights to the iSchools curriculum developers and the information related disciplines in general

Acknowledgement Analysis&quot; to Map Intellectual Diversity and Cross-disciplinary Activity Within the iSchools

Abstract Fostering intellectual diversity in the iSchools is a critical task and central to the unique iSchool vision. However, beyond recent efforts to track hiring patterns and figure out the representation of various disciplines within the iSchool community, there is currently a lack of empirical research about crossdisciplinary activity within iSchool faculties. In this research note, which seeks to build on and complicate a recent paper by Wiggins and Sawye

Digital Humanities in the iSchool

The interdisciplinary field known as digital humanities (DH) is represented in various forms in the teaching and research practiced in iSchools. Building on the work of an iSchools organization committee charged with exploring digital humanities curricula, we present findings from a series of related studies exploring aspects of DH teaching, education, and research in iSchools, often in collaboration with other units and disciplines. Through a survey of iSchool programs and an online DH course registry, we investigate the various education models for DH training found in iSchools, followed by a detailed look at DH courses and curricula, explored through analysis of course syllabi and course descriptions. We take a brief look at collaborative disciplines with which iSchools cooperate on DH research projects or in offering DH education. Next, we explore DH careers through an analysis of relevant job advertisements. Finally, we offer some observations about the management and administrative challenges and opportunities related to offering a new iSchool DH program. Our results provide a snapshot ofthe current state of digital humanities in iSchools which may usefully inform the design and evolution of new DH programs, degrees, and related initiatives

Report. The academic Information Schools network: Origins, evolution and future

The Information Schools (iSchools) are a prominent international academic network of information schools. Since its creation in 2005, about 80 universities have joined the network, through the respective faculties or departments thematically involved. The faculties or academic departments that are part of the iSchools study information, in close relationship with people and technology. We present a general overview of the iSchools that includes: the history of its origins and evolution, an updated review of its academic activity, and future trends. This overview is done through a critical review of a selection of existing literature on this academic movement. The review includes opinion and academic debate documents, scientific studies based on the collection and analysis of data from all the universities in the network or representative samples of them, and a look at the iConference, an annual world congress organized by this academic network