Beyond Technology: Power and Culture in the Establishment of National Union Catalogs

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the National Library of Estonia organized a Conference on Union Catalogs which took place in Tallinn, in the National Library of Estonia on October 17–19, 2002. The Conference presented and discussed analytical papers dealing with various aspects of designing and implementing union catalogs and shared cataloging systems as revealed through the experiences of Eastern European, Baltic and South African research libraries. Here you can find the texts of the conference papers and the list of contributors and participants.The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the National Library of Estonia organized a Conference on Union Catalogs which took place in Tallinn, in the National Library of Estonia on October 17–19, 2002. The Conference presented and discussed analytical papers dealing with various aspects of designing and implementing union catalogs and shared cataloging systems as revealed through the experiences of Eastern European, Baltic and South African research libraries. Here you can find the texts of the conference papers and the list of contributors and participants

Newcomers’ (Dis)Information Practices: The Role of Trust in Immigrant Networks

Nadia Caidi will share findings from ongoing research that examines the dynamics around engagement and effective use of information resources that cater to the ways of knowing of migrants and refugees to Canada

Collaborative information seeking and sharing: The 9th Symposium of SIG/USE

No Abstract.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/65060/1/1720360310_ftp.pd

Socially-distant fasting: information practices of young Muslims during pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced people to reimagine how they engage in spiritual and religious activities. This paper presents an analysis of the information practices of young Muslims during Ramadan, with a focus on their social, spiritual and COVID-related needs and strategies. Our qualitative approach entailed semi-structured interviews with 22 self-identified Muslims from across the Muslim spectrum. They were asked about their experiences with completing Ramadan under pandemic, including the nature of information accessed and shared as part of the fasting rituals. Interviews were transcribed, and open coding was used to categorize the data into themes. The thematic analysis was conducted through an iterative process. Our findings pointed to the differing affective states of the young Muslims who observed the fast under COVID. Participants also hinted at the loss of communal practices and rituals and the emergence of new habits and coping strategies (many informational in nature). Social and emotional support were particularly critical to overcoming the challenges. This study contributes to a better understanding of the intersection between information activities and spiritual/religious practices. The findings also have theoretical and practical implications for the role of information and technology in times of crisis.Peer Reviewe

LIS Education in a Pandemic Era: Innovative Teaching Methods, Strategies, & Technologies

The evident diversity in LIS programs around the globe calls for a suite of innovative methods and strategies that allow educators not only to impart the necessary content but also the technological and pedagogical know-how required to work across the LIS teaching and learning spectrum. To further explore these themes, the organizers of this panel facilitated an interactive and lively discussion on the topic at the ALISE 2019 conference. There was much interest on the part of the attendees about continuous engagement with, and deeper discussions about the topic. Hence, this is a follow up interactive panel discussion that focusses on lessons learnt and novel approaches to innovative teaching methods, strategies, & technologies for a shifting landscape in LIS education. While the 2019 lively session elicited important issues, including potential risks and challenges of innovative teaching methods, strategies, & technologies; competencies required of educators and students; ensuring student engagement, interaction, participation, collaboration, reflection, and creativity; and producing reflective practitioners, these issues are even more crucial now. Hence, they require continuous discussions, given that the current and similar future pandemics require a shift in how educators teach and students learn. We aim to facilitate a discussion where audience members can react to and provide opinions on questions/scenarios with respect to innovative teaching methods, strategies, & technologies in LIS education. Panelists will begin with an overview of the session to provide some context and set the stage for an interactive audience participation. Small groups will be asked to engage in a deeper discussion of the issues outlined with the ultimate goal of sharing ideas and practices among members of the audience. We aim to generate concrete and actionable ideas and recommendations with respect to: (1) potential risks and challenges of experimenting with and adopting innovative teaching methods, strategies, & technologies; (2) competencies required of both LIS educators and students; and (3) ways to ensure student engagement, interaction, participation, collaboration, reflection, and creativity, especially at a time when what is considered “normal” teaching and learning workflow is disrupted due to the pandemic. We will initiate the development of online shared crowd-sourced links and resources that will provide both summaries of the discussions from the 2019 and 2020 conferences as well as ideas and strategies

“Put your mask on first before helping others”: Faculty members as a neglected population during Covid

In congruence with the conference theme, “Crafting a Resilient Future: Leadership, Education, & Inspiration”, our panel seeks to address the ways in which faculty members in LIS/IS programs have contended with the various changes and challenges stemming from the global pandemic of COVID-19 as well as broader –and related- trends reshaping the academic landscape. While most of the attention in the literature has been geared toward student engagement and learning online as a means of addressing students’ academic success and wellbeing (Rapanta et al., 2020; Katz et al., 2021), there has been disproportionally much less attention geared at teaching and research faculty members. Despite being the backbone of our educational programs and schools, and often the main reasons why students select to enter our field (Dali & Caidi, 2016), faculty members’ needs and the challenges they are facing have been largely ignored (El Masri & Sabzalieva, 2020; Gabster et al., 2020). In this panel, we seek to critically center our discussion on this key constituency, and question (disrupt, even) the notion of faculty resilience. Indeed, making use of the resilience trope sheds light partially on faculty members’ well-being, but it also contributes to masking the many inadequacies and failures at the organizational and systemic level, particularly around policies and practices dealing with the curriculum, workload, representation, accommodations, academic freedom, resource allocation, justice and dignity to name just a few. There is a much-needed engagement that needs to take place around these issues in LIS education if we are truly honest about resilience and sustainability. Our international panelists present a cross-section of faculty members who bring their varied experiences in teaching and research in the LIS field to the discussion. Together, they represent tenure and tenure-track faculty, and administrators across three countries (USA, Canada, New Zealand). The panelists, all LIS educators and professionals, will base their engagement on the following themes/questions: • What efforts are LIS programs making to address the challenges faced by faculty members to ensure not only the sustainability of the educational program but also a dignified and fair treatment of faculty members? • What are possible scenarios for a post-COVID future of LIS education, and how can faculty members be best supported and inspired to achieve resilience for a sustainable future? The speakers will tackle different angles to address these questions. After a short lightning talk (7-8 minutes), a discussion among panelists will ensue as well as engagement with the attendees through a Q/A. Some of the topics discussed include academic freedom, disability and neurodiversity, BIPOC faculty, emergency preparedness, and information cultures in Higher Education. Our format will be an interactive panel discussion that focuses on lessons learned and novel approaches to re-imagining the place of faculty members at the table, and the ways in which they can be supported to ensure they continue to strive toward innovative teaching methods and strategies for a shifting landscape in LIS education. The panelists will keep their lightening talks short to enable opportunities for audience interaction (through small-group conversations or breakout rooms (for virtual attendees))

Innovative teaching methods & strategies that work for LIS education around the globe

LIS education in North America and the rest of the world come in different forms and shapes. Degrees offered, the names of programs, the academic unit to which programs are attached, the delivery model employed, the types of courses in the curriculum, and the composition of core versus electives, etc., vary greatly. With such profound diversity in LIS curricula, this panel explores innovative methods and strategies around technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge that work across LIS degree offerings around the world. The panel is designed to be more interactive to allow rich engagement with participants

Mapping Digital Media: Canada

The Mapping Digital Media project examines the global opportunities and risks created by the transition from traditional to digital media. Covering 60 countries, the project examines how these changes affect the core democratic service that any media system should provide: news about political, economic, and social affairs.Canadians are among the most engaged and active users of digital media in the world, and digitization has had particular consequences for such a vast, largely urbanized and sparsely populated country. Although progress in some aspects has been exemplary, geographic complexities and a lack of leadership by the federal government have produced challenges and delays in others. In particular, while Canadians lead the world in areas relating to digital media take-up, the federal government has yet to finalize an official, comprehensive digital strategy similar to the EU's Digital Agenda for Europe or the National Broadband Plan in the United States.It is essential that the federal government tables a cohesive and comprehensive Digital Economy Strategy in consultation with all stakeholders, including the public. Such a unified, forward-thinking approach is needed if Canada is to forge a comprehensive and progressive agenda for the continued development of digital media infrastructure, services, and access

The agony and the ecstasy of publishing with master's students: The importance of scholarly publishing for global information professionals

With the view of scholarly and professional publishing as a staple of educating global information professionals, this interactive engagement session (IES) will bring together an international team of five educators/former and current LIS journal editors to reflect on the highs and lows of engaging Master’s students in the process of scholarly communication. Presenting both positive experiences and failed attempts, they will discuss the practical aspects, psychological struggles, and ethical implications involved in different publishing scenarios and types of collaboration. Former Master’s students from three universities who have had positive publishing experiences will also participate via teleconferencing

Contributors

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the National Library of Estonia organized a Conference on Union Catalogs which took place in Tallinn, in the National Library of Estonia on October 17–19, 2002. The Conference presented and discussed analytical papers dealing with various aspects of designing and implementing union catalogs and shared cataloging systems as revealed through the experiences of Eastern European, Baltic and South African research libraries. Here you can find the texts of the conference papers and the list of contributors and participants.The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the National Library of Estonia organized a Conference on Union Catalogs which took place in Tallinn, in the National Library of Estonia on October 17–19, 2002. The Conference presented and discussed analytical papers dealing with various aspects of designing and implementing union catalogs and shared cataloging systems as revealed through the experiences of Eastern European, Baltic and South African research libraries. Here you can find the texts of the conference papers and the list of contributors and participants