Introduction:
Like many iSchools, the Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto integrates a variety of
disciplinary fields (LIS, Records Management, Information Systems and Design, Critical and Cultural
theory, Policy, Technology Studies, etc.) and a diversity of institutional foci (libraries, archives, museums,
universities, government, corporate contexts, etc.) Such diversity is both an asset and a challenge for the
Faculty as we seek to provide professional and academic training for our masters and PhD students and
look to engage in collaborative work among faculty members. Importantly, the types of skills and
experiences that we collectively bring to bear and the kinds of issues and questions addressed by faculty
and graduate students transgress more than just standard disciplinary barriers. In order to address the
important social, cultural, and political questions posed by the continuing transformation of information
practices, the boundary between material and technical work and reflexive, critical, social scholarship must
be bridged. This is a crucial challenge for iSchools ??? how do we bring various perspectives, interests, and
backgrounds to bear while staying connected through an emphasis on common theoretical concerns
