The Invisible Web Weblog

The 5th Annual Social Informatics Research Symposium (SIG SI, co-sponsored by SIG-CRIT) will take place in November 7, 2009, in Vancouver. Based on their call for participation, the main theme is “People, information, technology: The social analysis of computing in a diverse and pluralistic world”. At this event general questions like the following ones will be explored: “How do difference and diversity shape design, implementation, use, disuse, and reconfiguration of information and ICTs where groups and organizations work and play in a global environment? In what ways do information and ICTs shape those creating, implementing and using them? How does this vary across cultures? How may such difference be managed in global interactions? What can we learn about information and ICT and ongoing social and cultural change at different levels of social analysis such as groups, organizational units, political entities or cultural systems? Can we harmonize our insights? How may we explore t...

An annual research symposium of the Special Interest Group on Information Needs, Seeking & Use (SIG USE) will take place on Saturday, November 7, 2009, in Vancouver. According to their call for participation “ ... this symposium will offer guided reflection on essential questions around information behaviour research and practice in social and collaborative information environments: Where is collaborative information behaviour research headed? How are we to communicate our insights to researchers and practitioners in related areas of study and design? How can and should our models, theories and findings inform the design and delivery of collaborative and innovative information products and services? 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 ...

Today I was the external examiner for a PhD thesis in Tehran. The research was about the concept of interoperability for data exchange in digital libraries. As the external examiner, I did my refereeing in four levels including the originality of the research topic, the research methodology that has been employed to address the research questions, the content and structure of the thesis, and finally how the student addressed the questions in the viva session.

In another interview with IBNA, I talked about how promotion of reading is necessary for enhancing lifelong learning in the society. In this interview, which has been published as “A Learning Society Learns by Reading”, I mentioned that if we want to move towards independent and lifelong learning, we need to practically demonstrate the usefulness of reading to our children. I also talked about the other aspects of this issue which its full transcript is available here: http://ibna.ir/vdcjthex.uqemozsffu.html

I did an interview with IBNA about the various methods that we can assess the efficiency of a public library services. In this interview I referred to the four possible approaches which provide us with some criteria for this assessment. These methods are aim-oriented, librarian-oriented, user-oriented and management based evaluations. I believe a credible assessment which enables us to make a plausible judgment on the efficiency of the public library services should consider a bit of each approaches in its overall perspective. The interview transcription is available here (http://www.ibna.ir/vdcjamex.uqemazsffu.html)

Following my previous post about the conference of "Research in LIS: Approaches, Procedures and Implications", this post provides you with details of the its themes. The focal premise of this event is research, in its broadest form, in Library and Information Sciences (LIS). Various aspects of research activities including research approaches, methodologies, practical implications of research findings and so on form the main topics. Accordingly, we have categorized this general area into the following topics: - Evaluation and Assessment of LIS Research Methods - Research-based Learning and Teaching in LIS Curricula - Enhancing Librarians and Information Professionals' Research Skills - Contribution of Research Based Materials in LIS Publications - Implications of Research Findings on Libraries' Services - Roles of Research on Fostering Interdisciplinary Links in LIS - Comparing Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches in LIS Research - LIS Research Trends in the Past, ...

Recently, I published a paper in Persian entitled “100 Fundamental Issues in LIS”. In this paper I decided to illustrate an overall picture of LIS, firstly as a profession and secondly as an academic discipline. The paper identifies 10 major categories which include the main LIS’s basics and boundaries. Then, each category has been divided into 10 subcategories. The main categories are: Theoretical Basics of LIS, Interdisciplinary Nature of LIS, Librarians’ Missions and Aims, Various Types of Libraries, Anticipated Functions and Desirable Features of Library Buildings, Work Areas for LIS Graduates, Roads Ahead of LIS Profession, Distinctive Features of LIS among other Disciplines, Required Skills and Competencies of Successful Librarians, and Examples of LIS Progress in Iran.

My colleagues and I in the department of Library and Information Studies at Tarbiat Moallem University are planning to run a national conference in March 2010 in Tehran on “Research in LIS: Approaches, Procedures and Implications”. We have prepared all the initial steps and have already announced the research themes through LIS discussion groups and we will soon launch the website. I will post the details of the conference soon.