The Invisible Web Weblog

The first national conference on “ Research in Library and Information Science: Approaches, Procedures and Implications ” will take place at Tarbiat Mollem University in Tehran on this Wednesday. I am the executive director of the conference and a member of the scientific committee. I also will present a paper in the morning session on the applicability of qualitative approach in LIS research. I’ll post a detailed report of the conference afterwards.

The Electronic Library published its first issue in 2010. This issue includes several papers in various topics including: problem-based learning supported by digital archives, supply chain management model for digital libraries, challenges and opportunities of e-governments, intra-disciplinary differences in reading behaviour of scientists, Web 2.0 features in university library web sites, computer literacy skills of librarians, public relations in university libraries, perceptions of LIS professionals regarding use of digital library databases, use of electronic information resources and facilities by humanities scholars, perception and usage of e-resources and the internet by academics, online risks obstructing safe internet access for students, and application of social capital theory to university web sites.

Yesterday I was external examiner of a PhD thesis in Tehran. It was about a feasibility study of creating an electronic union catalogue among a group of academic libraries. Again, from my point of view, being an external examiner was a good opportunity to review the desirable features that we usually expect from doctorial theses.

The Second International Conference on Computer Supported Education ( CSEDU ) will be held from 7 to 10 April 2010 in Valencia. The conference’s main themes are: Information Technologies Supporting Learning, Learning/Teaching Methodologies and Assessment, Social Context and Learning Environments, Domain Applications and Case Studies, and finally Quality, Evaluation and Accreditation Policies.

I had another workshop on "Academic Writing" on last Thursday (04/02/10). After the workshop, I thought it would be a good idea to make a list of FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) on this topic and upload it on a website. Although I have prepared a handout which includes all the necessary details, it also would be very handy for answering common questions. So, I might make such list in the near future. Report Writing FAQ , is an example of what I mean, and I found it on the web. Also there is another example on the Open University website about essay writing entitled “ Top 10 Essay Writing Tips ”. Finally, Paper Writing FAQ Sheet is another example of this type of FAQs.

The International Conference on Web Information Systems and Technologies ( WEBIST 2010 ) will take place from 7 to 10 April 2010, in Valencia, Spain. In terms of the conference’s scope, it covers four main areas including: Internet Technology; Web Interfaces and Applications; Society, e-Business and e-Government; and Web Intelligence. Each area includes several topics. For example, Web Interfaces and Applications covers the following topics: Multimedia and User interfaces, Accessibility issues and Technology, User Modeling, Web Personalization, Usability and Ergonomics, Personalized Web Sites and Services, Portal strategies, Searching and Browsing, Ontology and the Semantic Web, Metadata and Metamodeling, Digital Libraries, and Web Geographical Information Systems.