Call for Proposals: CAIS/ACSI 2018 Conference

Diversities on the data landscape: connecting information science with data studies

46th Annual Conference of the Canadian Association for Information Science

University of Regina

Regina, Saskatchewan

May 30-June 1, 2018

We currently witness the impacts of data on people’s lives, and on libraries, archives, other information organizations, and the scholarly communication process. The creation and availability of large volumes of data pose new opportunities as well as challenges for information science researchers and practitioners. Digital data influence a range of disciplines, domains, users, information sources, services, and businesses. Disciplinary and institutional repositories, digital archives, and digital libraries provide new research platforms for addressing ethical, epistemological, social, cultural, political, and linguistic issues. At the same time, the proliferation of data requires information science researchers and practitioners to critically investigate methodologies, approaches, theories, technologies, and pedagogies with data in mind.

In keeping with the Congress 2018 theme of “Gathering Diversities,” “data” is conceived broadly to include research data, big data, digital data, open data, qualitative data, and emerging or less predominant types of data. CAIS/ACSI welcomes wide-ranging ideas, perspectives, and scholarship. Key questions include the following.

Methodological and theoretical frameworks

1. How can information science theoretical frameworks, research methodologies, and approaches inform and contribute to the study of data?
2. What are some of the common and unique areas of research and practice between data and information science? What opportunities do data present for innovative interdisciplinary research and practice?
3. What epistemological and critical considerations must be taken into account in considering data in information science?
4. How are data involved in people’s information behaviours, practices, and experiences?

Technological and practice implications

1. How are researchers and practitioners addressing opportunities and challenges around data such as digital literacy and data literacy, privacy, copyright, ownership, and confidentiality?
2. What technological innovations and approaches support effective data management, including data mining and analytics, visualization, curation, archiving, preservation, citation, sharing, discovery, and interoperability?

Ethical, educational, and social considerations

1. How might researchers and practitioners effectively bring an information ethics perspective to the collection, use, and analysis of data? What responsibilities do we have to advocate for open and equitable access to data?
2. How are data and their associated opportunities and challenges being incorporated into Canadian LIS education? What skills and knowledge do new practitioners need in relation to data?
3. How do the collection and use of data reflect or enable diversity within communities and among perspectives, representations, and interpretations? What responsibilities do information researchers and practitioners have to advocate for diversity and inclusion in this domain? How do we do so effectively?

Types of Proposals

CAIS/ACSI welcomes proposals reporting on empirical, theoretical, and practice-based research. Proposals may be submitted in English or French.

Papers: 20-minute oral presentations of completed or well-developed projects on topics suitable for publication in scholarly journals. Proposals reporting on completed or ongoing research will be given preference. Diverse perspectives (theoretical and applied) and methodologies are welcome. Proposals should be in the form of an extended abstract (approximately 1000-1500 words excluding references), reporting on research projects, theoretical developments or innovative practices. Please use this template: [link].

Posters: Visual presentations of completed or well-developed projects on topics suitable for publication in scholarly journals. Proposals reporting on completed or ongoing research will be given preference. Diverse perspectives (theoretical and applied) and methodologies are welcomed. Proposals should be in the form of a short abstract (maximum 750 words excluding references), reporting on research projects, theoretical developments or innovative practical applications. Please use this template: [link].

Student-to-CAIS/ACSI and Best Paper by a Practitioner Awards: Paper proposals by graduate students and practitioners will be considered for these awards. The Student-to-CAIS/ACSI award includes a monetary prize. Both awardees will have the opportunity to publish the full manuscript in the Canadian Journal of Information and Library Science / La Revue Canadienne des Sciences de L’information et de Bibliothéconomie. In order to be considered for these awards, please indicate if you are a student or practitioner in your proposal. Winners will be selected based on their extended abstracts. Details of the award, including previous winners, can be found at the CAIS/ACSI website at www.cais-acsi.ca.

Proposals will be evaluated on theory/methodology, clarity, impact/originality, and overall quality. Proposals will be received and reviewed using the EasyChair system: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=caisacsi2018.

Doctoral Forum

We are pleased to invite students to the second annual Doctoral Forum. The Forum’s goal is to provide students with an opportunity to present and discuss their research project, get feedback from senior researchers, and make connections with other doctoral students. Students at any stage of their doctoral program are invited to submit to the Forum.

Submission: 250-500 word abstract describing your research project

Please be prepared to present on an aspect of your research for 5-10 minutes, which will be followed by discussion. More details will be provided upon acceptance.

To participate, please fill out the following submission form.

Doctoral students interested in attending the Forum are also encouraged to submit completed or ongoing research projects for consideration as part of the CAIS/ACSI conference.

Please note that you must register for the conference to participate in the Doctoral Forum.

The submission deadline for all proposals is January 23, 2018.

Authors will be notified no later than March 5, 2018. All presenters must register for the conference. Abstracts will be published on the CAIS/ACSI website once registration has taken place. Final versions must be submitted no later than April 30, 2018. Authors are also encouraged to submit full papers to the Canadian Journal of Information and Library Science / La revue canadienne des sciences de l’information et de bibliothéconomie.

Registration: The conference will take place May 30-June 1, 2018, as part of the 2018 Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Regina (May 26-June 1, 2018). Registration will be available online through the Congress website (http://congress2018.ca/register).

For further information, please contact the CAIS/ACSI 2018 Conference Co-chairs: 

Ali Shiri

Professor, School of Library and Information Studies

University of Alberta

[email protected]

Sarah Polkinghorne

Doctoral Candidate, Swinburne University of Technology &

Librarian, University of Alberta

[email protected]

Sharon Farnel

Metadata Coordinator & Doctoral Student

University of Alberta

[email protected]