Search

This article investigates the lengths of time that publications with different numbers of policy document mentions take to receive their first mention (the beginning stage), and then compares the lengths of time to receive two or more mentions after receiving the first mention (the accumulative stage) based on complete policy document dataset from Altmetric database. We find that in response time distribution, i.e., from zero to one policy document mention, highly and mediumly mentioned papers exhibit obviously different lengths of time compared with lowly mentioned papers. In accumulative time distribution, i.e., from one to N policy document mentions, highly mentioned papers begin to receive mentions much more rapidly than medium‐ and low‐mentioned papers. However, as N increases, the difference in receiving new mentions among high‐, medium‐, and low‐mentioned publications does not increase quite significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A paradigm shift is currently underway with the emergence of the Collections as Data movement, which advocates the creation and dissemination of cultural heritage collections that are amenable to large‐scale computation to empower both collection managers and users. Although this discourse is beginning to gain some traction in the literature, critical evidence‐based assessments of the opportunities and risks of this process are underexplored. This paper presents the results of a content analysis of the official position statements (n = 83) produced in the Collections as Data forums and written by international professionals working with digital collections. Although preliminary, the analysis presented and discussed here sheds light on the initial reception of the idea of Collections as Data and its articulation in practice. The study represents the first systematic attempt to explore the complexities of the intersection of ethics and artificial intelligence in the context of cultural heritage, aiming at providing a valuable precedent for further elaboration and discussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientific breakthroughs have the potential to revolutionize the course of research and shape the trajectory of scientific knowledge. This study investigates the characteristics of Disruptive Citing Papers (DCP) and Consolidating Citing Papers (CCP) associated with Nobel‐winning scientific breakthroughs, aiming to provide insights into the mechanisms of knowledge creation and dissemination. By analyzing a dataset of Nobel‐winning papers and their citation networks, we find that Nobel‐winning papers tend to attract a higher proportion of DCP compared to CCP. However, CCP exhibit a higher impact, as evidenced by their citation counts and likelihood of becoming hit papers. Furthermore, DCP are associated with larger research teams, highlighting the collaborative nature of disruptive research, while CCP employ a higher degree of professional language style characterized by shorter titles and specialized jargon. These findings deepen our understanding of the role played by disruptive and consolidating impact in scientific breakthroughs, shedding light on the dynamics of knowledge creation and dissemination in the scientific community. This research contributes to the broader understanding of scientific progress and provides valuable insights for researchers, policymakers, and stakeholders in the scientific ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New media platforms have enhanced the efficiency and diversity of information dissemination, providing new possibilities for the dissemination and promotion of academic papers. Currently, a large number of Chinese academic journals from different disciplines have established WeChat official accounts to promote their papers. This study examines WeChat official accounts from three disciplines: social sciences, natural sciences, and medicine. We analyze the existing paper promotion methods employed by these academic journal official accounts from four dimensions: content presentation format, number of papers promoted in a single post, interactive forms, and publishing time. The findings reveal that the current promotion methods for academic papers on WeChat official accounts are relatively limited, with low utilization of multimedia content. Therefore, there is a need for further improvement in new media promotion for academic papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The digitization, curation, and utilization of Chinese ancient books are crucial to the digital humanities. Despite progress in these areas, issues with data interoperability, data sharing, and data linkage persist due to a lack of standardized annotated ancient corpus and a general description framework for ancient books. To overcome these challenges, this paper proposes an ontology‐based description framework that integrates catalogs of Chinese ancient books from various institutions, creating a standardized, interpretable, and researchable knowledge base. The framework combines general standards with unique ancient book characteristics, revealing complex relationships between books and books, books and people, and books and times, providing a more comprehensive understanding of the knowledge contained within ancient books. Additionally, this paper applied the framework to The National Rare Ancient Book Directory, a catalog containing 13,026 books from over 400 institutes, to develop an interactive system. The system is available at https://rarebib.pkudh.org/. Our results demonstrate that the framework standardizes data and provides a sophisticated and nuanced understanding of the knowledge within ancient books. This has noteworthy implications for individuals engaged in research, scholarship, and reading in the digital age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research reported in this paper is part of a larger project focusing on the iSchools' identity and interactions in a globalized world. This paper presents the research management strategy for conducting a global research project among international research communities, and for investigating the current research focus of iSchools members based on the insights of global iSchools' leaders. It found that information management was the dominant research area and that digital humanities, data science, and "informatics+ scenarios" are the key growth points. The most significant contribution of iSchools to society lies in social services. The research focuses on and benefits worldwide iSchools by outlining development strategies and strengthening the connection between research and society to increase social awareness, influence and reputation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While accessibility is a core part of diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and social justice (DEIASJ) considerations, disability and accessibility are rarely centered in Library and Information Science (LIS) curricula. The lack of disability and accessibility coverage is problematic since information professionals must have the required knowledge and skills to effectively serve patrons with disabilities. This paper presents preliminary findings from a content analysis of 39 pre‐filtered syllabi examining how disability and accessibility topics are covered in LIS courses. While nearly all of the syllabi analyzed contained a high level of detail, only 13 were ultimately determined to contain a "partial" depth of coverage of disability‐ and accessibility‐related content and two a "detailed" level of coverage. Even fewer syllabi included a conceptualization of disability or accessibility beyond simply including the words alone. The paper offers suggestions for LIS instructors to better address disability and accessibility within their syllabi and course content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper brings concepts from social practice theory into conversation with the question of how information practices relate to one another. In doing so, this paper speaks to the persistent challenge of articulating interconnections among information practices. To illustrate these interconnections, the paper presents the concept of embodied mutual constitution, which results from a recent empirical study of everyday information practices. This concept holds potential as a next step in identifying how multiple co‐existing information practices can be explored. By contributing in this way to the advancement of information practices theory, this paper supports our expanding understanding of the nature and role of information in diverse life experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this concept paper, we make the case that variables related to reading and comprehension are relevant to the design of searching as learning environments. We propose that measures of cohesion – the lexical and grammatical connectedness within and between texts – be used as signals in retrieval and ranking algorithms for such environments, as cohesion is an important factor in text comprehension and learning. In illustrating this concept, we introduce a use case for learning‐oriented search in which the task is to retrieve a multi‐document set that functions as a spontaneous learning environment. For this task, features of the document set as a whole are important in addition to features of individual documents. In this paper, we focus on the goals of achieving a mid‐range level of readability and cohesion across a set of texts in order to balance comprehensibility with challenge and stimulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This short paper presents an analysis of the distribution of downloads in medical literature, with the aim of understanding the specific conditions unique to the medical research field that necessitate the use of black open access sources such as Sci‐Hub. The dataset used in this analysis was obtained by scraping the official Sci‐Hub domains during the summer of 2022, and it provides valuable insights into user behavior and interaction with the website. The results demonstrate that a significant portion of the downloads from Sci‐Hub during the period were related to medical journals, indicating the acute needs and time‐sensitive nature of medical research. The data further highlights that most of the downloaded papers were related to medicine or medical subjects, underscoring the importance of easy and immediate access to the latest research and literature. The study emphasizes the pressing need for universal access to essential health‐care information and the importance of continued efforts to democratize access to medical literature. The use of black open access sources like Sci‐Hub serves as a reminder of the urgency to find alternative solutions that ensure medical professionals have the necessary resources to provide the best possible care for their patients [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As part of a larger project, this paper reports on preliminary findings of a study exploring use cases of ChatGPT and associated behaviors and experiences among users of an online forum. Posts on a ChatGPT‐related forum on Reddit (n = 452) were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. This paper reports on themes relevant to this study, including the types of tasks for which users used ChatGPT, user experiences, and perceived impacts of ChatGPT. ChatGPT was often used to facilitate various writing tasks (e.g., writing an essay), academic tasks (e.g., finding scientific references for a research paper), everyday tasks (e.g., creating a meal plan), and conversational purposes (e.g., having a simulated conversation about a past event). Users expressed positive (e.g., excited, amazed) and negative (e.g., fooled, concerned) feelings toward the technology. They raised various issues and problems with ChatGPT at the content (e.g., inaccuracy, incompletes) and system (e.g., unavailability, instability) levels. Users discussed the perceived impacts of ChatGPT on individuals (e.g., unemployment) and society (e.g., AI divide). Study findings can inform the design of policies and guidelines for mitigating AI problems and promoting the effective and ethical use of emerging AI technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The citation of scientific papers is considered a simple and direct indicator of papers' impact. This paper predicts papers' citations through team‐related variables, team composition, and team structure. Team composition includes team size, male/female dominance, academia/industry collaboration, unique race number, and unique country number. Team structures are made up of team power level and team power hierarchy. Team members' previous citation number, H‐index, previous collaborators, career age, and previous paper numbers are a proxy of team power. We calculated the mean value and Gini coefficient to represent team power level (the collective team capability) and team power hierarchy (the vertical difference of power distribution within a team). Taking 1,675,035 CS teams in the DBLP dataset, we trained the XGBoost model to predict high/low citation. Our model has reached 0.71 in AUC and 70.45% in accuracy rate. Utilizing Explainable AI method SHAP to evaluate features' relative importance in predicting team citation categories, we found that team structure plays a more critical role than team composition in predicting team citation. High team power level, flat team power structure, diverse race background, large team, collaboration with industry, and male‐dominated teams can bring higher team citations. Our project can provide insights into how to form the best scientific teams and maximize team impact from team composition and team structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the history, internal processes, and finalized report of the Trans Metadata Collective (TMDC), founded to address the lack of attention paid to trans and gender diverse issues in galleries, archives, libraries, museums, and special collections (GLAMS). The TMDC, an ad‐hoc group of nearly a hundred information professionals, developed best practices for the description and classification of trans and gender diverse information resources. These guidelines prioritize transparency, cultural sensitivity, correct identification, explicit descriptions of transphobia, and regular assessment of trans‐related content. It examines the effects of commonly used standards and controlled vocabularies such as Resource Description and Access (RDA) and Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) on trans and gender diverse people and critiques the inadequacy of these standards' representation of those communities. The TMDC provides guidance for using existing LCSHs, recommends alternative subject vocabularies, and proposes revisions to improve representation. The paper advocates individual agency in naming and gender identification, with recommendations on contacting creators and documenting their preferences. The TMDC emphasizes the importance of minimizing potential harm and protecting privacy in metadata creation. Overall, the report aims to enhance the representation and inclusion of trans and gender diverse communities in GLAMS institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the social and technical perceptions of physical and digital formats as they relate to work in the recovery and reuse of scientific data, specifically historical, archival, and defunct data sources. Proprietary and obsolete formats, or formats that need significant transformation work, stand out as central challenges for scientists and data curators who are recovering reusable data from archival or legacy data sources. The challenges confronting data sharing and reuse of contemporary scientific data are already known to be myriad; formats often pose a major, compounding challenge to retrospective data curation research and practice. Based on 23 qualitative interviews with practitioners conducting data recovery and reuse, ranging from marine biologists to data librarians, we study how they understand, engage with, and utilize formats within their data curation work. This paper enumerates the formats deployed throughout the scientific data curation process and explores how practitioners creating and curating scientific data based on historical and archival materials encounter, make sense of, and utilize formats. The paper focuses on practitioner perceptions of formats around the following themes: how practitioners' historical relationships to certain challenging formats inform their ongoing curation practices; the importance of contexts in prioritizing or ignoring formats within scientific curation work; and how formats reveal larger sociotechnical issues. The paper concludes by with practical and theoretical implications of navigating formats within the recovery and reuse of scientific data and offers suggestions for reconfiguring formats within broader data curation lifecycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goals of open science are driven by policies requiring data management, sharing, and accessibility. One way of measuring the impact of open science policies on scientific knowledge is to access data that has been prepared for re‐use. But how accessible/available are data resources? In this paper, we discuss a method for exploring and locating datasets made available by scientists from federally funded projects in the US. The data pathways method was tested on federal awards. Here we describe the method and the results from analyzing fifty federal awards granted by the National Science Foundation to pursue data resources and their availability in publications, data repositories, or institutional repositories. The data pathways approach contributes to the development of a practical approach on availability that captures the current ways in which data are accessible from federally funded science projects –ranging from institutional repositories, journal data deposit, PI and project web pages, and science data platforms, among other found possibilities. This paper discusses some background and motivations for such a method, the method, research design, barriers encountered when searching for data resources from projects, and how this method can be useful to future studies of data availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cross‐domain knowledge diffusion from science to policy is a prevalent phenomenon that demands academic attention. To investigate the characteristics of cross‐domain knowledge diffusion from science to policy, this study suggests using the citation of policies to scientific articles as a basis for quantifying the diffusion strength, breadth, and speed. The study reveals that the strength and breadth of cross‐domain knowledge diffusion from scientific papers to policies conform to a power‐law distribution, while the speed follows a logarithmic normal distribution. Moreover, the papers with the highest diffusion strength, breadth, and fastest diffusion speed are predominantly from world‐renowned universities, scholars, and top journals. The papers with the highest diffusion strength and breadth are mostly from social sciences, especially economics, those with the fastest diffusion speed are mainly from medical and life sciences, followed by social sciences. The findings indicate that cross‐domain knowledge diffusion from science to policy follows the Matthew effect, whereby individuals or institutions with high academic achievements are more likely to achieve successful cross‐domain knowledge diffusion. Furthermore, papers in the field of economics tend to have the higher cross‐domain knowledge diffusion strength and breadth, while those in medical and life sciences have the faster cross‐domain knowledge diffusion speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data Science is a burgeoning area in the iField. But Data Science practices have far outstripped the field's ethical safeguards. We argue that Data Science graduate education programs must address this critical problem. In this theoretical and conceptual paper, we posit an ordinary macroethics that we call data flourishing. We contend that this macroethics is most appropriately developed through a holistic, human‐centered data science (HCDS)‐based pedagogy that concentrates on cultivating communities of ethical practice (COEPs) through social learning. We favor embedding this macroethics throughout iField programs' graduate data science curricula and by extension, the entire data science education enterprise. This paper aligns with the 2023 ASIS&T annual meeting theme of translating research into practice, particularly the subthemes of "improving decision‐making" and "understanding the power of information to develop human happiness, equality, and wellbeing." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Z‐Inspection® Process is a form of applied research for the ethical assessment of AI systems. It is quickly establishing itself as a robust method to ethically assess AI in Europe. The process is predicated on the European Union's Ethics Guidelines for Trustworthy AI, outlining ethical principles intended to guide European AI development. In contrast, the United States has only recently released its holistic version of such guidelines, the Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights. The aim of this paper is to assess the suitability of the Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights as an ethical framework underpinning the use of the Z‐Inspection® Process in the United States. This paper provides preliminary findings of comparative analysis of European and United States ethical frameworks for responsible AI development. Findings outline primary ethical concepts that are shared between respective frameworks. Findings suggest the US Blueprint is suitable as an ethical framework for the Z‐Inspection® Process. There are notable omissions within the US framework which would require further development for Z‐Inspection® use. Discussion will consider opportunities for adapting Z‐Inspection® to the United States context, including contributions from the information professions and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to investigate the Trustworthy Repositories Audit & Certification (TRAC) process by examining the communication practices and risk communication dynamics among auditors during the audit. Through an in‐depth, qualitative analysis of the audit process and the interactions between auditors, this paper provides valuable insights into the importance of diverse backgrounds, effective communication, and consensus building in the assessment of TRAC checklist requirements. Furthermore, the paper highlights potential areas of improvement within the audit process, addressing concerns related to disagreements, reliance on leadership, and the comprehensiveness of risk identification and communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an increasing uptake of digital technologies across African countries. Public, private, and government services have adopted and utilized digital technologies to improve work processes, productivity, create jobs, and better service delivery. This short paper seeks to answer these questions: What is the current state of digital readiness in African countries? Do existing digital readiness assessment tools, indicators, or metrics, help to assess the digital readiness of countries in Africa? Analysis of publicly available data from Cisco index of readiness score and Broadband speed ranking by cable.co.uk, reveal that: 1) African countries' digital readiness score is below the global average of 11.96, on a scale of 0 to 25 (except Tunisia with readiness average score of 12.05); and 2) African countries' broadband speed is below the global mean speed of 25Mbps (mean speed of 4.51 and 3.80 Mbps for sub‐Saharan Africa and North Africa, respectively). Second, analysis of various assessment tools show that the existing metrics can't be used as is to diagnose and evaluate Africa's digital readiness. Instead factors such as availability of adequate infrastructure; last‐mile connectivity to homes, schools, businesses, and government agencies; and skill gaps should be considered. The implications of this study are to show the need for an appropriate assessment tools so countries in Africa prioritize efforts to embrace digital readiness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although open government information awareness has enhanced since China implemented the Open Government Information Regulation, the complaints about the information disclosure work also increased. Previous research has ignored the impact of the department's responsibilities on information disclosure, which are essential as some departments handle information that should not be disclosed. From this standpoint, this paper is the first to analyze the differences in departments' open government information performance from their annual information openness reports. Variance and correlation analysis show that the potential harm of disclosure to third parties' legitimate rights and interests, the availability of relevant information, and duplicate requests can explain their differences in government information disclosure on request. Besides, this paper calls for an elastic criterion for openness evaluation and finds that the benchmark effect in previous research does not apply to departments with different responsibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientific retractions can be an indicator that misinformation is present in a research paper. Retractions are therefore an interesting research object to explore news coverage of misleading scientific information. This poster presents how problematic research (before and after retraction) is portrayed in news outlets, the impact of the retraction on these reports and the relationship of retracted scientific results and the spread of false information. Starting from a list of 270 retracted COVID‐19 papers from the Retraction Watch blog (https://retractionwatch.com), we analysed news articles of 16 retracted publications, that were immensely discussed in journalistic formats. By presenting three different use cases, we show how misinformation emanates from retractions, how problematic research is presented in media and what factors influence the message of the article. Our research contributes to a better understanding of how retractions are used and perceived in propagating scientific misinformation on one hand and in mitigating it on the other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Author keywords attached to academic papers are often used in intellectual structure analysis. However, the length and selection criteria for keywords vary across publications and, even some publishers do not require keywords for their articles. To explore the opportunity to overcome such keyword inconsistency issues, this study compared author keywords from papers focused on the digital divide with those extracted using the language models, BERT and ChatGPT. Preliminary findings reveal structural variations across the keyword networks and suggest a potential need to revisit keyword‐based research. Future research will expand the scope of the dataset and conduct an in‐depth analysis of keyword patterns across the language models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data quality assurance (DQA) is critical to research data sharing and reuse. There has been a growing recognition of data transparency, reproducibility, credibility, and validity in research. Although the research data curation literature is large, it lacks data quality theory‐guided examinations of DQA practices in research data repositories. This poster paper reports on the preliminary findings of a larger study that examines DQA practices in research data repositories, including their use of DQA ontologies, standards, and metadata vocabularies. In particular, the paper examines two quality standards and an ontology for their conceptualization of DQA activities and their structure. The authors used the findings of the analysis and the data quality literature to synthesize an initial model of a DQA process in research data repositories that conceptualizes three DQA activities: evaluation, intervention, and communication. This paper can inform the development of ontologies and best practice guides for designing and evaluating DQA workflows in research data repositories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Addressing the data skills gap, namely the superabundance of data and the lack of human capital to exploit it, this paper argues that iSchools and Library and Information Science programs are ideal venues for data science education. It unpacks two case studies: the LIS Education and Data Science for the National Digital Platform (LEADS‐4‐NDP) project (2017–2019), and the LIS Education and Data Science‐Integrated Network Group (LEADING) project (2020–2023). These IMLS‐funded initiatives respond to four national digital platform challenges: LIS faculty prepared to teach data science and mentor the next generation of educators and practitioners, an underdeveloped pedagogical infrastructure, scattered and inconsistent data science education opportunities for students and current information professionals, and an immature data science network. LEADS and LEADING have made appreciable collaborative, interdisciplinary contributions to the data science education community; these projects comprise an essential part of the long‐awaited and much‐needed national digital platform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a mixed‐methods approach for forensically reconstructing the propagation of visual media via networked digital devices. The authors present case studies drawn from political misinformation around the January 6, 2021 riots at the U.S. Capitol. Using interpretive analysis, the authors identify traces of user interfaces that remain in images being shared about the riots. Using computational analysis, the authors evaluate compression levels in digital photographs of the events in question, thus identifying which instances of the image are closer to the source (as well as which images appear to be identical). By combining these two approaches, the authors argue that SMOC BRISQUEt refines our understanding of misinformation's memetic spread—helpful in curbing future abuses as well as in guiding the production of more effective cross‐platform spread when desired. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes "information borderlands" as a framework for bounding a unique information environment that is constituted by individual and community level practices, physical landscapes (natural and human‐shaped), as well as large‐scale sociotechnical systems and systems of documentality. Taking the borderlands of the U.S. Southwest as a unique case, existing research literature is reviewed and directions forward for future research are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The LIS Forward initiative is addressing the urgent question: As LIS evolves within the context of iSchools, how do we best position our research and education programs to lead the field and the future of libraries? The initiative stems from the recognition that the evolution of iSchools presents opportunities and challenges for LIS and that there is great value in iSchools working together on charting directions forward. The growing coalition of iSchools is working to support LIS in taking full advantage of the multidisciplinary knowledge and expertise within iSchools, foster future leaders who will champion LIS within iSchools, and confront the dynamic tensions in research intensive iSchools. This session aims to engage international, professional, and academic stakeholders to guide activities and coalition building that can continue to strengthen LIS in iSchools. A panel will present highlights from a recent position paper to catalyze interactive, facilitated dialogue within the ASIS&T community on critical issues in LIS research and education. Breakout sessions will generate responses and recommendations to advance collaborative planning and strategy of value to LIS academic programs and the profession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new methodology for AI‐based research and exploration of large genealogical corpora. The proposed approach is based on an automatic quantitative question‐answering (QA) system that enables researchers to ask questions in natural language and learn about trends related to individuals, families, and communities in the corpus of the study. The proposed methodology includes: 1) an automatic method for training dataset generation, 2) a transformer‐based table selection method, and 3) an optimized transformer‐based quantitative QA model. The findings indicate that the proposed architecture outperforms the state‐of‐the‐art models by achieving 87% accuracy on the large corpus of Jewish genealogical data. This study may have practical implications for genealogical information centers and museums, making genealogical data research easy and scalable for experts as well as the general public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital technology has a great potential for assisting older people in their everyday tasks and general well‐being. However, older adults are relatively slow to adopt the new technology and one of the obstacles may be their negative perception or perceived uselessness of the technology. The paper presents preliminary findings from a study into the attitudes toward digital technology and its perceived usefulness among the older adults in the city of Osijek, Croatia. Results show that majority of respondents have positive attitudes toward digital technology and majority perceives it as very useful. The study identified a number of factors, such as age, gender, education and quality of life that affect the respondents' varying attitudes toward digital technology and its perceived usefulness. The research findings can help policy makers and local institutions such as libraries in designing digital literacy courses and provision of support to older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this short paper, we employ a month‐long autoethnography to investigate the utilization of ChatGPT through metaphor analysis. We conceptualize three metaphors—unreliable narrator, court jester, and sounding board—that possess the most explanatory capabilities in describing what ChatGPT is, when it can be used, and how it can be helpful. We posit that grounding the use of ChatGPT in metaphors could facilitate discussions and streamline the intricate mechanism of Large Language Models (LLMs). Our study indicates that by proffering playful metaphors as substitutes to apocalyptic and arcane ones, we can enhance the accessibility and comprehensibility of ChatGPT for non‐experts and policymakers, thereby potentially contributing to more informed and productive dialogues about the role and potential of LLMs in everyday life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the relationship between cultural heritage and collective memory through the lens of information. We explicitly frame the heritage‐memory‐relationship as constituting a theoretical foundation for the field of Cultural Heritage Informatics. In framing heritage and memory as information phenomena, we leverage two information frameworks that appear most suitable to host, translate, and overlay heritage and memory theory: Context, relevance, and labor (Fremery and Buckland, 2022) and Information as thing (Buckland, 1991). Altogether, this preliminary exploration 1) establishes a terminological understanding of cultural heritage, collective memory, and information/informatics; 2) maps these concepts with recourse to the Context, relevance and labor framework (Fremery and Buckland, 2022); 3) articulates cultural heritage informatics as the intersection of heritage and memory focused on processes of selection, transfer, and integration of historic information in the service of identity maintenance; and 4) offers a cultural heritage information framework that highlights the unique potential of Cultural Heritage Informatics to guide future information research in cultural information studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This case study describes the development of a management and leadership (M/L) iSchool course. To design a course that balanced traditional topics with current professional needs, we identified M/L topics currently covered in iSchools' curricula, then assessed the importance of these topics for information professions through a survey of academic and professional communities. Survey participants selected topics in the areas of information economy, organizational management, and project management that they thought were most important for iSchool students to learn. They also suggested additional topics related to communication, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), financial literacy and strategic planning skills. Thirteen survey participants were interviewed by the researchers; they suggested further topics related to emotional intelligence and personal skills, such as time‐management, risk‐taking and confidence. This paper aims to support a culture of transparency in curricula design and, by sharing methods, findings, and lessons learned, ease the faculty tasks of course development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extant discourses in Indigenous Knowledge Management [IKM] emphasize the need to support Indigenous self‐determination, data sovereignty and self‐governance. To channel archival attention in this manner contributes to a larger shift in IKM towards stewardship praxes that empower Indigenous communities through culturally responsive and responsible praxes. The role of radical empathy in motivating this change, however, remains under‐explored. In this paper, we introduce eight mutually inclusive empathy‐driven propositions to transform the stewardship of Indigenous knowledges through an ethics of care framework. Grounded in a te ao Māori worldview in Aotearoa (New Zealand), we discuss how orienting ourselves to empathy motivates specific kinds of dialogic engagement that gives voice to Indigenous peoples in diverse global Indigenous contexts to share what cultural values should shape their research and knowledge stewardship. In doing so, we offer actionable ways to make positive differences in the lived experiences of Indigenous individuals and communities as they interact with and lead contemporaneous stewardship praxes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is limited systematic research on understanding the trends of STEM education in libraries. While reviews of STEM education from various funding agencies exist, these reviews encompass STEM education across formal and informal settings, which may not provide specific implications that center around libraries. This paper examines the trend of collaboration among libraries and other collaborating organizations involved in STEM education funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Through content analysis and geocode analysis of 128 projects that are funded by IMLS in 2012–2022, this study shows the diverse engagement of different types of informal learning institutions in STEM education over time. Findings also demonstrate that while few informal learning institutions represented the leading and collaborating organizations in IMLS STEM education initially, leading and collaborating organizations diversified with a higher level of collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marginalization and stigma can shape the information practices of vulnerable groups. Using examples from previous research, this short paper examines how norms and marginalization can serve as information barriers in societal and medical settings for transgender and non‐binary people. The results indicate the presence of several information barriers that are related to marginalization and gender norms in both social and medical settings. Marginalization can result in covert information seeking, and gender norms can affect embodied information practices, such as information sharing. Medical authorities hold authority that can impose barriers on information sharing and lead to gender norms being adhered to in medical settings. The results highlight various practical implications for information and healthcare providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of 'information crisis' is playing an increasingly prominent role within information studies literature and practice. Yet, the term is rarely defined and its meaning often remains both inconsistent and ambiguous. This opacity calls for a greater grounding of the term if it is to become a key concept in the field, including how it operates and what it enforces. This short paper draws upon information studies literature to present a conceptual analysis of the concept of 'information crisis.' From this analysis, we argue that an 'information crisis' framing is typically used to either establish the status quo, through centring challenges to established information ecosystems, or maintain the status quo, by outlining the operations needed to renew or protect these landscapes. These findings illustrate how 'information crisis' can obscure the very contexts of inequality and injustice through which crisis operates and delimits the possibility of changing/disrupting the status quo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data users need relevant context and research expertise to effectively search for and identify relevant datasets. Leading data providers, such as the Inter‐university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR), offer standardized metadata and search tools to support data search. Metadata standards emphasize the machine‐readability of data and its documentation. There are opportunities to enhance dataset search by improving users' ability to learn about, and make sense of, information about data. Prior research has shown that context and expertise are two main barriers users face in effectively searching for, evaluating, and deciding whether to reuse data. In this paper, we propose a novel chatbot‐based search system, DataChat, that leverages a graph database and a large language model to provide novel ways for users to interact with and search for research data. DataChat complements data archives' and institutional repositories' ongoing efforts to curate, preserve, and share research data for reuse by making it easier for users to explore and learn about available research data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dementia is a progressive and incurable disease which impacts both people who have been diagnosed with some type of neurocognitive disorder but also their family members. Since dementia care has lately started to include not only pharmacological treatment and medical care but also a person‐centred and evidence‐based (neuro)rehabilitation in the community, library and information science scholars and professionals have started to investigate how they can contribute to development of dementia‐friendly communities. The paper discusses how findings from an ongoing multi‐phase research have been translated into practice in the city of Osijek, Croatia. Information sciences scholars have collaborated with librarians, civic organizations, neurology and human rights professionals to develop diverse programs in the local community, which aim to raise the quality of life of older citizens, people with dementia and their caregivers through information sharing and raising awareness, supporting their health and wellbeing, and capacity building of librarians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite older adults being one of the most important groups of users of eHealth services, including patient accessible electronic health records, these are claimed to not be designed to suit older users, and to not necessarily fulfill their information needs. User‐centered design methods often utilized when developing eHealth services have also been claimed to not work well for older adults. This paper suggests an alternative way of collecting ideas and feedback on eHealth from older adults, by including open‐ended questions in the data collection of larger studies on eHealth information behavior. When data are collected by methods like focus group interviews and surveys, older adults can be requested to envision an eHealth service that suits their needs. Results from studies in Finland are presented, and show that current eHealth services do not fulfill all information needs of older adults, as answers to the question in both focus group interviews and surveys contain practical suggestions for additional and more comprehensible information, easier ways of searching for needed information, and alternative channels for communication. Open‐ended questions can be a cost‐effective and timesaving way to help in the design and development of patient accessible electronic health records and other types of eHealth services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LGBTQ+ activism has played a significant role in effecting legislative and social change in New Zealand and overseas, promulgating public attitudinal shifts towards tolerance and inclusion. These societal changes do not however appear to have resulted in the visible representation of LGBTQ+ communities in New Zealand's GLAMU institutions. Using a survey, this study investigated what has been occurring in GLAMU institutions with respect to LGBTQ+ collecting and donating through a queer theory lens. The findings indicated that broad, inclusive collection policies do not equate to representation when coupled with passive collecting and little connectivity not only with LGBTQ+ communities but between GLAMU institutions. The evident need revealed by the research findings, particularly the facilitation of GLAMU interconnectivity, offered the chance to alter the existing state of affairs. This paper shows how ongoing research can be applied as the opportunity arises to inform current practices and initiate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper applies the concept of 'lived experiences' to understand people's subjective and everyday encounters with automated systems. We reflect on how qualitative longitudinal research methods are useful for capturing the affective and emotional dimensions of these experiences; these flexible methods also allow for iterative changes that can react to new findings and participant feedback. Using our empirical study on Universal Credit (UC), the UK's largest social security payment, we demonstrate how studying lived experiences via qualitative longitudinal research helps us reflect on both the topic of the research and our position as researchers in relation to study participants. We argue that the lived experience framework is extremely valuable for understanding the consequences of automated decisions for users of these systems and to redress the uneven power dynamics of representing the voices of those sharing these encounters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This short paper reflects on previous personal information management (PIM) research using the theme of "invisible PIM." Three scholars gathered to reflect on how this theme is relevant to their research. After comparing reflections, the following threads of invisibility are highlighted as holding potential for future exploration: the role that PIM can play in reinforcing invisibility, the concept of maintaining information over time as being more likely to be labeled as invisible labor, and a focus on non‐work experiences of sample populations. This work in progress concludes with suggestions of how reflecting on themes versus following PIM activities (a departure from previous practices for these researchers) was a useful activity to think about a future PIM research agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite increasing advocacy for open access (OA), the uptake of OA in some disciplines has remained low. Existing studies have linked the low uptake in OA publishing in the humanities and social sciences (HSS) to disciplinary norm, limited funding to pay for article processing charges (APCs), and researchers' preferences. However, there is a growing concern about inequity in OA scholarly communication, as it has remained inaccessible and unaffordable to many researchers. This study therefore investigated inequity in OA publishing in Canada. Using semi‐structured interviews, qualitative data was collected from 20 professors from the HSS disciplines of research‐intensive universities in Canada. Data was analyzed with NVivo software following the reflexive thematic analysis approach. Findings revealed three main causes of inequity in OA publishing among the participants. These are the cost of APCs, unequal privileges, and gender disparities. Hence, there is a need for concerted efforts by funding agencies, stakeholders, higher education institutions, and researchers to promote equity in OA scholarly communication. Some recommendations for improving equity in OA publishing are provided in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ownership of digital information products in the digital age presents an intricate issue. While research has shown that individuals experience a sense of ownership over their digital possessions, the scope of digital ownership rights in comparison to physical entities remains unclear. Amongst various digital products, e‐books stand out due to their ubiquity. This paper presents the results of an empirical research study that used an online survey to examine e‐book consumers' perspectives on digital ownership and digital rights. The study revealed that while most participants value and desire ownership rights, certain conventional ownership rights, such as reselling, gifting, and lending, are deemed less significant and can be relinquished by consumers due to cost‐related factors. Furthermore, contrary to prevailing assumptions, the study found no discernible generational gap concerning people's perceptions of digital ownership rights. These findings hold implications for researchers, policymakers, and public‐interest groups seeking to advocate for the public's digital rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beyond the easy and equal access to massive online contents, will digital reading bring more social welfare values for disadvantaged groups? Take left‐behind children (LBC) in rural China as example, whose mental health issue has widely aroused public concern. Lacking of sufficient parental supervision and educational resources leads to insufficient development of psychological resilience and makes them vulnerable to mental health problems. As psychological resilience is a critical protective factor for maintaining mental health, in this paper, we wonder whether digital reading could perform as an alternative way with easy accessibility and numerous resources to supplement LBC's resilience development. We conducted a field questionnaire study on LBC (N = 217) and investigated the predictive effect of digital reading on psychological resilience. After controlling sociodemographic variables and common resilience protective factors, hierarchical regression results demonstrated that digital reading predicted an additional 4.3% of the variation in resilience above the control variables, indicating digital reading a positive promoter of LBC's psychological resilience. Moreover, by systematically exploring the fine‐grained digital reading variables, we also found intrinsic motivation to read and recreational digital reading (e.g., reading comics and communicating online) to be the two most stronger predictors of psychological resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The open data movement is often touted as a sweeping strategy to democratize science, promote diverse data reuse, facilitate reproducibility, accelerate innovation, and much more. However, the potential perils of open data are seldom examined and discussed in equal measure to these promises. As we continue to invest in open data, we need to study the full spectrum of what open data facilitates in practice, which can then inform future policy and design decisions. This paper aims to address this gap by presenting an investigative digital ethnography of one contrarian community, anthropogenic climate change (ACC) skeptics, to describe how they process, analyze, preserve, and share data. Skeptics often engage in data reuse similar to conventional data reusers, albeit for unconventional purposes and with varying degrees of trust and expertise. The data practices of ACC skeptics challenge the assumption that open data is universally beneficial. These findings carry implications for data repositories and how they might curate data and design databases with this type of reuse in mind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Negativity bias is the tendency to pay more attention and give more weight to negative information than positive information. This study explored how negativity bias affects information search, processing, and sensemaking when reading news articles on controversial topics. We conducted an eye‐tracking experiment with 43 participants who sought and read positive and negative articles about the three‐child policy debate. We measured their eye movements, cognitive load, attitude change, and sensemaking outcomes. We found that: (1) negativity bias occurs in both information search and information processing, and the outcomes of sensemaking also tend to show negative changes; (2) reading positive articles increase cognitive load more than reading negative articles; (3) gender and prior attitude have an influence on negativity bias; (4) people use different cognitive strategies when making sense of positive and negative information. This paper contributes to a better understanding of negativity bias in information seeking, processing, and sensemaking, which can help design news systems that adapt to readers' needs, and suggests people view information objectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focusing on information services to marginalized urban communities in the United States between 1940 and 1975, this paper argues that African American librarians played foundational roles in early community‐based librarianship (CBL) initiatives. In doing so, Black librarians skillfully and resourcefully fought information poverty, pushed for social and political equality, and promoted their communities' well‐being through proactive information provision. By fighting the systemic racism throttling inner‐city Black communities, their labors constituted a seminal contribution to the post‐World War II United States Freedom Struggle. Theirs was a specifically Black CBL. Underpinned by the theoretical work of Elfreda Chatman, this heretofore hidden history offers fruitful lessons for current library and information science practice. It therefore aligns with the annual meeting theme, "Translating Information Research into Practice, Policy, and Action," particularly its emphasis on "creating effective models of information provision, creating empathetic information services" and on "understanding the power of information to develop human happiness, equality, and wellbeing." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper details the findings from a study investigating the efficacy of community‐based and ‐organized information sessions for dispelling public health misinformation around COVID‐19. The authors used community‐engaged participatory action research methods to co‐organize town halls with community members, groups, and officials to disseminate COVID information for two New Jersey towns and townships with differing demographic compositions in late 2020 through 2021. These sessions aimed to share reliable, trustworthy public health and safety information around the COVID‐19 pandemic. This small‐scale, qualitative study suggests that this type of hyper‐localized information session where residents can interact with local leaders and talk openly about local problems around public health can be a point of connection for people with their community, that helps them access and address localized public health problems in myriad ways. In so doing, this study suggests ways to re‐imagine public health information and communication practices to promote informational justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]