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Information professionals are at the forefront of navigating the intricacies of shifting landscapes of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Society 5.0, such as physical places, digital domains, and transitional zones in between, where boundaries blur and new discourses emerge. They are expected to extend their expertise into new domains and enrich their professional practice to better meet the evolving needs of their users. Third Space theory reported in Kuhlthau's work on guided inquiry and information literacy offers a framework, that creates an "in‐between" space, which allows personal experience to merge with professional information and encounters to help information professionals expand beyond their traditional domain expertise. These spaces promote the bridging of theory and practice, the navigation of ethical boundaries, access to multi‐perspective discourse, engagement in active listening, adjustment to evolving technologies, and facilitation of innovative methods. Creating in‐between spaces that promote conversations, interaction, information flow, and access is critical to navigating the intricacies. This interactive panel will explore how information professionals may use Third Space as a framework to offer a new way of thinking and addressing complex societal challenges while prioritizing human values, needs, and well‐being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decolonising the information curriculum through the process of indigenization is a crucial process that advocates for a paradigm shift towards the integration of various political ideologies and knowledge systems in order to correct the marginalisation and exclusion that have been sustained by colonial legacies. The Ubuntu ideology offers a foundation for promoting an inclusive, people‐centered approach to curriculum development because it places an emphasis on communal values and connection. Educators can establish learning environments that support empathy, inclusivity, and cooperation while reflecting and accommodating the needs and experiences of every student by emulating the values of Ubuntu. By appreciating students' cultural origins in the information sciences, Culturally Responsive Pedagogy enhances academic engagement and equips students for a diverse global information landscape, which further supports these efforts. Collectively, these strategies seek to foster an information society that is more socially just and equitable, which is consistent with the overarching objective of guaranteeing inclusivity and fairness in education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As technologies powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) algorithms increasingly take over personal computing online and public sector domains, they simultaneously raise the promise of an extensively productive and sustainable future, as well as fears of widening inequalities, information and content divide, and a more complex information‐seeking landscape. Thus, the hopes of improved accuracy, efficiency, productivity, reduced human bias in decision‐making, and access to information are fast giving way to a trove of ethical and human rights issues with far‐reaching consequences for accountability, privacy, social justice, equity, inclusion, and informed consent, and public participation in decision‐making. Since no technology is entirely free of bias, this paper identifies algorithmic fairness as a more realistic threshold and goal. Building on findings from a previous PRISMA review of relevant literature, the paper proposes a comprehensive framework for defining algorithmic fairness in the context of information access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This panel will discuss emerging topics, challenges, and strategies for information scholars and information organizations to advance information science (IS) research in current complex information environments. Five panelists will provide their observations and thoughts based on their extensive research and/or professional practice experience, followed by active interaction with the audience. The panel discussion will be centered around 4 questions: 1. What emerging information topics or areas will have great significance to science and/or society? 2. What are the top challenges for IS researchers to perform cutting edge research? 3. How can information science researchers work together to address our research challenges? And 4. What are the implications of emerging topics, challenges, and strategies for information schools and information organizations? The engagement of the panelists and the audience will help information science research and practitioner communities gain insights into the directions of information science research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]