25-28 June 2013
Welcome to the home of Information: Interactions and Impact (i3)
i3 2013 was held at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, UK on 25-28 June 2013.
Recent updates (3 November 2013): Conference Presentations and reflections on the 2013 conference from the sponsored place delegate (see below)
Reflections on i3 2013 by Sarah Polkinghorne, recipient of the sponsored place award for 2013
I�m writing this a few weeks after i3 2013, a conference which was remarkable for several reasons. It was a privilege to be sponsored to attend, and it�s a pleasure to provide some comments encouraging others to participate in i3 in the future.
Back at my workplace, the University of Alberta in Edmonton, we�ve been celebrating the arrival of our new chief librarian and, at the same time, reacting to a significant budget cut from our provincial government. I was reminded at i3 that we cannot divorce ourselves and our information practices from the contexts in which we live and work. I�m reminded of this again now as I revisit my i3 experience.
The i3 conference came highly recommended and it did not disappoint. It delivered engaging papers, wide-ranging keynote speakers, and flawless Scottish hospitality. I�m drawn to conferences that intentionally bridge research and practice, and i3 left me feeling like Goldilocks: it was just right. I appreciated the open, supportive atmosphere created by all attendees. I was thankful for the opportunity to meet and speak with researchers whose work I�ve admired and relied upon. I was very grateful for the constructive, thought-provoking comments I received about my own research.
As for research, the work I saw presented at i3 was abundantly fascinating. Grant Campbell�s work on The Boy in the Moon illuminated the limitations of rigid information retrieval models. Pam McKenzie and Sherilyn Williams drew my attention to the managerialisation of information in everyday life. Simon Burnett revealed the diverse knowledge-sharing that occurs among UK police bloggers. Michael Olsson proposed pouvoir/savoir as a tool for examining power and culture within information behaviour research. Hayley Rowlands and Katie Morrison identified intriguing nuances in the information practices of different oil industry populations. Natalya Godbold advocated for the recognition of patients as information sources within their own medical care. These are just a few examples from this year�s diverse program.
As always, the informal conversations were also valuable, whether they occurred on the daily shuttle, at the impeccable Marcliffe Hotel, in front of the Aberdeen Art Gallery�s neon Emin, at the beautiful new libraries of Robert Gordon University and the University of Aberdeen, or even, for example, on the esplanade at Aberdeen Beach, parked in a small car in the rain, watching dolphins jump in the North Sea. Dolphin-watching likely can�t be guaranteed for future participants, but it does count as one of the moments that made i3, and the local hospitality, especially memorable. In Emily Brontë�s formulation, i3 has �gone through and through me, like wine through water, and altered the colour of my mind.�
Back at my home library after i3, I have been acting as project lead in the creation of a suite of interactive online information literacy tutorials. I�m thinking quite a lot about our students� information practices and how to create significant learning experiences within the online environment. Several i3 sessions, plus the spirited plenary discussions, have left me with food for thought about persistent questions that are of concern to any librarian involved with such a project. What exactly is the best role, if any, for information literacy standards? How should we inquire about the value our tutorials contribute to students' lives over time? Most important, how can we build tutorials that root learning in context and avoid framing information literacy as a set of procedural skills?
Bronze Sponsor: Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC)
Sponsor of keynote gifts: Johnstons of Elgin
