Faculty and students from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Information and Library Science will represent their iSchool at the 2014 iConference March 4-7, in Berlin, Germany. The event, which is hosted by Germany’s Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, the Berlin School of Library and Information Science, is an international conference that brings together faculty, students and researchers interested in advancing the field of information science. This year's iConference is organized under the banner ‘Breaking Down Walls | Culture, Context, Computing.’

"The iConference series was established in 2005 by the iSchools organization, a growing worldwide association of Information Schools. Each annual iConference is hosted by a different iSchools member-institution."

Dr. Cal Lee, Frances Carroll McColl Term Professor was involved in the planning of the conference. Lee was one of the members of the organizing committee and received one of the first awards for his reviewing abilities.

Dr. Gary Marchionini, dean and Cary C. Boshamer Distinguuished Professor, is part of the iCaucus and will meet and collaborate with deans from the other iSchools.

In addition, Dr. Ryan Shaw, assistant professor, will be involved with a number of workshops and sessions. Dr. Mohammad Hossein Jarrahi, assistant professor, will also present.

Graduate student Armanda Marie Gonzalez and her colleagues from the iSchool Inclusion Institute will present a poster, "Entering the Boys’ Club: An Analysis of Female Representation in Game Industry, Culture, and Design."

Following are the workshops and sessions with brief descriptions (from the program) in which they're involved:

Workshop 3 - Changing Publishing Practices in iSchools
Tuesday, March 4, 2014  9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Megan Finn, Ryan Shaw, Shawn Walker
iSchools are home to many researchers who study the practices of scholarly publishing, a significant number of whom also design, build, and evaluate innovative tools for scholarly publishing. Yet when it comes to our own work, many scholars at iSchools have been reluctant to try new modes of publishing, a trend this workshop aims to correct. Many researchers maintain an appropriate skepticism of the claims made by evangelists of the new modes of publishing; thus, this workshop starts with an understanding that current publishing paradigms are embedded in socio-material practices and institutional logics. Nevertheless, a growing number of scholars at iSchools, and iSchool-related programs are experimenting with new ways of publishing their own work. This workshop will bring together researchers of scholarly communication practice and designers of research publishing tools with those who are considering their own scholarly publishing projects. The aim is to encourage scholars considering experiments through an exploration of both the tools now available for experimentation, and expert insights into innovations in scholarly communication.

Workshop 11 - The Discipline of Organizing in iSchools – Collaborative and Digitally Enhanced Teaching of a Core Subject
Tuesday, March 4, 2014 2 - 5:30 p.m.
Robert J. Glushko, Vivien Petras, Ryan Shaw
The workshop centers on a book, "The Discipline of Organizing" (MIT Press, 2013) that proposes a unified trans-disciplinary perspective on one of the core subjects for iSchools: information organization and retrieval. The printed book and several digital/ebook versions will be the focus of a case study in collaboratively developing and maintaining a teaching resource that supports cooperation across the different iSchools. The workshop will present the concept of the "Discipline of Organizing" (TDO), several examples of TDO in teaching, and invites participants to develop a vision for a collaborative teaching environment and process.

Wednesday, March 5, 2014
2 - 3:30 p.m.
Session 7: Citizen Science
Chair: Ryan Benjamin Shaw, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

SIE 8: From “Effects” to “Entanglements”: A Fishbowl Discussion on Sociomateriality

Thursday, 06/Mar/2014:  2:00pm - 3:30pm

Presentations
From “Effects” to “Entanglements”: A Fishbowl Discussion on Sociomateriality
Mohammad Hossein Jarrahi, Jaime Snyder, David Askay, Heather Wiltse, Arvind Karunakaran
Multiple research areas within the field of information studies grapple with the notion of technology and its role in social processes and outcomes. Recent theorizations on sociomateriality reflect a renewed interest in studying the mutually constitutive nature of the relationships among technology, materiality and social contexts (e.g., Leonardi, Nardi, & Kallinikos, 2012; Orlikowski, 2007). In specific, the sociomaterial perspective offers a promising path for `information' scholars to move from theorizing about the "effects" of specific technologies on organizational and societal outcomes to considering the constitutive "entanglement" among them.

POSTER SESSION
Entering the Boys’ Club: An Analysis of Female Representation in Game Industry, Culture, and Design
Armanda Marie Gonzalez1,5, Elaine Gomez2,5, Samuel Jacobs3,5, Rebeca Orozco4,5
1The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; 2Rutgers University; 3North Carolina State University; 4Washington State University; 5iSchool Inclusion Institute
Numerous studies have examined the role of gender in game design, game play and game experience and conclude that women are often excluded and objectified in character design, appearance and behavior. Game and gender studies scholars encourage further research in these topics. However, in the analysis and critique of these findings, there is little to no emphasis on a plan of implementation or suggestions made concerning a change in the approach of stereotypes used in game and character design, sexism in game culture and inclusion of women in STEM related fields. This paper provides insights into the importance of gender roles and character design and representation in video games in relation to creating inclusive gaming environments for women.

Exceptional Reviewer Awards

"Much of the success of the iConference lies in the selfless work of volunteers who review the hundreds of submission we receive each year. This year’s organizers have chosen to honor this commitment with a special award recognizing outstanding reviewer dedication. The recipients will be recognized during the morning plenary session on Thursday, 6 March" as quoted from the program.

Congratulations to Dr. Cal Lee for his exceptional reviewing skills.

2014 Winners

JoAnn M. Brooks, Syracuse University, for her reviews of Notes
Terry Costantino, University of Toronto, for her reviews of Papers and Posters
Beth St. Jean, University of Maryland, College Park for her reviews of Posters
Christopher Lee, University of North Carolina, for his reviews of Papers and Notes
Eric Meyers, University of British Columbia, for his reviews of Papers and Notes
Stephen Voida, Indiana University, for his reviews of Posters

 

 

*******************************

Wanda Monroe

Director of Communications

School of Information and Library Science

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

04 Manning Hall, CB#3360

Chapel Hill, NC  27599-3360

919.843.8337

sils.unc.edu

Follow us on Twitter at UNCSILS

Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/uncsils