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2018 ASIS&T SIG-USE Symposium

2018 ASIS&T SIG-USE Symposium: Moving Toward the Future of Information Behavior Research and Practice

Update: View the paper presentations given at the 2018 symposium

Date: November 10, 2018 (Saturday)
Time: 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Location: Hyatt Regency Vancouver, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

About the 2018 SIG-USE Symposium

The 18th Annual SIG-USE Research Symposium focuses on the future of information behavior research. We live in an era of change in terms of the technologies, platforms, and tools at our disposal. With these changes, we are also witnessing changes in communication practices, in the meaning and form of information, and in information behaviors. There has been a significant global shift in the ways that information and knowledge is produced, shared, and used. We have seen developments such as the crowdsourcing of knowledge work, the use of new communication channels in information diffusion activities, and the emergence of online environments serving as “third places” and “information grounds”. As we consider the future, there are many ways that we might consider information behavior research including users, application, contexts, and methods to study information behavior and practice. This Symposium aims to facilitate information exchange between and among students, researchers, and information professionals who focus on different aspects of the future of information behavior research. It also aims to serve as a forum for graduate students, researchers, and practitioners new to this area to engage critically with the theme, and for scholars and practitioners alike to receive feedback on preliminary works and works-in-progress.

Call for Participation

SIG-USE Symposium organizers invite poster (500 words or less) and short paper (2000 words or less) contributions that describe completed research and research-in-progress, and that showcase empirical, conceptual, theoretical, and methodological findings or rich practice cases and demonstrations, from researchers, graduate students, and practitioners.

Specific issues to be addressed depend on the interest of the participants and the issues they bring into the workshop. Potential topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

Actors/users: Individuals may have very different information needs and seek, process, and act upon information in diverse ways.

  • How has the concept of the user/actor in information behavior research changed over time?
  • What effect has this had on the ways that we study users’ information behaviors, and on our efforts to facilitate users’ abilities to access and make use of information?
  • How can we facilitate equitable access and use of information across diverse populations?

Applications: Applications, technologies, and enablers may play a role in or shape our information behaviors, including information seeking, processing, and use.

  • New technologies offer opportunities for identity construction and empowerment, or do they?
  • How can information behavior research address local and global issues relating to health, environment, economics, and human rights, among others, creating value for all?

Contexts: Information behaviors occur in many contexts, including within work and recreational settings, and as a part of everyday life. They also arise out of needs in particular situations, such as in response to health conditions, and may be triggered due to factors such as serendipitous encounters. How do characteristics of organizations and information society (e.g., cultural norms, legal frameworks, communication structures, political hierarchies, etc.) influence the access to and use of information and technologies?

Methods: Users, applications, and the contexts in which information behaviors occur are continually evolving. What does this mean for the methods that we use to study information behavior, and moreover, for practice?

With all of these developments, we also encounter questions concerning research ethics. Though the future brings new opportunities and possibilities, concerns persist and questions arise as society evolves. How have the roles of researchers and participants changed in this evolving digital landscape?

Submission Categories

Short Papers (2000 words or less):

  • Will be followed by small group discussions, so submissions that generate stimulating dialogue and exchange are ideal
  • Tend to have richer discussion of the methods and results
  • Provide more contextualization of the work within the background literature

Posters (500 words or less):

  • Provide an opportunity for more one-on-one feedback on early work and work-in-progress
  • Preliminary work is not required

Poster and short paper abstracts should adhere to the following guidelines:

All submissions will be peer-reviewed. Accepted documents will be circulated prior to and following the Symposium, when possible. Presenters who have their short paper accepted should plan on presentations of up to 8 minutes in total. Short-paper presenters should also expect to e-mail their slides in advance of the Symposium. Poster presenters will stand next to their posters and present a short 30-second introduction to their research. Details of these requirements will be provided after notifications of acceptance.

Tentative Schedule

The Workshop will take place over a half-day. It will be comprised of Short Paper and Poster presentations, break-out group discussion sessions, and Awards presentations. This is our anticipated schedule:

13:00-13:10 Welcome and overview of the Symposium
13:10-13:40 Short paper presentations I
13:40-13:55 Break-out group discussions
13:55-14:25 Short paper presentations II
14:25-14:40 Break-out group discussions
14:40-14:50 Small groups report out to the entire group
14:50-14:55 Poster Ignite talks
14:55-15:25 Poster Session/Break
15:25-15:55 Award presentations
15:55-16:15 Short paper presentations III
16:15-16:30 Break-out group discussions
16:30-17:00 Small groups report out to the entire group and closing remarks

Important Dates

August 22, 2018, 11:59 pm (Anywhere on Earth): Submissions due (Extended from August 15)

September 26, 2018: Notices of acceptance issued

Registration Fees

Early Bird

(Through 10/1)

 Advance

(10/2–11/2)

 On site
ASIS&T Members $130 $155 $180
Non-Members $160 $185 $210
ASIS&T Student Members $100 $125 $150
Student Non-Members $130 $155 $180

The registration fee is $30 off for students (use discount code USE30 at registration), so if you are a student member and register no later than Monday, 1 October, 2018, it will be $100!

The registration fee will cover Symposium costs and an afternoon break with snacks.

Neither submission nor acceptance of an abstract are requirements for registration for the SIG-USE Symposium.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions you may have. We hope to see you there!

Annie Chen, University of Washington: atchen@uw.edu
Melissa Ocepek, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign: mgocepek@illinois.edu
Devendra Potnis, University of Tennessee at Knoxville: dpotnis@utk.edu
Yiwei Wang, Rutgers University: yw498@scarletmail.rutgers.edu