The 75th anniversary of ASIS&T marks a milestone in the association’s history, but also in the development of Information Science. As we celebrate this anniversary, we are reminded of the many achievements in our field, including new topics and research developments across the areas within Information Science and the adoption and integration of new methodological approaches to exploring new phenomena.
This year’s conference theme is "Information, Interaction, Innovation: Celebrating the Past, Constructing the Present and Creating the Future." To celebrate ASIS&T’s 75th anniversary, three tracks, Information, Interaction, and Innovation, were formed, spanning the diverse subject areas of the twenty-one Special Interest Groups (SIGs) currently functioning within ASIS&T. To accommodate authors and reviewers around the world, deadlines were extended to April for papers, panels, workshops and tutorials and to June for posters, demos and videos.
A total of 146 papers, 57 panels, 157 posters, 10 demos/videos, and 14 workshops were submitted to the conference. As ever, there was strong competition among submissions, and we appreciate everyone’s contributions. The reviewing process saw the following presentations accepted for our anniversary program: 40% papers, 58% panels, 65% posters, 60% demos/videos, and 100% workshops. Many thanks go to the reviewers who volunteered their time to consider submissions and provide comments to assist in the final selection of presentations.
We are fortunate to have Professor Edward Y. Chang, who has led Google Research in China since 2006, as a keynote speaker. His work with big data provide a relevant and timely addition to the conference, offering food for thought as we move forward in Information Science.
This year’s conference also featured a twist on the usual keynote presentations. The first session of the conference featured a “One Minute Madness” session, in which paper authors and panel moderators took one minute to describe and entice conference attendees to attend their session/presentation. This session provided a useful glimpse into sessions, enhancing the usual conference programme schedule.
Many people are due thanks for the success of conference planning for this 75th anniversary of ASIS&T.
First, we would like to thank track chairs who facilitated the review process efficiently and effectively. Thank you for helping us through this process!
Track 1: Information
Michael Olsson, Communication Studies, University of Technology Sydney
Sanna Talja, Institutionen for ABM, Uppsala Universitet
Track 2: Interaction
Sanda Erdelez, School of Information Science & Learning Technologies, University of Missouri
Catherine Johnson, Faculty of Information & Media Studies, University of Western Ontario
Chirag Shah, School of Communication and Information, Rutgers University
Track 3: Innovation
Hsaio-Tieh Pu, Graduate Institute of Library & Information Studies, National Taiwan Normal University
Luz Marina Quiroga, Department of Information and Computer Science,University of Hawai’i at Manoa
Gerry Benoit, Graduate School of Information and Library Science, Simmons College
A new Student Activities Committee was created this year to coordinate opportunities for students to become involved as the future scholars of ASIS&T. Committee members included John Carlo Bertot, College of Information Studies, University of Maryland College Park; Stephanie Haas, School of Information and Library Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Candy Schwartz, Graduate School of Information and LIbrary Science, Simmons College; Katie Shilton, College of Information Studies, University of Maryland; and Barbara Wildemuth, School of Information and Library Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Doctoral student activities planned for this year included a Student Design Competition, Award-Winning Papers, and Doctoral Seminar on Research and Career Development. In addition, a panel addressing the needs of MLIS students and early career professionals was offered through Special Interest Group for Digital Libraries (SIG DL) and moderated by June Abbas (School of Library and Information Studies, University of Oklahoma).
A special day long anniversary event,“History of ASIS&T and Information Science and Technology Worldwide,” was offered by the 75th Anniversary Task Force. Our thanks go to this committee for their coordination of anniversary events with the regular conference programming. Committee co-chairs are Robert V. Williams, School of Library and Information Science, University of South Carolina, and Toni Carbo, Drexel University College of Information Science & Technology. Committee members included: Marcia Bates, Department of Information Studies, University of California, Los Angeles; Sarah Buchanan, University of Texas at Austin School of Information; Eugene Garfield; Trudi Hahn, College of Information Science & Technology, Drexel University; Kathryn La Barre, Graduate School of Library and Information Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Michel J. Menou; Julian Warner, Queen’s University Management School, Queen’s University Belfast; and Dick Hill, ASIS&T (Ex-officio).
And last, but certainly not least, our thanks go to ASIS&T President Diane H. Sonnenwald (School of Information and Library Studies, University College Dublin) and to Dick Hill and his team for their ongoing support throughout the conference planning process.
We hope you enjoyed this special 75th Anniversary Annual Meeting!
Shanju Chang, Crystal Fulton, and Julia Hersberger