2024 ASIS&T SIG-USE Symposium:
Toward People-First Information Behavior Research and Practice
Virtual Workshop, October 4, 9:00 AM–1:00 PM (Eastern Daylight Time)
We are pleased to invite you to contribute to the 24th Annual SIG-USE Symposium. The upcoming half-day SIG-USE Symposium will focus on how information behavior researchers and professionals can endeavor to center people and real-world outcomes in their work. As we continue to build and leverage advanced technologies, such as AI, to generate new insights and improve workflows, being mindful of how our work can impact individuals, particularly the ones that are often overlooked during the development and usage of information systems and technologies, is paramount. This symposium provides an opportunity for researchers, scholars, students, faculty, and information professionals to discuss ways in which the values of responsibility, reciprocity, and care can be incorporated into our work through effortful and informed design and practice. Participants will engage in panel discussions and breakout sessions to think of ways they can apply "people-first" approaches and mindsets to their everyday work. This symposium is open to all ASIS&T and non-ASIS&T members.
We live in an era of unprecedented connectivity, where information is readily accessible and connections can be fostered through various communication channels. As information behavior research evolves, there is a growing recognition of the need to consider how our work impacts people, emphasizing their needs, experiences, and well-being. The symposium invites participants to reflect on prioritizing the "people-first" approach in information behavior research and practice, fostering a culture of responsibility, reciprocity, and care in our endeavors.
We welcome extended abstracts (1,000–2,000 words) and lightning talk abstracts (500 words) contributions that describe completed research or research-in-progress and that showcase empirical, conceptual, theoretical, and methodological findings or rich practice cases and demonstrations, from researchers, graduate students, and practitioners. Our main goals include information researchers sharing their experiences and supporting others in the field and facilitating information exchange among esteemed and emerging scholars and professionals, to engage critically with the field, and provide feedback on preliminary work and works-in-progress.
Specific issues to be addressed depend on the interest of the participants and the issues they bring into the workshop, Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
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"The Past"-Identifying Challenges: In what ways access to, interactions with, and the usage of certain information and technology can exacerbate existing inequalities, particularly for physically, socially, and economically vulnerable populations? Who are the people that are affected by the work that we do? What challenges might they face? Where might our efforts as information researchers and practitioners fit into their realities? How might they view and respond to our efforts?
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"The Present"-Ensuring Representation and Protection: How can we engage socially vulnerable and underrepresented populations to ensure their voices are heard and their needs are addressed? What strategies should we implement in order to safeguard the rights and well-being of individuals and communities who are the focus of our study? For instance, when conducting research involving data obtained without consent (such as studies utilizing social media harvesting), what strategies can we employ to protect rights to privacy while ensuring authentic representation of data, which constitutes the core value of the work? How can we effectively balance the practical considerations of research, the quality of our work, and the ethical considerations inherent in research, particularly those involving human subjects?
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"The Future"-Considering Real-World Outcomes: How can we maximize the tangible impact of our work on the individuals and populations that it concerns? What questions should we seek to answer as information researchers? What goals should we work towards as information professionals? What considerations might we still not be able to address and what consequences are likely to remain? What are the limitations of our work, and how do we take responsibility for them? Lastly, with the increasing adoption of AI in academia, critical questions arise regarding equitable access, fairness, transparency, and privacy. How can we navigate these issues while upholding standards and maintaining academic integrity?
Submission Categories:
Submissions should adhere to the following guidelines:
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All submissions should be formatted according to the ASIS&T 2024 conference guidelines (for a poster submission) (
template here) except for the submission length.
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File type and names:
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Presenters who have their extended abstracts accepted should plan on presentations of up to 10 minutes and lightning talk abstracts accepted should plan on presentations of up to 5 minutes. Details of these requirements will be provided after notifications of acceptance.
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All submissions will be peer-reviewed. Accepted submissions will be made available online prior to the beginning of the symposium. This platform will allow community members to provide feedback and generate questions on the contributions prior to the symposium. The extended abstract discussions will be used to seed breakout group discussions during the workshop itself.
Important Dates:
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Submission deadline: Aug 16, 2024
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Notifications of acceptance: Aug 30, 2024
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Please don't hesitate to contact us with any questions you may have. We hope to see you there!