Every two years information science researchers gather in Aberdeen for the i3: information, interactions and impact conference hosted by the Department of Information Management at Robert Gordon University (RGU). The most recent i3 conference was held at the end of last month, running from Tuesday 25th until Friday 28th June.

I went up to Aberdeen a couple of days before i3 to prepare for, and part in, iDocQ. The day at iDocQ was an excellent preface to i3, especially for the PhD students who planned to stay on in Aberdeen for the rest of the week: iDocQ gave them a chance to get to know a few friendly faces ahead of the conference.

Due to other commitments I was only able to attend the first day of i3. Nevertheless, I made the most of my time as a day delegate. I was there for the opening keynote paper “Lost in translation? The interactions, impact and practice of information literacy and what it means for the workplace” presented by Dr Annemaree Lloyd of Charles Sturt University, the first of the parallel sessions, and the evening civic reception at Aberdeen Art Gallery.

Dr Jan Auernhammer delivers our joint paper at i3

In the first parallel session my colleague Dr Jan Auernhammer delivered our joint paper New knowledge creation within manufacturing: a pattern analysis of behaviours and interactions that underpin knowledge creation and innovation in a large German automotive manufacturer (slides available on SlideShare). We counted ourselves very lucky to have Sheila Webber of Sheffield University in the audience: Sheila live-blogged Jan’s presentation and published a post on it soon after it was delivered. We shared our session slot with Dr Mark Hepworth of Loughborough University. Mark spoke about information behaviours in local government. Sheila also live-blogged Mark’s presentation.

I very much enjoyed the evening civic reception at the Aberdeen Art Gallery, where we were welcomed to the conference by Robert Gordon University’s Vice Principal Shona Cormack, and to the city by the Lord Provost of Aberdeen. Given that I would not be able to stay on for the rest of the week, I tried to catch up with as many people as possible at the reception. I particularly enjoyed speaking to the members of the i3 local organising committee – Professor Dorothy Williams, Professor Peter Reid, Dr Simon Burnett, Dr Laura Muir, Katie Morrison, and Dr Elizabeth Tait – and congratulating them on what was already shaping up to be yet another successful event.

The Lord Provost of Aberdeen and Vice Principal of Robert Gordon University welcome i3 delegates

I was really pleased that several delegates tweeted i3, so I was able to follow the proceedings remotely once I was back in Edinburgh. Some blogged conference reports can also be found at:

• Moira’s InfoLit blog
• Professor Peter Reid’s blog The Librarian
• Sheila Webber’s Information Literacy Weblog

Soon after the event the local conference programme committee put a call out to gather all the conference presentations together in one place. Links to the presentations are currently being added to the conference web site.

This was the third time that I presented at i3. In 2011 I presented one of the keynotes: Coalition and collaboration: supporting the development of LIS research in the UK. In 2009 I delivered the joint paper Shared relationships, spaces and online information behaviours: a social exchange and capital perspective. For my co-presenter Jan this was his first presentation at i3. However, it was not his first trip to a professional event in Aberdeen: two years ago Jan was one of the PhD student delegates at iDocQ 2011.