An afternoon of Social Informatics lightning talks

Hazel Hall, Brian Detlor

Professors Brian Detlor & Hazel Hall

Dr Brian Detlor, Visiting Professor to the Social Informatics Research Group at Edinburgh Napier University, has been in the Edinburgh for the past week. Last Friday I was pleased to participate in one of the events organised to mark Brian’s visit: a lightening talk showcase of some the excellent research undertaken by researchers in the Social Informatics Research Group.

My own presentation was about the AHRC/Creative Informatics funded Platform to Platform project that I completed last year with Dr Bruce Ryan (PI) and Dr Iain McGregor (Co-I). This work involved the creation of a podcast series based on Lorna Lloyd’s Diary of the war, and an assessment audience engagement with archives in two different digital formats – (1) a Blipfoto journal of text and images, and (2) sound in podcast episodes. The slides for my presentation are available on SlideShare.

Lightning talk first page

Please click on the image to access the SlideShare deck

The other speakers and topics were:

  • Aleksander Bielinski – his doctoral research entitled ‘Enhancing labour market intelligence using machine learning.
  • Dr David Brazier – the impact of digitisation on people, and his four on-going PhD supervisions
  • Maria Cecil – her doctoral research entitled ‘Gendered information landscapes and their impact on routes into and through apprenticeships’.
  • Dr Peter Cruickshank – community councils’ online presences, the information literacy of community representatives, the ways in which staff in frontline public services help individuals manage their online identities, and links with the Library and Information Science department at the Universiti Malaya.
  • Drew Feeney – his doctoral research entitled ‘User-led approaches to digital literacies in older adults’.
  • Professor Diane Pennington – ethical metadata.
  • Dr Frances Ryan – human information behaviour in digital environments as this relates to everyday life, and her current project Librarians as proxies.
  • Rachel Salzano – public library soundscapes, building on her recently doctoral study ‘The influence of culture on perceived use of public libraries by forced migrants in Scotland and England’. (Rachel will be awarded her PhD at graduation on 7th July 2023.)
  • Tomasz Stupnicki – his doctoral research entitled ‘Multi-modal ubiquitous quantum self monitoring: a driver of mental health improvements in the prison environment‘.

After our very convivial and entertaining afternoon, the research chat continued at McLarens on the Corner in Merchiston over drinks. What an excellent way to start the weekend!

Social Informatics Research Group, lightening talk, Bruce Ryan, Diane Pennington, Drew Feeney, Maria Cecil, Hazel Hall, Tomasz Stupnicki, Aleksander Bielinski, Peter Cruickshank, Rachel Salzano

Session presenters: Dr Bruce Ryan, Professor Diane Pennington, Drew Feeney, Maria Cecil, Professor Hazel Hall, Tomasz Stupnicki, Aleksander Bielinski, Dr Peter Cruickshank, Rachel Salzano, & Dr David Brazier.

An evening at Lambeth Palace for the 2022 Janette Harley Award ceremony and the 2023 Maurice Bond Memorial Lecture

Last Wednesday I was delighted to travel to Lambeth Palace to attend the 2022 Janette Harley Award ceremony, and to hear the 2023 Maurice Bond Memorial Lecture. Continue reading

Community-led digital literacy training: presentation open to all at Edinburgh Napier University, Monday 22nd May 2023

Professor Brian Detlor - Digital Literacy Training LectureDr Brian Detlor, Professor and Area Chair (Information Systems) at the DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University, Canada, and Visiting Professor to the Social Informatics Research Group at Edinburgh Napier University, will be in Scotland next month. Continue reading

Developing the Young Workforce evaluation: evidence synthesis by Marina Milosheva now available

Developing the Young Workforce evaluation: evidence synthesis, Marina Milosheva

Marina Milosheva authored the report

Last autumn, Social Informatics Research Group PhD student Marina Milosheva completed a 13-week internship administered through theĀ Scottish Graduate School of Social Scottish Science (SGSSS) internship scheme.

In this period, Marina worked in the Advanced Learning and Skills Analysis Unit of the Scottish Government. With a remit to improve the lives of children and young people in Scotland through raising educational standards, this Unit is a part of the Scottish Government’s Learning Directorate. Continue reading

Narrowing the research-practice gap: a newly published paper and the forthcoming RIVAL Reunion

‘From a network model to a model network: strategies for network development to narrow the LIS research–practice gap’ has just been published. This paper, which I co-authored with my Edinburgh Napier UniversityĀ colleaguesĀ Dr Bruce Ryan,Ā Rachel Salzano, andĀ Katherine Stephen, can be found in issue 3 of volume 79 of the Journal of Documentation, and is available as a full-text download from the publisher.Hall Ryan Salzano Stephen 2023 Journal of Documentation Continue reading

Applications invited for a fully-funded PhD studentship on digital literacy skills

Merchiston Tower spring

The successful candidate will be based at Edinburgh Napier University’s Merchiston campus

Applications are invited for a fully-funded PhD studentship within the Social Informatics Research Group at Edinburgh Napier University. The successful candidate will work with Director of Studies Dr David Haynes on a project entitled Digital literacy skill requirements for new employees and its relation to productivity in the Scottish economy. Continue reading

Information literacy and the digitalization of the workplace: new book to be published on 13th April 2023

Along with my co-authors Marina Milosheva, Pete Robertson, and Peter Cruickshank, I am excited to see that the details of Information literacy and the digitalization of the workplace are now available in Facet’s publishing catalogue.

The anticipated publication of the book next month on 13th April comes just over two years since its first editor Gunilla WidĆ©n (ƅbo Akademi University, Finland) initially approached me about the possibility of contributing to this new work. The conversation ultimately led to the preparation of a chapter that draws primarily on some of the research that PhD student Marina Milosheva has undertaken for her ESRC/Skills Development Scotland funded doctoral study on career information literacy and career decision-making, and team discussions in Marina’s supervision meetings. In it we focus on the importance of employability information literacy and career information literacy to sustainable employment in largely digitised work environments. Continue reading

New roles for Katherine Stephen and Rachel Salzano

Rachel Salzano, Katherine Stephen

Rachel Salzano and Katherine Stephen

In October 2019 new PhD students Rachel Salzano and Katherine Stephen joined the Social Informatics Research Group at Edinburgh Napier University. Three and half years later, they are now coming to the end of their PhD journeys while settling into new work roles. Continue reading

Edinburgh Napier University joins the international iSchools network

iSchools logo - red text stating 'iSchools'

Congratulations to Professor Diane Pennington and Dr Debbie Meharg of the Social Informatics Research Group at Edinburgh Napier University. With the support of the Dean Professor Peter Andras, they have led the work that has resulted in the recent acceptance of the University’s School of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment (SCEBE) as a member of the international iSchools network. Continue reading

The power of audio – presenting archives via podcasts: submission accepted for Shaking the archive conference, Edinburgh, June 2023

Along with my colleagues Dr Bruce Ryan, Marianne Wilson, and Dr Iain McGregor, I am delighted that the submission that we made earlier this year to the Shaking the archive – reconsidering the role of archives in contemporary society conference has been accepted. Continue reading