Community validation as a method to establish trustworthiness in qualitative LIS research: submission accepted for #asist2023

Posted on August 13, 2023 by Hazel Hall

Community validation as a method to establish trustworthiness in qualitative LIS research has been accepted for the 86th Annual Meeting of the Association for Information Science and Technology. The conference takes place in London between 27th and 31st October this year.

This contribution to the conference poster session is an output from Dr Rachel Salzano‘s doctoral study. It was co-authored by Rachel and her supervision team members: Professor Hazel Hall, Dr Gemma Webster, and Dr David Brazier. Here we evaluate a novel means to determine trustworthiness in qualitative and mixed methods research, while making reference to Rachel’s doctoral study on the adoption and use of public library services by forced migrants. Continue reading →

Trapped in the wrong job? Marina Milosheva offers advice in her latest contribution to ‘The Conversation’

Posted on July 25, 2023 by Hazel Hall

Marina Milosheva

What can you do when you feel like you are trapped in a job that leaves you feeling unfulfilled, or you find yourself in a role for which you are over-qualified and that does not allow you to use the full extent of your talents and skills?

Edinburgh Napier University Social Informatics PhD student Marina Milosheva addresses these questions in a new article for The Conversation entitled Why it’s so difficult to figure out what to do with your life – and three steps to take. The article is a contribution to The Conversation‘s Quarter Life series on issues that affect those in their twenties and thirties. Continue reading →

Congratulations Dr Rachel Salzano!

Posted on July 13, 2023 by Hazel Hall

Rachel Salzano at the Usher Hall just before the start of the graduation ceremony

Congratulations to Dr Rachel Salzano, who was awarded her PhD at the Edinburgh Napier graduation ceremony at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh last Friday 7th July.

I supervised Rachel’s doctoral work alongside Dr Gemma Webster and Dr David Brazier. Given that Rachel was only five and a half months into her doctoral study when the UK went into the first of the COVID19 lockdowns* in March 2020, we consider it a real achievement that she managed to complete her empirical work, write it up, and submit her thesis in October 2022, exactly three years after joining our research group.

Rachel’s doctoral study is entitled The influence of culture on perceived use of public libraries by forced migrants in Scotland and England. Continue reading →

Information literacy competencies for career transitions in the digital age: book chapter now published

Posted on June 22, 2023 by Hazel Hall

Pete Robertson, Hazel Hall, Marina Milosheva, Peter Cruickshank

L to R: chapter co-authors Pete Robertson, Hazel Hall, Marina Milosheva, and Peter Cruickshank

Information literacy and the digitalisation of the workplace has recently been published by Facet. I picked up my copy of the book this morning when I was on campus for a meeting with my fellow co-authors of Chapter 6: Marina Milosheva, Pete Robertson, and Peter Cruickshank (pictured above). Continue reading →

An afternoon of Social Informatics lightning talks

Posted on May 25, 2023 by Hazel Hall

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. Continue reading →

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

Posted on April 19, 2023 by Hazel Hall

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 the 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 →

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

Posted on March 27, 2023 by Hazel Hall

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

Posted on March 15, 2023 by Hazel Hall

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 Widén (Åbo 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

Posted on March 13, 2023 by Hazel Hall

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 →

Out with the old, in with the new

Posted on January 5, 2023 by Hazel Hall

Dr Hazel Hall and Dr Peter Cruickshank, 30/09/22

In autumn 2022, the more eagle-eyed readers of this blog may have noticed some changes across the pages of my web site, as well as in my profile information on other platforms. I spent 16th November 2022 editing my designation as ‘Professor’ so that it now reads ‘Emeritus Professor’. At the same time, my colleagues updated the Centre for Social Informatics flyer as version 19.3 to reflect the new status granted to me by my employer. Earlier in the year, on August 3rd, we advertised a job vacancy for a new Professor in Social Informatics at Edinburgh Napier University. All this activity ties to my retirement at the end of September 2022. Continue reading →

Hazel Hall

Emeritus Professor, Edinburgh Napier University

Category Archives: PhDs