DREaM Again moves into the data analysis phase

Posted on July 13, 2015 by Hazel Hall

Since the end of May my colleague Dr Bruce Ryan and I have been investigating the long-term impact of the AHRC-funded DREaM project (for which I was Principal Investigator in 2011 and 2012), and the forms that such impact has taken.

As part of this work we have been considering what ‘impact’ means in the context of library and information science (LIS), and how this relates to conceptions of the term in other domains where there is a perceived research-practice gap, such as policing, social work and nursing. This first part of the study has been based on an analysis of the extant literature. We intend to write this up as a review paper.

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DREaM Again project launch

Posted on June 22, 2015 by Hazel Hall

In 2011/12 I was Principal Investigator (PI) on the AHRC-funded DREaM project. The aim of this work was to develop a formal UK-wide network of Library and Information Science (LIS) researchers. The project ran from January 2011 to August 2012, and was supported by the Library and Information Science Research Coalition. We reported the initial successes of the DREaM project in a paper that I co-authored with Alison Brettle and Charles Oppenheim and presented at QQML 2012. Three years later, we are interested in any further lasting impacts of the project.

To this end I am working with my colleague Dr Bruce Ryan on a follow-up study that investigates any longer-term impact of DREaM, and the forms that such impact (if it exists) has taken. I mentioned these plans earlier in the month in a presentation at the Third International Seminar on LIS Education and Research, and then during my recent opening keynote paper at the 2015 EAHIL conference (the format of which was inspired by the DREaM project, and the event masterminded by Marshall Dozier, who was a member of the DREaM cadre).

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All set for LIS-ER 2015

Posted on June 3, 2015 by Hazel Hall

The Third International Seminar on LIS Education and Research (LIS-ER), organised by the Faculty of Library and Information Science at the University of Barcelona, takes place this week on Thursday 4th and Friday 5 June 2015.

The meeting’s theme of education and research in library and information science will be covered in conference presentations, panels, and a poster session. On Friday morning I’m speaking on the theme of challenges in LIS research, drawing on my experience of leading the implementation of the UK Library and Information Science Research Coalition between 2009 and 2012. For a preview of my presentation Meeting the challenges of LIS research: a national coalition approach, please see the slides below.
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More men wanted – to complete the Workforce Mapping Project survey

Posted on April 27, 2015 by Hazel Hall

The Workforce Mapping Project survey is found at http://bit.ly/workforcemap

The Workforce Mapping Project survey closes at the end of the month on Thursday 30th April. The Edinburgh Napier project team is keen to encourage those who work within the UK in roles associated with libraries, archives, records, information, and knowledge management, and who have not already done so, to make their contributions to the study.

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Librarian: second most desirable job in Britain?

Posted on April 2, 2015 by Hazel Hall

Given that I am currently leading a research project to map the UK workforce in library, archives, records, information and knowledge management sectors, I was interested to come across some results of a recent YouGov survey yesterday. These claim that the job of librarian is the ‘second most desirable’ in Britain. Is this really the case, and (if so) why?

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Prizes, papers, and a new publication on success factors in information systems development projects

Posted on March 23, 2015 by Hazel Hall

John Mowbray’s winning poster

We currently have eight research students undertaking doctoral studies in the Centre for Social Informatics (CSI) working on a variety of projects. While the goal of our students is to complete their theses within the degree registration period, it’s also important that they share news of their work as it progresses. A number of our current students have recently been busy taking advantage of opportunities to disseminate their research. New work on success factors in information systems projects co-authored by a PhD graduate has also been accepted for publication.

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Put yourself on the map: complete the Workforce Mapping Project survey

Posted on March 12, 2015 by Hazel Hall

The Workforce Mapping Project survey is live at http://bit.ly/workforcemap

This is a call to workers in the library, archives, records, information, and knowledge management sector to contribute to a research project by completing a short survey. If you work in this sector, please read on to learn more about the project and how you can contribute to it.

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The retweeting of online political content: call to complete the InGSoc Project survey

Posted on February 12, 2015 by Hazel Hall

Many of us who blog (as I do here), and maintain presences on other social media (see my About.me profile), live quite openly online. We share our opinions with whoever wants to ‘listen’ to our multiple streams across various social media. However, bloggers/tweeters/blippers do not know exactly who is ‘listening’ to them, nor why the ‘listeners’ are engaged in the ‘listening’. Of course, on some platforms, such as WordPress, we can track our hits, monitor the routes that people take to reach our content, and watch click-through statistics. We also develop relationships with others who comment on our posts frequently and directly. But what of the others who listen but leave no trail?

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Centre for Social Informatics hosts workshop on digital engagement for community councillors

Posted on January 30, 2015 by Hazel Hall

Today my colleagues Peter Cruickshank and Dr Bruce Ryan are hosting a workshop on digital engagement for community councillors at the Merchiston campus of Edinburgh Napier University. Peter and Bruce will draw on the findings of recent projects completed within the Centre for Social Informatics, such as the Research Councils UK Digital Economy Programme funded Hyperlocal government engagement online project, and the 2012 and 2014 surveys of Community Council Internet use, to share good practice on the development of Internet presences for community councils.

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Hyperlocal government-citizen engagement: a new project for the Centre for Social Informatics

Posted on July 10, 2014 by Hazel Hall

The Centre for Social Informatics has been awarded a new research grant by the Communities and Culture Network+.

My colleagues Peter Cruickshank and Dr Bruce Ryan have won funding for a study into hyperlocal government-citizen engagement. They will investigate the efforts of three neighbouring Scottish community councils in improving engagement with their citizens in both online and offline conversations. This work follows on from recent and ongoing investigations into the use of online communication by community councils: (1) a project to visualise community council locations; (2) a study of public online presences of community councils.

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Hazel Hall

Emeritus Professor, Edinburgh Napier University

Category Archives: Projects

The retweeting of online political content: call to complete the InGSoc Project survey