Information Literacy for Democratic Engagement (IL-DEM) project: findings

Posted on March 19, 2017 by Hazel Hall

Peter Cruickshank, Dr Bruce Ryan and I recently completed the I nformation Literacy for Democratic Engagement (IL-DEM) project. This work set out to investigate levels of digital and information literacy within Scotland’s Community Council system. It was supported by a grant from the CILIP Information Literacy Group.

We explored how community councillors develop the skills required to inform and engage with the citizens that they represent, and how libraries support this work. In doing so have extended further two established research streams within the Centre for Social Informatics: (1) Cruickshank and Ryan’s work on digital engagement in local democracy (such as our DigiCC workshops), and (2) mine with Christine Irving on information literacy and life-long learning. This work also builds upon our group’s track record in library and information science research. Continue reading →

Knowledge sharing and networking behaviours in job search: two new papers in the latest issue of Information Research

Posted on March 15, 2017 by Hazel Hall

The latest issue of Information Research published this week includes two papers that draw on research from the Centre for Social Informatics. I was a co-author on both:

Buunk, I., Hall, H., & Smith, C.F. (2017). Tacit knowledge sharing: the determination of a methodological approach to explore the intangible. Information Research, 22(1).

Mowbray, J., Hall, H., Raeside, R., Robertson, P. (2017). The role of networking and social media tools during job search: an information behaviour perspective. Information Research, 22(1). Continue reading →

Perspectives, people and projects: social informatics research at Edinburgh Napier University

Posted on March 12, 2017 by Hazel Hall

This coming week I am the guest of the Departamento de Engenharia de Produção da Politéchnica at the University of São Paulo in Brazil. During my visit I am making a presentation at a research symposium. The focus of this is the work of colleagues in the School of Computing who are members of the Centre for Social Informatics. The slides for my presentation are provided below, along with a summary of the main points that I will be making when I take the stage on Wednesday.

Continue reading →

An invitation to speak about the Centre for Social Informatics in Brazil

Posted on March 8, 2017 by Hazel Hall

Next week I am travelling to Brazil at the invitation of Professor Renato de Oliveira Moraes of the University of São Paulo. While there I will make a contribution to a research symposium hosted by the Departamento de Engenharia de Produção da Politéchnica da USP.

The main aim of the symposium is to showcase the work of the University’s Laboratório de Gestão Estratégica da Tecnologia da Informação, do Conhecimento e da Inteligência Competitiva (LETICIC) (which roughly translates as the Centre for Strategic Information Technology, Knowledge Management, and Competitive Intelligence) to an audience of academics, postgraduate students, and practitioners. Continue reading →

Love your PhD #PhDates

Posted on February 21, 2017 by Hazel Hall

Do (did/would) you love your PhD? Last week a number of Edinburgh Napier University PhD students celebrated Valentine’s Day by explaining why they are passionate about their doctoral research. Amongst them was one of the students that I supervise: John Mowbray. Continue reading →

Applications invited for ESRC Scottish Graduate School of Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership studentship competition 2017

Posted on January 11, 2017 by Hazel Hall

The Science, Technology, Innovation, Information and Communication Studies pathway of the ESRC Scottish Graduate School of Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership (SGSSS-DTP) is currently inviting applications for this year’s studentship competition.

Academic staff at each of the pathway member institutions – including those within my group at Edinburgh Napier University – would be pleased to hear from eligible candidates who would like to apply for a PhD place under this scheme. Continue reading →

How long does it take to write a PhD thesis?

Posted on January 11, 2017 by Hazel Hall

My short answer is 68 days, but please read the detail below…

Bold resolutions: “Piled Higher and Deeper” by Jorge Cham www.phdcomics.com

As a PhD supervisor I have often been asked ‘How long do you think it will take me to write up my thesis?’ My answer always begins ‘It depends…’ We then continue the conversation with an audit of material already drafted that may contribute (in edited format) to the final thesis. These include the initial literature review from the first year transfer report, and posters, conference papers and journal articles presented and/or published from the on-going work. Continue reading →

Florian Cech of the Vienna University of Technology visits the Centre for Social Informatics

Posted on December 22, 2016 by Hazel Hall

Staff within the Faculty of Informatics at the Vienna University of Technology in Austria plan to establish a Centre for Informatics and Society (CIS) as part of the University’s Institute of Design and Assessment of Technology. They are currently engaged in identifying the scope and potential activities of this new unit. The early part of the work has focused on auditing the field and collecting information about other research institutions with a similar remit to that of the proposed Centre. Continue reading →