iDocQ, the annual doctoral colloquium for students studying for PhDs in information science and other related disciplines, took place this year on 27th June at the University of Glasgow. It attracted participants at all stages of doctoral study, with students travelling to Glasgow from as far away as Aberystwyth to join in the activities on the day.
Conference dinner at the National Museum of Scotland by Kate Cowan, @katecowan
This year’s ESRC final year conference was hosted by the Scottish Graduate School of Social Science. I was pleased join the delegates at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC) on Friday 25th April as one of the presenters.
The heavy emphasis on research impact, career pathways, and sources of future funding at the conference was well-suited to the needs of the delegates, the majority of whom were doctoral students approaching their final submission dates. I also enjoyed talking to the students about their research and career aspirations in the breaks between sessions, and during the poster display at the drinks reception immediately prior to the conference dinner.
This week my colleague Dr Eve Forrest has been participating at the Helsinki Photomedia conference in Finland. Today Eve is presenting our co-authored paper Between exhibition and contemplation: considering everyday routines on Blipfoto in a session entitled “Non-professional photography: practices and power”.
Information Science Scotland, the consortium of which my group at Edinburgh Napier University is a member, has partnered with CILIPS to showcase the research carried out by information science researchers in four Scottish Universities. Staff and doctoral students from Edinburgh Napier, Glasgow, Strathclyde, and Robert Gordon will be at a one-day event in Aberdeen on Tuesday 22nd April to discuss a range of research projects and how the findings of this work can help inform practice.
Since January 2012 I’ve been a member of Blipfoto. If you haven’t come across this site before, Blipfoto is a simple concept. You set up a journal on the site, where you post a maximum of one photo a day. There is no obligation to post daily, but many blippers (yes, this is what they are called) do so, myself included. When they share their pictures, blippers also have the option of sharing text, such as stories, commentary and metadata to go with the picture of the day. As well as contributing their photographs and narrative, blippers enjoy looking at the postings of others, regardless as to whether or not they know these contributors beyond the online environment.
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.
Over two beautiful almost-spring days on 28th February and 1st March around 150 members the library community met in Edinburgh for the 2013 Edge conference, organised by a team of staff from Edinburgh Council Libraries and Information Services led by Liz McGettigan. Although the delegate list largely comprised the names of senior members of UK public librarians, in his opening address Councillor Richard Lewis also welcomed library staff of all career stages from as far afield as Norway, Nashville and New York to the conference. Also in attendance were some other key players in library services delivery, such as senior council staff and representatives from supplier firms. The excellent line-up of speakers brought practitioners, policy makers and commentators to the podium, all with much to say about the future of public services.
Like many others at this time of year I am now thoroughly sick and tired of the winter. Last weekend in Edinburgh was particularly poor with dismal dark skies overhead and a damp chill at ground level that seemed to rise up and penetrate my clothing no matter how well wrapped up I was. Each morning at this time of year I step out of my front door wondering whether this will finally be the day when I get a first real sniff of spring. As yet, no such joy.
ASIST2012 was a conference experience like none other. I’d been so busy with my work that before I set off from Edinburgh for Baltimore last Saturday I hadn’t paid heed to the news reports of a hurricane about to hit the east coast of America. In fact, the first I heard of it was when I bumped into fellow UK academic Dr Christine Urquhart at the reception of the conference hotel. Thereafter we heard tale after tale of delegates who had abandoned their plans to come to the conference for fear of becoming stranded, and of others who had arrived, stayed a short while, then turned around again to head home before the hurricane hit. I had no option but to ride out the storm with the few delegates who actually made it to Baltimore and stuck it out.
Hazel Hall 