Keynote Speakers
iConference invites renowned researchers and scholars to share their vast experience and outstanding achievements. Lynn Connaway and Agustí Canals Parera give their keynotes at the physical event in Barcelona. Tatsuya Amano and Fiorella Foscarini will give their joint keynote at the virtual part of the conference online.
Dr. Agustí Canals Parera
Director of the MSc in Strategic Management of Information and Knowledge in Organizations
Universitat Oberta de Catalunya
Barcelona, 27 March 9am - 11am
Information and Knowledge in Scientific Research
Information and knowledge have always had a key role in scientific research. After all, the main objective of science is generating knowledge, and information is a key ingredient in this process. However, in the last decades, several developments have changed the way in which scientific research is done. And many of those developments have to do, in one way or the other, with the concepts of information and knowledge. In this talk, we will take a look at this.
Firstly, the way in which science is organized is changing. Nowadays, in many scientific fields, it is not possible to do research without the establishment of extensive collaborations, often interdisciplinary, that take care of large experiments. The organization of this so-called 'big science' requires resorting to different kinds of knowledge assets. Some of those assets are of scientific nature, but some others consist of managerial or organizational knowledge. Also, a continuous exchange of information and data among the different parts involved in performing experiments and analyzing results is needed. We will look at some instances of this within one of the most important epicenters of big science: CERN, the high-energy physics lab in Geneva.
Second, data are revolutionizing scientific research. The big data movement has boosted the amount of information scientists can get from varied sources and has provided them with the tools to analyze it. Moreover, the use of artificial intelligence techniques may be threatening to alter the traditional scientific method in fundamental ways.
And third, information itself has become one of the hottest topics in scientific research. Quantum information theory advances are hinting not only at the development of powerful quantum computers or the establishment of a more secure Quantum Internet. They can also lead to new and disruptive ways of understanding our world.
Barcelona, 28 March 11am - 12:30pm
Striving for Inclusivity: Supporting Research and Teaching Within Local and Global Ecosystems
Dr. Lynn Silipigni Connaway
Executive Director, Research
OCLC Inc.
The role of the information professional in society and in the academic community is changing and a new model for the information professional is emerging. Library and information science (LIS) practice and research has transitioned from system-focused research to user-centered research. A review of twenty years of OCLC Research identifies a shift in focus from the optimization and quantitative analysis of library collections, systems, and services to the study of the needs and expectations of users of library collections, systems, and services.
Positioning libraries and information centers within local and global networks and ecosystems requires identifying and accommodating the diverse needs and expectations of users, who are embedded in communities in various ways. This new environment changes the focus from individual decision-making to collaborative decision-making, centering and emphasizing the importance of relationships and experiences, combining both theory and practice. Partnering with technology and information professionals and organisations to develop curricula will prepare individuals to thrive in these new roles in the global environment.
Dr. Fiorella Foscarini
Associate Professor
University of Toronto
Online
15 March 6pm - 8pm US Central //
16 March 12am - 2am UTC+1 //
16 March 10am - 12pm AEDT
Dr. Tatsuya Amano
ARC Future Fellow
University of Queensland
Language barriers and language imperialism: A dialogue between biodiversity conservation and archival studies
The use of English as a lingua franca has contributed to the development of our network
society, the global sharing of ideas, knowledge and practices, and the circulation of people and
other resources. However, the use of English can also bring wide-ranging consequences for
scientific communities. For example, is English-language knowledge easily accessible to non-
native English speakers? Is non-English-language literature and associated local knowledge
sufficiently used at the international level? Do non-native English speakers have the same
opportunities as native English speakers? What are the consequences of translation in both
academic and professional contexts? In their keynote conversation, Dr Tatsuya Amano from the
School of Biological Sciences at the University of Queensland, Australia, and Dr Fiorella Foscarini
from the Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto, Canada, will discuss these and
other related issues from their respective disciplinary perspectives, namely biodiversity
conservation and archival studies.