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May 14, 2007
Disciplines, Documents, and Data: Convergence and Divergence in the Scholarly Information Infrastructure
Please join us on Thursday, May 17, 2007 at 3:30 pm in 432 Computer Science Building for a guest lecture by Christine L. Borgman, Professor & Presidential Chair in Information Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles.
ABSTRACT: Scholars in all fields are taking advantage of new sources of data and new means to publish and distribute their work online. Content in digital form, whether data from embedded sensor networks or text from digitized books, can be mined to ask new questions, in new ways. Research is becoming increasingly interdisciplinary, distributed, collaborative, and information-intensive. However, the practices, products, and sources of data vary widely between disciplines. Some fields are more advantaged than others by the array of content now online and by the tools and services available to use it. As readers, scientists have access to the greatest depth of their literature online, but their use is most concentrated on recent publications. Conversely, humanists’ reading habits cover the longest time span of publications, yet they have the least depth of coverage online. As researchers, scientists generate most of the data they use, while humanists draw heavily on cultural artifacts and other sources that they neither own nor control. Social scientists occupy the midpoint on both of these dimensions.
Implicit in policy statements for e-Science, e-Research, and cyberinfrastructure is the assumption that much of the content layer of the scholarly information infrastructure will be constructed through voluntary, and in some cases mandatory, contributions of documents and data by individual scholars. Self-archiving, institutional repositories, data repositories, and most forms of open access publishing rest on these assumptions. A close examination of scholarly practices reveals that more disincentives than incentives exist to contribute documents and data for the general good. Scholars in all fields are rewarded for publishing; few are rewarded for managing information. They balance cooperation and competition in complex ways that vary by type and source of data, temporal factors, effort involved in documentation, recognition and reputation, ownership and control of content, and other considerations. These factors interact differently within each discipline. Scholars continue to rely on the scholarly publishing system to assure that the products of their work are legitimized, disseminated, preserved, curated, and made accessible. No comparable system exists for data. While individual contributions will be important, the content layer will be built only by concerted institutional and policy initiatives. Much is at stake in these discussions, including the ethos of sharing and principles of open science that underpin modern scholarship.
BIOGRAPHY: Christine Borgman is Professor & Presidential Chair in Information Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She is the author of more than 150 publications in the fields of information studies, computer science, and communication. Prof.Borgman's research interests and teaching areas include digital libraries, information retrieval, electronic publishing, information-seeking behavior, scientific data use and policy, scholarly communication, bibliometrics, and information technology policy. Her book, From Gutenberg to the Global Information Infrastructure: Access to Information in a Networked World (MIT Press, 2000), won the Best Information Science Book of the Year Award from the American Society for Information Science and Technology. She will be speaking from her new book, Scholarship in the Digital Age: Information, Infrastructure, and the Internet, MIT Press (September, 2007). A full biography and list of publications is available on her website, http://polaris.gseis.ucla.edu/cborgman/
Current professional activities include membership on the U.S. National CODATA (Committee on Data for Science and Technology) and Advisory Board to the Electronic Privacy Information Center. Prior service includes membership on the Study Committee on Internet Navigation and the Domain Name System (National Academies), Advisory Committee to the Computer, Information Sciences, and Engineering Directorate of the National Science Foundation, the Board of Directors of the Council on Library and Information Resources, and the International Advisory Board to the Soros Foundation Open Society Institute Regional Library Program. She is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and served as Chair of Section T, Information, Computing, and Communication. Prof. Borgman was a visiting scholar at the Oxford Internet Institute (University of Oxford, U.K.), Visiting Professor in the Department of Information Science at Loughborough University, U.K., Fulbright Visiting Professor at the University of Economic Sciences and at Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest, Hungary, and a Scholar-in-Residence at the Rockefeller Foundation Study and Conference Center in Bellagio, Italy. She was Chair of the UCLA Department of Library and Information Science (1995-1997).
Posted by djp3 at 11:28 AM | Comments (0)
May 12, 2007
Wall display project - Call for Local Developers!
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If you've been to the LUCI lab recently, you may have noticed a bunch of blue post-its on the walls of the 5th floor. Those are the proposed locations for a bunch (19) of modified PSPs that we are planning on deploying for the building dedication as a navigation system. If all goes well with regard to funding and technology, we are going to ramp this up to a total of ~70 displays on the 5th floor plus an information kiosk at the elevator. There are a lot of opportunities to help us with this, plus a lot of opportunities to use the hardware for your research. We could really use some local help to roll this out by the 20th. Nick Noack is spearheading the charge and is coordinating volunteers. Here are the immediate needs: * Display Driver - Develop the code to run each mini display device
* Server - Develop the backend to handle navigation, administration, and display control
* Large Touchscreen Driver - Develop the interface for selecting destination & displaying events
If you are local and interested in helping us develop this application, or would like more info, please contact Nick (nnoack AT ics.uci.edu) |
Posted by djp3 at 11:00 AM | Comments (0)
May 11, 2007
So much in one photo
""A novel idea for the audiophile who likes his music wherever he is. A household teacart can be used as a mobile carrier for any combination of audio gear." |
Talk about a photo that needs a lot of critical reflection, the iPod of 1954. Yesterday's Tomorrow's, Domesticity, Technology for the home, Ubiquitous Computing, Human-Computer Interaction, Mobility, Pervasive Play...the only thing missing is a network (and power). |
Posted by djp3 at 6:55 AM | Comments (1)
May 4, 2007
Programming Job - AIDS - Africa
 Photo courtesy of phitar |
The following is a job announcement forwarded by a colleague of Don's: Do you want to put your computer skills to use helping to improve AIDS treatment in Sub-Saharan Africa? The Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health is soliciting applications for a Programmer/Trainer. Responsibilities of the position include programming, computer training, and research study documentation in support of HIV/AIDs and TB clinical trials being conducted in collaboration with the Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. This position is based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania where we have a large, dynamic team working closely with our team in Boston. Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. Knowledge of programming languages and database design. Experience with Basic programming, preferably Visual Basic is a plus. Willingness to learn SAS, a statistical programming language. Ability to teach Microsoft Office products and other computer skills. Additional Qualifications: Excellent technical, computer, analytical, organizational and problem-solving skills, strong interpersonal, service and communication skills, and the ability to work independently, under supervision and as part of a team. Please send resume, list of references, and cover letter describing your interest in working in Tanzania and any experiences you have had that prepare you for living and working in another culture.
Contact information: |
Posted by djp3 at 1:28 PM | Comments (0)
May 2, 2007
Congratulations Eric!
 Photo courtesy of paulworthington |
Congratulations to grad student, Eric Kabisch , on having had a demonstration paper accepted to the following: 6th Annual ACM Creativity and Cognition conference in Washington DC in June. http://www.cs.umd.edu/hcil/CC2007/ |
Posted by djp3 at 8:20 AM | Comments (0)