Information School News

MA Library & Information Services Management student Wafa shares her experiences from the LILAC Conference 2024. I was fortunate to receive one of two #LILAC24 Conference bursaries that took place in Leeds, generously provided by the wonderful Information School ! I always make the most of ‘library world’ events, but this was by far the most enlightening and thought-provoking conference I have ever attended. It was my first visit to Leeds, and I made the most of it. I joined the local library (housed in a beautiful Grade II listed building), took a late-night stroll around town, and visited the grand mosque, where I happily stumbled across adorable bunnies in the Leeds University Eco Garden! The city is filled with culture and numerous higher education institutions, making it an excellent choice for a conference focused on information literacy.  Top Left: Mila the Media and Information Literacy Alliance turtle crocheted by Eva Garcia Grau  Top Right: Me and my library card from Le

Information School Senior Lecturer Dr Susan Oman has recently joined the University of Sheffield's Centre for Machine Intelligence, as their new Human-Centric AI Theme Lead. "The CMI is a strategic initiative supported by a £3.64m investment, dedicated to the transformation and acceleration of research, innovation, and teaching on and with AI", says Dr Oman. "I am really excited to be taking one of the four academic theme lead appointments in Human-Centric AI, where I will be working across the CMI and the Faculty of Social Sciences Social Research Institute to engage with these centres and networks to develop a programme of research." Susan's research investigates data, AI, evidence, policy and practice - and how they work for the publics they claim to serve. These are often in relation to specific social policy issues, like ‘well-being’ or ‘inequality’ or ‘digital’. Find out more about this news item here .

Professor of Information Services Management Stephen Pinfield has just published a new book,  Achieving Global Open Access - The Need for Scientific, Epistemic and Participatory Openness. The book explores some of the key conditions that are necessary to deliver global Open Access (OA) that is effective and equitable. It is aimed at academics and students engaged in the fields of Library and Information Science, OA or publishing. It can be read online here , and a print version will be published in the coming weeks.

A team led by Lecturer Dr Sharon Wagg has produced a case study on digital inclusion for The British Academy. The team also includes Dr Sara Vannini and Dr Efpraxia Zamani. This case study is part of a wider project on digital technology and inequality, which identified 5 lessons for policymakers at local, regional and national levels. Read the case study here .

A month ago I had the amazing opportunity to attend LILAC 2024 at Leeds Beckett University through a bursary funded by the Information School.  This was my first ever conference, and I was unsure what to expect. I was very excited, quite nervous, and felt a little over my head as a distance learning student who has only been working as a health librarian for just over a year.  But those nerves were definitely unfounded! I had an amazing time and gained so much from listening to and speaking with librarians that boast years of experience across multiple sectors. As expected of a room full of passionate librarians and information researchers, everyone was so friendly and approachable, and any apprehension I had quickly dissolved after the first hour. LILAC emblematised the power of the librarian community. I felt assured in my quest to become a qualified librarian after experiencing how everyone at the conference was so willing to share their experiences and best practices with e

Public Voices in AI is a new project which aims to ensure that public voices are front and centre in artificial intelligence research, development and policy. UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is investing £850,000 in Public Voices in AI, led by the  Digital Good Network  at the University of Sheffield. Professor Helen Kennedy, Director of the ESRC Digital Good Network, will be the project lead, with support from Dr Ros Williams, Digital Good Network Associate Director. Dr Susan Oman of The Information School leads the evidence review work package to understand how public voices are currently included in responsible AI research policy and practice. This work package will:  draw evidence together (academic, grey, other literatures) review evidence production (methods, motivations, money)  categorise and assess how public voices have been included develop an open and accessible database that is findable and reusable (according to FAIR principles ) for stakeholders across the RAI communit