Information School News

Information School lecturer Dr Susan Oman's new book 'Understanding Well-being Data' is out now, with a launch event happening today . The book, available in open access here , has received endorsements from many in the field: “Given their power and influence, we might wonder how we feel about data and how data make us feel. In considering the relations between data and well-being, Susan Oman's vital new book considers what data now mean for our lives, opportunities, judgments and, crucially, for our impressions of our selves. Taking a critical approach, this book makes the crucial step of not just thinking of how data shape well-being but also how well-being itself is redefined by data processes.” - Prof. David Beer, Professor of Sociology, University of York “To understand well-being is to understand current cultural policy; it is also to understand the new language of data and metrics at the heart of how culture is governed. Understanding Well-being Data offers an es...

Senior Lecturer Dr Paul Reilly has been elected  Vice-Chair of the IAMCR Crisis, Security and Conflict Communication Working Group for the 2021-25 period. The International Association for Media and Communications Research (IAMCR) is the preeminent worldwide professional organisation in the field of media and communication research. The Crisis, Security and Conflict Communication Working Group aims at providing a forum for scholars researching the mediation of political and economic crisis and 'scandals', wars and terrorism, disasters, catastrophes and risks, combining global and local perspectives.

 Dr Andrew Cox at the RLUK Digital Shift Forum - Watch on Demand Dr Andrew Cox spoke at the RLUK Digital Shift Forum recently. The talk, entitled The academic library and artificial intelligence: some possible futures – Andrew Cox, Senior Lecturer, Information School, University of Sheffield is available to watch online.  The term ‘artificial intelligence’ has many meanings, past and present. In its current guise, it has many potential applications in HE. An important aspect of this is the increasing use of data science techniques, such as machine learning, in research across all disciplines: from digital humanities, computational social science through to more obvious applications in the sciences. As data science skills are increasingly in demand in many sectors of the economy so there is an employability driver for it being taught in many disciplines. There are a number of ways academic libraries are already and could in the future be involved in supporting this activity: s...

There is already a vast literature on ethics of Artificial Intelligence, but little (to our knowledge) specifically designed for information professionals as such. To fill this gap Andrew Cox has produced a collection of eight ethics scenarios about Artificial Intelligence (AI) relevant to those working in our sector: Ethics Scenarios Of Artificial Intelligence For Information And Knowledge Management And Library Professionals , DOI: https://doi.org/10.15131/shef.data.15147411.v1 It builds on his recent report, The impact of AI, machine learning, automation and robotics on the information professions: A report for CILIP https://www.cilip.org.uk/general/custom.asp?page=researchreport This collection is designed to enable information professionals to: 1) better understand AI and the roles they might play 2) think through some of the ethical issues 3) weigh up how existing codes of professional ethics apply, as well as their own personal stance. The document follows the CILIP ...

The University of Sheffield PRIEST study team have been awarded funding to develop clinical risk-stratification tools to help prevent hospitals in low and middle income countries from becoming overwhelmed during the Covid-19 pandemic. Led by Carl Marincowitz from ScHARR, the team also includes our own Professor Peter Bath and Dr Laura Sbaffi. The project is being conducted with a team from the University of Cape Town in South Africa, and aims to develop a risk assessment tool to help emergency clinicians quickly decide whether a patient with suspected COVID-19 needs emergency care or can be safely treated at home to avoid overburdening hospitals particularly in low- and middle- income countries. The project is funded by the International COVID-19 Data Alliance (ICODA). Find out more at this University of Sheffield news story  and this ICODA announcement .

 I was absolutely delighted to receive a bursary place to attend FestivIL by LILAC. I have just finished my first year of the distance learning Library and Information Services Management course. The module I enjoyed the most was Information Literacy and I was excited to learn more about the best practices from experienced information professionals at FestivIL. Day One After a shaky start with Zoom (it had to do an update just before the conference started!), I was able to log into the Welcome session. In order to encourage conversation and networking at a virtual event, it was explained how you could attend two campfire conversations a day. Campfire conversations involved being randomly allocated into a breakout room where you could talk to other delegates. I decided to give it a try and enjoyed my first session so much, I opted to join for each campfire conversation. In each session, I felt that I could reflect on the conference and share my experience.  Emily Drabinski’s Ma...

Congratulations to Andrew Cox, Pam McKinney & Paula Goodale who got thanked in the "Gallery of Information Behaviour Gratitude" by students at the University of Toronto Information School. The website recognises and celebrates researchers in the field of Information Behaviour, and the first two images in the gallery relate to our staff. You can view the gallery here:  https://galleryofgratitude.weebly.com/