Information School News

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

Professor of Data Science Mike Thelwall recently gave his inaugural lecture at the University of Sheffield, entitled  How helpful are AI and bibliometrics for assessing the quality of academic research? The lecture, delivered in the University's Diamond building, was introduced by Head of the Information School Professor Briony Birdi. It covered Mike's research into whether Artificial Intelligence can inform - or replace - expert peer review in the journal article publication process and what this could look like, as well as to what extent bibliometrics and citation statistics can play a role in assessing the quality of a piece of research. Mike also discussed whether tools like ChatGPT can accurately detect research quality. The inaugural lecture was well attended by colleagues from around the University.

 Self-tracking - the practice of capturing data about one’s own activities, often through wearable technology - is an ever-growing phenomenon, and one that is firmly established in the worlds of physical activity and public health. Recording statistics about our own activities is becoming commonplace, with our devices prompting us to measure things like step counts, heart rate, calories burned - even the quality of our sleep. Increasingly, this data is becoming linked to our perception of our own health and wellbeing, with healthcare providers even sometimes suggesting this kind of tracking as part of a programme of care. Dr Lee Pretlove - Information School PhD graduate and ESRC Postdoctoral Fellow recently began his 12-month ESRC-funded Fellowship (through the White Rose Doctoral Training Partnership) looking at self-tracking specifically in relation to running communities, building on his PhD project and examining what this kind of relationship to our data could mean for physical an