Friday 1 March 2013

Next in History Lab

Thursday, 21 March
17:30

Seminar - Ben Roberts (Teesside) - Processional Culture and Ritual in the Provincial Town, c. 1875-1953
When
Thu, 21 March, 17:30 – 19:30
Where
Room STB5, Basement, Stewart House, 32 Russell Square, London, WC1B 5DN
Description
The use of parades and processions in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century was a fundamental method of ritualised communication, utilised by groups, organisations and civic Corporations to visually express authority, hierarchy and leadership. They were also vehicles through which celebration, grief and respect could be conveyed. Their composition and delivery was central to the urban experience of the provincial town and, as such they are a valuable source through which the historian can interpret the power structures and socio-cultural development of a particular community.

The urban landscape was intrinsic to parade culture; utilising important civic landmarks to denote specific meaning. This paper will examine processional culture in Darlington; a town with an extensive linear heritage and Middlesbrough; which had to forge a civic identity directly out of industrialisation. The evolution of civic parades will be charted; as will their varied use, from the celebration of national events, their role in municipal politics and even the expression of sorrow following the death of a local elite. The intention is to highlight the manner in which parades in this period were a fundamental aspect of civic life; representing a significant factor in the evolution of urban space, and its symbolic meaning to both the local authority and the general public.

This topic will be placed in context with the speaker’s wider research, emphasising the need for a broader consideration and definition of civic ritual, in order to account for its enduring popularity in the twentieth century; despite most historians suggesting that civic ritual began to decline in both popularity and visibility from the late 1870s.
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Call for papers/Conferences

CALL FOR PAPERS: A PICTURE OF HEALTH, 4-5 APRIL 2013, ROYAL COLLEGE OF ART
MEDICAL HUMANITIES POSTGRADUATE CONFERENCE

While postgraduate medical historians have often had the opportunity to converse with each other through various forums, the wider field of medical humanities has been neglected. This student-led conference seeks papers from a wide variety of disciplines to show the divergent as well as similar themes running through the work of  postgraduate medical humanities students. Sue Crossley from the Wellcome Trust will speak about funding opportunities for early-career researchers in the medical humanities.

Organised by an historian, a curator and a creative practitioner, this two-day conference will include workshops on methodological issues and give students the opportunity to present  their research findings in a supportive and dynamic environment. We welcome papers from history, history of art, philosophy, anthropology, literature, film, or indeed any form of research into the relationship between medicine and wider culture.

Abstracts of 250-words or fewer should be sent to gareth.millward@lshtm.ac.uk by 11 March 2013. Subject to funding approval from the Wellcome Trust, small travel bursaries will be available to successful applicants.



Bookings are now open for the Histories of Home SSN fifth annual conference, Home Intimacies, to be held on Friday 22 March 2013 at the Geffrye Museum of the Home.
This conference seeks to examine the many intimacies of home – familial, social, sexual – and the role of emotions, material objects, home spaces and household structures in fostering, limiting and mediating intimacy. Papers will explore intimacy in both the past and present, across a range of places and from a range of disciplines. Themes will include notions of privacy for people living in institutions in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, issues relating to intimacy in lesbian, gay and bisexual homes and changing attitudes to the privacy of beds. Some papers will examine how intimacy is presented in historic house museum settings.
Keynote Speaker: Dr Jane Hamlett, Royal Holloway, University of London “Public, Private or Intimate? Rethinking the Victorian and Edwardian Middle-Class Home
Tickets for the conference are £40 (£25 for students).



Papers are invited for the DAS 37th Journal, which will be a regular issue without a special theme. Articles should cover some aspect of the decorative arts from 1850 to the present day. They should present new or recent unpublished research and reflect fresh discoveries, additions to existing knowledge or reappraisals of previous studies.

DAS Journal articles are generally in the range of 3000 to 7000 words (excluding notes) accompanied by illustrations in colour and black and white. Full guidelines on content, length and style will be sent to selected contributors. In common with most non-profit-making academic publications, we do not offer a fee although production expenses up to an agreed maximum will be given.

Short synopses to be sent to the editor by 1 March 2013

Selected contributors will be notified by late March 2013

Final copy with images must arrive with the editor by 1 June 2013

Journal 37 will be published in early 2014

Please send synopses or any inquiries to:
Judy Spours, 134 Nevill Road, London N16 OSX
Tel: 020 7254 6920


We invite you to submit a paper /abstract /poster /workshop to the 5th Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Libraries International Conference (QQML2013), 4 - 7 June 2013, “La Sapienza” University, Rome Italy.  http://www.qqml.net/

The conference will consider, but not be limited to, the following indicative themes: 1. Bibliographic Control 
2. Bibliometric Research
3. Change of Libraries and Managerial techniques
4. Changes in Learning, Research and Information needs and Behaviour of Users
5. Climate Change Data
6. Communication Strategies
7. Data Analysis and Data Mining
8. Development and Assessment of Digital Repositories 
9. Development of Information and Knowledge Services on the Public Library 
10. Digital Libraries 
11. Economic Co-operation and Development
12. Energy Data and Information 
13. Environmental Assessment 
14. Financial strength and sustainability
15. Health information services
16. Historical and Comparative case studies related to Librarianship
17. Information and Data on various aspects of Food and Agriculture 
18. Information and Knowledge Services
19. Information Literacy: Information sharing, Democracy and Lifelong Learning
20. Library Cooperation: Problems and Challenges at the beginning of the 21st century
21. Library change and Technology 
22. Management
23. Marketing
24. Museums, Libraries and Cultural Organizations
25. Music Librarianship 
26. Performance Measurement and Competitiveness 
27. Publications
28. Quality evaluation and promotion of info 
29. Technology & Innovations in Libraries and their Impact on Learning, Research and Users
30. Technology transfer and Innovation in Library management


Unofficial Histories - Manchester- June 2013 A public conference to discuss how society produces, presents, and consumes history beyond official and elite versions of the past

Following a successful first conference in London in 2012, we’re delighted to announce details and the Call for Participation for the second Unofficial Histories conference. The conference aims to explore how society produces, presents, and consumes history beyond official and elite versions of the past. The 2013 conference will take place in Manchester and this time we’re making a weekend of it over Saturday 15th June 2013 and Sunday 16th June 2013.
We now invite presentation proposals for the meeting on Saturday 15th June 2013 to be held at Manchester Metropolitan University. You can find the full Call for Participation at http://unofficialhistories.wordpress.com/uh13/cfp/ . The deadline for abstracts is Wednesday 20th February 2013. Conference registration will open in late January 2013 onwards. 


The Oxford Travel Cultures Seminar Series would like to invite proposals for its upcoming interdisciplinary conference to be held in October 2013.  The theme this year will be "Navigating Networks: Women, Travel, and Female Communities."  We invite papers that address the topic of women’s travel networks in any historical period.  We welcome discussion on any of the following: nonfictional or literary accounts; diaries; letters; articles; films; documentaries; photographs and paintings.  Please send abstracts of no more than 250 words (for papers of 20 minutes) to Hannah Sikstrom and Kimberly Marsh at travelculturesseminar@gmail.com

The National Gallery and The Getty Research Institute, London and the Emergence of a European Art Market (c. 1780-1820) Conference
The National Gallery, London (21-22 June 2013).  Call for Papers: abstract deadline & word-limit: 15 February 2013 (250 words).  Topics for consideration include, but are not limited to:
-  ARTWORKS Cross-border traffic of objects (cultural transfers, customs regulations, arbitrage, etc.) and its effect on the formation of private and public collections.
-  AGENTS Market integration throughout Europe (national/transnational dealer networks, centre and periphery, impact of revolution and war, etc.)
-  INFORMATION Auction catalogues as economic tool and literary genre (classification systems, lot sequence, transparency, connoisseurship, etc.)
-  VALUES Idea of art as an investment (different national canons and currencies, growth of investment-minded collectors, ascendancy of the banker as a key player, price manipulation, etc.)

INSTITUTIONS: History Lab Annual Conference 2013
Institute of Historical Research, London, 12-13 June 2013

Institutions have always been an integral part of human society and were traditionally understood as instruments of bureaucratic and social control and administration. However, recent events such as the Eurozone crisis have seen a collapse of trust in politics and the rise of activist movements such as Avaaz. These global changes have called into question the traditional definitions of institutions. ‘Institution’ also has a metaphorical meaning, from the ‘institution’ of marriage to a set of behaviours with very specific rules.
What is an ‘institution’? Who makes ‘institutions’? How do they operate? What does the process of ‘institutionalisation’ entail? With these questions in mind, the History Lab Conference 2013 aims to investigate the relationships between institutions, societies and individuals through the analysis of historical example.
Postgraduate students and early-career researchers are invited to submit proposals for papers (twenty minutes), or panels of three speakers, on specific topics exploring institutions or on wider relevant methodological and philosophical issues.
Papers may cover any historical region or period, exploring institutions in topics including, but not limited to, the following areas:

• Religion and morality
• Social and community activism, protest and resistance.
• Governmental, non-governmental and charitable
• Medicine, medical institutions and treatment.
• Administration, bureaucracy and accountability.
• Industry, trade and commerce..
• The family, education and welfare.
• Cultural production and practices.
• Labour, business and industrial relations.
• Policing, law and order, and incarceration.
 
Some travel bursaries will be available for research students travelling from the United States. Please email historylab2013@gmail.com for further details.  
To submit a proposal for the conference, please send your title along with a 250-word abstract, your institutional affiliation, and full contact details to:  historylab2013@gmail.com by the deadline of Thursday 28th February, 2013.

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Job Opportunity

Please see below opportunity for three PhD research funded studentships at
Loughborough University with an October 2013 start.

- Textiles
- Drawing
- Visual Culture


Samuel H. Kress Graduate Art History Fellowships at the Medici Archive Project
Summer & Fall 2013

Purpose:
Although actively engaged in the digitalization of the Medici Granducal Archive at the Archivio di Stato di Firenze, MAP remains a strong advocate of giving scholars direct access to original documents.Thanks to the generous support of Samuel H. Kress Foundation, MAP is offering
fellowships for graduate students to join MAP in Florence, Italy, to undertake specialized archival research on-site at the Archivio di Stato, utilizing the collection of the Medici Granducal Archive. The Samuel H. Kress Graduate Art History Fellowships will provide graduate students from diverse disciplines with the opportunity to examine and study original source materials, while receiving scholarly guidance from MAP Staff.

Grant Descriptions:
There are two Samuel H. Kress Graduate Art History Fellowships available. A Summer 2013 Fellowship,covering a period of two-and-a-half months, is for $5,000 (plus $500 for travel expenses). The Summer 2013 Fellowship must take place within the period extending from May 1 to July 15 2013.
A Fall Semester 2013 Fellowship, covering a period of three-and-a-half months, is for $8,500 (plus $500 for travel expenses). The Fall Semester 2013 Fellowship must take place within the period from September 1 to December 15, 2013.

Qualifications:
Candidates must be enrolled in graduate programs at United States universities, and working on dissertation topics that treat any aspect of Italian Renaissance or Baroque art history; Tuscan art history topics will be given preference.

Details:
If the timing is feasible, Fellows will take part free of charge in our online paleography course before arriving in Florence. Further training in reading documents and using archival sources will be available through our archival studies seminar at Santa Maria Novella in June of 2013, as well as through the daily contact with MAP Staff during the course of the Fellows’ tenure. Fellows will be also encouraged to participate in a variety of MAP initiatives, including its upcoming conferences.

To Apply:
Send via email a complete application in English, with all materials collected in a single pdf file, to Elena Brizio (ebrizio@medici.org).
The deadline for application is 30 March 2013. A complete application consists of:
1) A cover letter stating which Fellowship, either the “Spring” OR “Semester,” is sought and what period the candidate is available to fulfill the relevant Fellowship in Florence.
2) A copy of the candidate’s dissertation proposal (or a final draft of it), and the proposal defense date.
3) A short essay (2 pages max.) on how the candidate’s topic will benefit from archival research.
4) A complete and up-to-date curriculum vitae.
5) The name and email contact details of a scholar in the field, preferably the candidate’s supervisor, who can comment on the applicant’s qualifications and the merits of the research proposal (please do not include letters of recommendation with the application).
Please do not include supplementary material(publications, papers, syllabi, etc.).

For further information, contact Elena Brizio: ebrizio@medici.org

Call for proposals for the 2013 Elsevier Fellowship at the Scaliger Institute Call for proposals for the 2013 Elsevier Fellowship at the Scaliger Institute
The Scaliger Institute and Elsevier invite scholars and researchers to submit proposals for the 2013 Elsevier fellowship at the Scaliger Institute of Leiden University Library.
Elsevier is a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. The company works in partnership with the global science and health communities to publish more than 2,000 journals, including The Lancet and Cell, and close to 20,000 book titles, including major reference works from Mosby and Saunders. Elsevier’s online solutions include SciVerse ScienceDirect, SciVerse Scopus, Reaxys, MD Consult and Nursing Consult, which enhance the productivity of science and health professionals, and the SciVal suite and MEDai’s Pinpoint Review, which help research and health care institutions deliver better outcomes more cost-effectively.
The Elsevier fellowship enables scholars to study 16th -18th century scientific scholarship and publishing. 
Since the object of the Fellowship is primarily to promote research in the Special Collections of Leiden University Library and the Elsevier Heritage Collection, the Fellow(s) will not be required to undertake any undergraduate teaching, but will be required to deliver at least one paper or lecture, and might run graduate masterclasses, attend seminars and symposia or deliver other papers.
The Elsevier fellowship provides € 1.000 a month for a minimum of 1 month and a maximum of 3 months.
Applicants must submit the following information: 

* A 1-3 page research proposal. Applicants should address specifically the relationship between their proposed project and the primary sources to be consulted in the Special Collections of Leiden University
* A list of books and/or manuscripts that are going to be consulted in Leiden University Library (http://www.library.leiden.edu/) and/or the Elsevier Heritage Collection (see: Elsevier Heritage Collection), including shelfmarks
* The projected beginning and ending dates of on-site research
* A list of publications
* A curriculum vitae
* 2 letters of support from academic or other scholars 

The closing date for applications of the Elsevier fellowship 2013 is 1 April 2013 

Fellowship applications will be reviewed by a special board consisting of: Professor dr. H. Beukers (President scholarly board), Professor Paul Hoftijzer (History of the Book, ULL), K. van Ommen MA (Co-ordinator Scaliger Institute), David Ruth (SVP Elsevier Global Communications) and Ylann Schemm (Corporate Relations Manager Elsevier).
Additional information and the application form are available on the Scaliger Institute websitehttp://www.library.leiden.edu/special-collections/scaliger-institute/.
Applications can be send to: 

Drs. K. van Ommen
Coordinator Scaliger Instituut
Postbus 9500
2300 RA Leiden 
Or by e-mail: scaliger@library.leidenuniv.n
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Seminar Series

Centre for the Study of the Body and Material Culture Seminar Series 2012-13
Imbibing Bodies: Histories of Drinking and Culture
13 March,  Stella Moss (RHUL), '"An Abnormal Habit": Methylated Spirit Drinking in Intewar Britain'


V&A/RCA MA in Design History and Material Culture.  All seminars are held at 5.00 pm in Seminar Room A of the Research Department at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Access to Seminar Room A is via the entrance to the Research Department. To get there, go the top of the staircase decorated with ceramic tiles that leads from the Asian Sculpture Galleries (Rooms 17-20) on the ground floor, up past the Silver Gallery (Room 70a). Please allow at least five minutes to get to the seminar room from the Museum entrances. All those with a research interest in the field are welcome. Admission to the Museum is free and the event itself is free of charge. Please contact Katrina Royall on 020 7942 2574 (k.royall@vam.ac.uk) or Helen Woodfield on 0207 942 2576 (H.Woddfield@vam.ac.uk) with any questions. 

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Workshop

New Abstract submission deadline: 28 February 2013, http://www.isast.org

It is our honour to announce the Plenary Speakers of the 5th Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Libraries International Conference (QQML2013), 4 - 7 June 2013, “La Sapienza” University, Rome Italy.

Workshops
NEW LibQUAL+™ in Europe: A Five Year Review of Results and Trends: Identifying Our Customers’ Needs and Expectations: A Data Driven Approach and Analysis Through the Use of LibQUAL+™ / Organized by Michael Maciel, Texas A&M University Libraries, USA
The purpose of this workshop will be to demonstrate how effectively and efficiently libraries can identify their user’s needs and expectations. Results from the past five years of European libraries that participated in LibQUAL+™ will be used throughout the program as examples. LibQUAL+™, a user-centered survey and program, enables library users to speak directly about the quality of service they want to receive, access to information they require and the learning spaces they need your library facilities to provide. These insights in turn can be used by libraries to help craft their mission statements, development and market the services they provide and ultimately make very strong cases for funding. 
There will be four parts to the presentation. 
First, the current economic and technological challenges that libraries face will be discussed. The question of learning how to keep up with technology, as well as the constant struggle to balance services and information resources will be addressed. An overview of the LiQUAL+® program, its resources will be presented. Further, it will be shown how from the very beginning, through the LibQUAL+ registration process, the program helps libraries understand the depths and facets of its customers. The workshop will emphasize how effectively LibQUAL+™ can be used to identify and address economic and technological challenges. 
Second, the presentation will, using an actual example, demonstrate how to prepare for the implementation and administration of the LibQUAL+™ survey while it is live. Topics such as marketing the survey to ensure successful participation, the review and response to data while the survey is live and understanding the wide inventory of methods available to review your final results will be covered. 
Third, methods, analyses and presentation of LibQUAL+ survey results will be discussed. This QQML presentation will demonstrate these methods using aggregated data from European libraries that participated in the LibQUAL+ between the five years of 2008 through 2012. The review will include comparisons of results by user groups, results by category, usage analysis, and a trends analysis over the past 5 years.
Fourth, this presentation will discuss the distribution and marketing of the survey results to the libraries’ internal customers (e.g. service departments, acquisitions and cataloging departments, and information technology departments), its external customers (e.g. colleges, schools, departments and student groups), and to the institution’s administration. 
The presentation will conclude by once again addressing the myriad of challenges a library faces, the solutions that LibQUAL+™ can provide and, finally, the need for an ongoing commitment to assessing user needs and expectations.


Impact evaluation workshop / Organized by Mr. Markku A. Laitinen, Planning Officer, The National Library of Finland and Ms. Anna Niemelä, Service Coordinator, The National Library of Finland
The libraries have a long tradition in collecting statistical data and other evidence - user survey data etc. - about their operations. In practice, the utilization of data collected may not be as versatile as possible. However, the evidence of effectiveness and impact of library services may be of crucial importance for libraries to survive in the current economic atmosphere. 
Hence, we invite library experts around the world to unite their forces to find new good practices to show impact and value of libraries!
In the workshop, we seek together answers to following questions: 
- To which quarter do you prove impact and value of your library?
- How do you show that services provided by your library give additional value to your customers/target group? 
- What kind of information or data is necessary to collect in order to show the impact and benefits of your library? 
The workshop is carried out in 3 sessions with same content during the conference


Information Grounds: A field method and design workshop for supporting how people experience everyday information in informal social settings / Organized Dr. Karen E. Fisher, Professor, University of Washington Information School, USA 
Information Grounds are informal social settings where people create, remix, and share everyday information all while attending to another activity—cafes and pubs, hair and tattoo salons, grocery stores, football games, waiting rooms, parks, libraries and book stores, public transport, the beach… online settings too, including Warcraft, Etsy, Pinterest and more. Fisher (writing as Pettigrew, 1999, p. 811), defined information grounds as synergistic “environment(s) temporarily created when people come together for a singular purpose but from whose behavior emerges a social atmosphere that fosters the spontaneous and serendipitous sharing of information,” and later developed propositions and a typology (Fisher, Landry & Naumer, 2007; Counts & Fisher, 2010; pie.uw.edu). In this all-day, two part-workshop, participants will (a) learn the information ground “people-place-information” conceptual framework and basic field methods for studying information grounds, (b) conduct fieldwork in Rome, and (c) analyze their observations using a design thinking approach that considers how their information ground might be served and utilized by tweaking people, place, information factors via applications, services and policy. Implications for how libraries can be promoted as information grounds are a key highlight. Note: this workshop is a blast—very conceptual, but practical and hands-on: bring your walking shoes, sun block, note pad/sketch book, digital camera and Euros for espresso and biscotti. 
Counts, S., & Fisher, K. E. (2010). Mobile Social Networking as Information Ground: A Case Study. Library & Information Science Research, 32.2, 98-115.
Fisher, K. E., Landry, C. F., & Naumer,, C. M. (2007). Social spaces, casual interactions, meaningful exchanges: An information ground typology based on the college student experience. Information Research, 12.2.
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Plenary Speeches
NEW Libraries and public perceptions: A comparative analysis of the European press. Methodological insights
Prof. Anna Galluzzi
Senate Library in Rome.
Over the last years there has been much research and discussion about the future of libraries, particularly public libraries, in relation with the state of society and welfare. The economic crisis has exacerbated the situation of libraries in terms of budget cuts and their usefulness in the digital age has been put in doubt.
In these difficult times, many methods have been applied to prove the social and economic impact of libraries. An alternative method to measure the relevance and the public perception of libraries could come from the analysis of newspapers, considering that they still are an important means in building public opinion.

In this speech the methodology and the first findings of an ongoing research on this topic will be presented. The research is based upon a comparative textual analysis of 8 newspapers of national interest coming from 4 different European countries (UK, Italy, France and Spain) and concerns the quantity and quality of articles on libraries published since 2008 on.

Brief cv. In 1997 Anna Galluzzi graduated at University of Tuscia in Viterbo in the Conservation of Cultural Heritage, Specialization for Archivists and Librarians; then she gained a Degree in Library and Information Science at the University of Rome “La Sapienza and a PhD in Library Science at the University of Udine in 2008. Since 2003 she has been working as Parliamentary Administrator and Librarian at the Senate Library in Rome. She was contract professor in Library and Information Science and Library Management at the University of Rome “La Sapienza”, as well as teacher in professional classes and speaker at many national and international conferences. In addition to numerous articles and papers, she is the author of the following books: 1. La valutazione delle biblioteche pubbliche. Dati e metodologie delle indagini in Italia. Firenze, Olschki, 1999; 2. Biblioteche e cooperazione. Modelli, strumenti, esperienze in Italia. Milano: Editrice Bibliografica, 2004 3. Biblioteche per la cittĂ . Nuove prospettive di un servizio pubblico. Roma: Carocci, 2009. In English she has published: 1. (2009) New public libraries in Italy: trends and issues. International Information and Library Review, 41, 52-59 2. (2010) Parliamentary libraries: an uncertain future? Library Trends, 58 (4), 549-560, available on:https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/bitstream/handle/2142/16680/58.4.galluzzi.pdf?sequence=2. 3. (2011) Cities as long tails of the physical world: a challenge for public libraries, Library management, 32 (4/5), 319-335 (Highly Commended Award Winner at the Literati Network Awards for Excellence 2012.

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Looking Out and Looking In - The Universe of Information
Lynne Marie Rudasill
Associate Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Member of the IFLA Governing Board
We are all aware of the fact that the forces of globalization are not just felt in the spheres of economics, politics, and sociology. Library and information science is also facing the challenges brought on by vast technological changes that are having an increasingly foundational impact upon the field. The concepts of interdisciplinarity, problem-solving, and big data are explored here in an effort to understand the intricacies of measurement in a rapidly changing field, the tools that can be provided to our institutions and, most importantly, to our users. Beginning with a look at a galaxy of clickstream data that provides a striking example of interdisciplinarity, we can explore the information universe where competing methodologies, both quantitative and qualitative, demand our attention and resources. We will also try to see the expanding edges of our universe to understand where we might be going next.

Lynne Marie Rudasill is Associate Professor and Global Studies Librarian at the University Library of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is fully embedded in the Center for Global Studies, a Title VI National Resource Center supported by the U.S. Department of Education, and holds the unique distinction of being the first professional full-time digital librarian in the emerging field of global studies. Lynne provides library instruction, reference services, and collection management support in the fields of global studies, European Union studies, political science and United Nations documents. Like most professional university librarians, Lynne regularly offers subject-area training and instruction for students, faculty, K-12 teachers, and specialized audiences, such as the military. In her capacity as Associate Professor of Library and Information Science, Lynne has taught graduate courses at the University of Illinois Graduate School of Library and Information Science including, “Information, Libraries, and Society” and “Social Science Research Methods and Resources”. GSLIS is the top-ranked library school in the nation, and the University Library is the largest public university research library in the United States. With her colleague, Barbara Ford, Director of the Mortenson Center for International Librarianship, Lynne currently teaches an undergraduate global studies course “The Power of Information in Development,” which provides a multidisciplinary and information-intensive approach to the study of the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations.
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Collaboration—the most wicked enabler to fabulously successful research
Dr. Karen E. Fisher
University of Washington Information School
Collaboration signals bringing together people whose assets—professional skills and expertise, social capital, work styles, personalities, and more work in harmony towards achieving a common goal. A complex notion, collaboration ranges in degree of formality, whether required or voluntary, and extent and type of participation. Most research, like other human endeavors, comprises some element of collaboration. Yet stories approach urban myth of collaborations that were hard to create, wasted time, damaged relations, and left unfinished business leading to nowhere. However, collaboration can go remarkably well, showing the power of many, the creation of gold from dust. Two such examples are shared—macro and micro—that have several commonalities and yet vary widely in team size, budget, resources, and genesis. The U.S. Impact Study (2010-12) of how people use computers and the Internet in public libraries led by Fisher, Crandall and Becker was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Institute of Museum & Library Services. In addition to the PIs, assistants and consultants, the study comprised an expert committee and partnered with about 500 libraries. Mixed-methods—an unprecedented web survey (continuing today), telephone survey and case studies—were used to study 50,000 people. The second study, InfoMe, is an ethnographic-design study that brings together public libraries, community-based organizations, corporate agencies and university researchers to understand how ethnic minority youth seek information and use technology on behalf of other people, especially older family members, and how this information mediary phenomenon can be supported through information technology, services and policy. This study—being exploratory, qualitative and design-focused but also involving survey techniques and community training workshops is vastly smaller in nature and entirely dependent on collaboration for success with its myriad partners. Funded by Microsoft and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, InfoMe led from the U.S. Impact Study that showed 63% of people used library technology on behalf of another person in the past 12 months, which has strong implications for how we design information systems, support information literacy, and determine impact. Together these two studies illustrate how collaboration can elevate the doing of research, turning every moment into a state of flow and igniting research programs with long-reaching effects.

New Abstract submission deadline: 28 February 2013.
Indicative themes are in http://www.isast.org
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Special Sessions – Workshops
You may send proposals for Special Sessions (4-6 papers) or Workshops (more than 2 sessions) including the title and a brief description at: secretariat@isast.org
You may also send Abstracts/Papers to be included in the following sessions, to new sessions or as contributed papers at the web page: http://www.isast.org/abstractregistration.html
Contributions may be realized through one of the following ways
a. structured abstracts (not exceeding 500 words) and presentation;
b. full papers (not exceeding 7,000 words);
c. posters (not exceeding 2,500 words);
d. visual presentations (Pecha kucha).
All abstracts will be published in the Conference Book of Abstracts and in the website of the Conference.
The papers of the conference will be published in the e-journal QQML after the permission of the author(s).
Student submissions. Professors and Supervisors are encouraged to organize conference sessions of Postgraduate theses and dissertations.
Please direct any questions regarding the QQML 2013 Conference and Student Research Presentations to the secretariat of the conference at: secretariat@isast.org

On behalf of the Conference Committee
Dr. Anthi Katsirikou, Conference Co-Chair
University of Piraeus Library Director
Head, European Documentation Center
Board Member of the Greek Association of Librarians and Information Professionals
Professor Carla Basili, Local Co-Chair
EnIL - The European network on Information Literacy, co-ordinator
Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche
Istituto di Ricerca sull'Impresa e lo Sviluppo sede di Roma
via dei Taurini, 19 - 00185 Roma, Italy

A rare opportunity to hear and discuss with silver designers their work which has been inspired by the V&A's Archive and which is part of a display at the V&A.

Meet on Thursday 7th March at 13.00 at the 'Meeting Point' in V&A's Main entrance on Cromwell Road. This is a free event led by curator Ann Eatwell of the Sculpture, Metalwork, Ceramics and Glass Department in conversation with Silversmiths Kate Earlham and Fiona McAlear on the process of creating a contemporary response to historic patterns and forms from the V&A Archive.


The Higher Education Academy (HEA) invites new and early career lecturers to an intensive, one-dayNew to Teaching workshop on learning and teaching in history and related disciplines.  The primary aim is to offer GTA, new or recently appointed academic staff an opportunity to reflect on and share their experiences of being a university teacher in their main discipline; and help them to address the main issues involved in providing high-quality learning and teaching experiences for students.  These include: curriculum design and quality assurance; the history lecture; small group teaching; assessment and feedback; career development and job applications.
There are two events:
HEA New to Teaching Workshop, University of Manchester, 22nd March 2013.  To register, go to:http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/events/detail/2013/22_March_NTTHistory
HEA New to Teaching Workshop, University of Glasgow, 25th April 2013.  To register, go to:http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/events/detail/2013/26_April_NTTHistory
These events are free to attend, but applicants need to register before the event.  Delegates may also be eligible for a travel grant, but must apply at least one month before the event:www.heacademy.ac.uk/travel-grant  
For further information about these or any other HEA events, please contact Peter D’Sena, Discipline Lead for History at the HEA: peter.dsena@heacademy.ac.uk