My work aims to be an imaginative, energetic, and committed form of intervention in the field of library and information science (LIS). I believe a different character of LIS is possible, one that moves beyond pragmatic concerns with information resources and technologies to consider positive and upbeat information phenomena across the entire human experience. I have committed myself to promoting that vision through the substance of my research into information within leisure, pleasurable, or profound contexts (Kari & Hartel, 2007). To the same end, my ideas are expressed and packaged in non-standard forms of presentation that are playful and accessible to all. I hope to be a catalyst, endeavouring to inspire and encourage the field of LIS to explore new areas, import new methods, break out of traditional boxes in which it conducts its research, and entertain new possibilities. Though all my work is interventionist in character, the most vivid examples are shown below.
the iSquare REsearch Program
The iSquare Research Program is an ongoing, arts-informed, visual research project into the concept of information. The study explores: 1) How do people visualize the concept of information?, 2) How do visual conceptions of information differ among various populations?, and 3) How do these images relate to conceptions of information made of words? To answer these questions, a research team at the Faculty of Information, University of Toronto employs an empirical, visual method known as the draw-and-write technique. Research subjects are given a 4.25" by 4.25" piece of paper and asked to express their understanding of information in the form of a drawing (see the process here). On the reverse side of the same paper they are prompted to complete the phrase, "Information is...". The process generates a compact piece of visual and textual data called an 'information square' or iSquare, for short. 3,000+ iSquares have been gathered thus far.
Metatheoretical Snowman
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Metatheoretical Snowmen is a thought experiment to explore the nature of metatheory in information science using the concept of a snowman. It was originally my poster at the 2005 ALISE annual meeting (Boston, MA) and was later developed into a panel presentation at the 2009 (Vancouver, BC) and 2011 (New Orleans, LA) ASIS&T Annual Meetings, and the 2010 CoLIS conference (London, UK). The ASIS&T Bulletin published an article about Metatheoretical Snowmen in its July/August 2012 issue.
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"Welcome to Library and Information Science..."
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This online exhibit is based upon my paper (of the same title) in the Journal of Eduction for Library and Information Science by Jenna Hartel. It enacts the following scenario: At an orientation session for a library and information science (LIS) program an educator gives incoming students a brief address entitled “Welcome to Library and Information Science.” Three versions of that talk are offered here, drawn from seminal works by Shera (1973a), White (1992), and Bates (1999). Each author is introduced, the historical and literary context of the article is noted, and then its unique characterization of LIS is presented in a spoken rhetorical style. The three disquisitions are followed by discussion questions designed to engage newcomers and observations on the pedagogical strengths and weaknesses of each paper. A conclusion crystallizes each work’s conception of library and information science as a unified domain. Readers will benefit from succinct refreshers in these foundational writings and learn new communication and teaching strategies.
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The Gingerbread House of Information
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The Gingerbread House of Information is inhabited by information scholars (broadly construed) and other great iSchool citizens. Drop by the Inforum for a look at this half-baked confection. You can play the musical woodpile but please don't disturb the elves or Santa (who looks rather familiar). Use the Clues to identify the 10 residents and then enter your answers into the raffle to win The House -- which is entirely edible, except for the photos, trees, and musical woodpile.
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3-D Heart Valentines
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For Valentine's Day 2012, a group of friends at the iSchool created these lovely heart ornaments. Secretly, at night, we hung them on every office doorknob in the Bissell Building.
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Information Puzzles
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As a contribution to the silent auction at the International Reception of the 2013 ASIS&T Annual Meeting, I created unique information studies jigsaw puzzles. One set of three featured seminal models of information behaviour by Bates, Dervin, and Wilson. The other set of three features topics in bibliometrics, namely co-citation analysis, title analysis, and the great Eugene Garfield. Each puzzle is hand-made and comes in a keepsake box. These are great educational devices for the classroom, and encourage students to take a closer look at landmark visual representations in Information Science.
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(Info)Pumpkins
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Every year I celebrate Halloween at the iSchool with custom information-themed "iPumpkins." For this seasonal craft, letters are carved on a pumpkin using printmaking tools. The iPumpkins usually last a month before rotting away, though one survived a whole year.
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"Castles & Inverted Castles" Mini-Book
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I made this mini-book as a souvenir for the paper presentation, "Castles and Inverted Castles: The Work of Marcia J. Bates," at the CoLIS 8 conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is wrapped in "the red thread of information." [full text of the paper is available at Information Research]
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Information stones
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These are gifts I created for friends and colleagues in the Department of Information Studies at the University of Tampere. The rocks are known to landscapers as Mexican River Stones. The words are Finnish and English terms in the field of information studies, as well as names of the research groups active in the department. Photos by Harri Laitinen. k here to edit.
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Plagiarism Limericks
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During my first semester as a doctoral student, Professor Michelle Cloonan ran a seminar on plagiarism and one assignment was to write about the topic in any literarary format. I chose limericks; there are six in this collection.
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