[Sigtis-l] SIG TIS happenings at ASIST

[KRISTIN R ESCHENFELDER]

Greetings & apologies for cross posting


You are receiving this email because you are subscribed to the ASIST
SIG-TIS listserv.  The purpose of the email is to alert you to SIG TIS
happenings at ASIST 05.

The official SIG TIS meeting at Charlotte ASIST is scheduled for Tuesday
Nov 1 at 4pm in the Stonewall Boardroom (Room 1) of the conference
hotel.  We hope that the group may also go out to dinner afterwards
together at 5 or 5:30pm.

This is also an official call for panel/presentation proposals for the
SIG to sponsor for the Fall 2006 annual meeting.  If you have ideas,
bring them to the SIG meeting, or email me at eschenfelder at wisc.edu.

Topics of discussion for the meeting:
a) Name change vote results & next steps (addressed more below)
b) Ideas for panels/presentations for ASIST 2006
c) Possible pre-ASIST social informatics miniconference for 2006
d) Using DLIST scholarly repository to increase circulation of social
informatics/TIS papers among interested parties. (SIG communications)
e) Report from the SIG Council meeting 
f) Other (send me your ideas & I'll put them on an agenda
<eschenfelder at wisc.edu>) 

* Name change vote results *

Summary:  More SIG members voted yes than no.  This includes paying or
"official" SIG members and non paying members of the SIG-TIS listserv. 
The yes vote has been forwarded to the ASIST SIG council for consideration.

*** Details for those who want to know more about the name change, or
who are concerned about the future focus of a SIG-SI ****

A. History:
In summer/fall 2005 several officers of SIG TIS suggested changing the
name of the SIG to SIG "social informatics" or SIG-SI.  “Social
Informatics (SI) refers to the body of research and study that examines
social aspects of computerization – including the roles of information
technology in social and organizational change, the uses of information
technologies in social contexts, and the ways that the social
organization of information technologies is influenced by social forces
and social practices.” (Rob Kling Center for Social Informatics)


B.  Voting procedure:

According to ASIST SIG rules, in order to change the name of the SIG, at
least 10% of the paying members of the SIG must vote, and the majority
must vote yes.  Then, the results of the vote are sent to the ASIST SIG
council for discussion & approval. 

Eschenfelder sent the vote request to just the official SIG members
(paying members)

Eschenfelder also sent the vote request to the subscribers SIG TIS list
(which includes interested parties who are not official members of the SIG)

Results were checked against a spreadsheet containing official SIG
members & listserv subscribers (duplication across the two groups was
corrected for)

D.  Results

We obtained the required 10% vote.
Of the official SIG members who voted, 22 voted yes and 5 voted no.
Of the list subscribers who voted, 4 voted yes and 4 voted no.

E. SIG Council

The results have been forwarded to the SIG Council which will meet at
ASIST annual to discuss the issue.  The name change proposal must be
approved by the Council (which does not include the current SIG TIS
leadership).

F.  Next Steps: What is in a Name? a Big Tent Approach

People who voted no frequently cited the concern that a SIG SI would be
too narrow in scope and exclude some issues of interest to members. 
However, it is important to remember that a SIG is largely defined by
the actions its members take to put forward panels and other activities.
 I see SIG SI as a “big tent” that would welcome diverse interests
related to information, technology & society.  As current SIG chair, I
would welcome proposals by others and work together with the members to
implement them.  

If you want the SIG to do something in particular that addresses a
particular topic that you think is important -  Join the SIG, attend the
annual meeting, show up at the SIG planning meeting with ideas, and
commit to do the work to make it happen!  

Best regards,

Kristin Eschenfelder



Kristin Eschenfelder
Assistant Professor
School of Library and Information Studies
University of Wisconsin-Madison
eschenfelder at wisc.edu
1-608-263-2105
http://slisweb.lis.wisc.edu/~kreschen