[Siguse-l] First Call for Papers: Library Research Seminar IV

[Heidi Julien]

Call for Papers
Library Research Seminar IV
London, Ontario
October 10-12, 2007
http://lrs4.fims.uwo.ca

Theme:  The Library in Its Socio-Cultural Context: Issues for Research and
Practice

Abstracts of 600-800 words, including references, are due by February 1,
2007 to the Conference Chair, Dr. Gloria Leckie (address noted below).

It is a longstanding truism that for too long, too much library research has
been focused inward, on practices, means, and ends articulated in our own
logic and language. Research which accounts for the social and cultural
contexts of libraries is much needed and will expand this horizon by more
fully integrating the insights and methods of other fields to inform library
practices and research, with a view to improving service to users. Libraries
do not stand outside of their communities, schools, universities or
organizations - and those institutional contexts are themselves powerfully
affected by the social and cultural contexts of the societies they inhabit.

The goal of Library Research Seminar IV is to stimulate and share research
on libraries and the people who might benefit from them, utilizing many
disciplinary perspectives which allow for analysis and insights into
libraries in their various contexts. For example, the context of school
reform efforts like No Child Left Behind powerfully affects the direction,
funding, relationship to curricula of school libraries, and library research
should address the fiscal, ethical, or educational implications of this
context.

We invite papers that critically explore:

- the intellectual contexts that inform library research and practice
- the local, community contexts that shape the development and
implementation of library programs and services
- the policy issues and general social forces shaping libraries
- the broad cultural trends affecting libraries
- multi- or interdisciplinary perspectives on the everyday contexts of
libraries affecting their collections, services, budgets, user groups,
external relations etc.

Conference Chair
Dr. Gloria Leckie
Faculty of Information and Media Studies
The University of Western Ontario
North Campus Building, Room 240
London, ON N6A 5B7
Canada

E-Mail: leckie at uwo.ca
Fax: 519-661-3506
Web:  http://lrs4.fims.uwo.ca

*****************************************
Heidi Julien, Ph.D.
School of Library and Information Studies
University of Alberta
3-20 Rutherford South, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2J4
Ph: 780 492 3934  Fax: 780 492 2430
Email: Heidi.Julien at ualberta.ca
Web: http://www.ualberta.ca/~hjulien/heidi.htm
*****************************************