ASIS&T’s latest special interest group addition, “SIG Information & Learning Sciences” (SIG InfoLearn) launched in March of 2017 to support an exciting and growing scholarly research domain, at the nexus of information and learning sciences. The working group for the launch of SIG InfoLearn comprised (listed alphabetically) Dr. June Ahn, Dr. Sam Chu (University of Hong Kong), Dr. Hong Huang (University of South Florida), Dr. Eric Meyers (University of British Columbia), Dr. Rebecca Reynolds (Rutgers University) and Dr. Soo Young Rieh (University of Michigan).

With the support of over 60 scholars who wrote letters on behalf of the SIG’s formation, the working group carried the proposal through to ASIS&T board approval in March of 2017, with the guidance of SIG Chair Dr. Kristene Unsworth, who the officers thank for her keen involvement.

SIG Overview

Researchers in both information and learning sciences aim to reach a deeper understanding of the cognitive and social processes that facilitate inquiry, learning, and knowledge co-construction, in order to advance theories of learning, information-seeking, and learning systems’ design. Special issues of several journals, and a number of international workshops and seminars have discussed these intersections in human information and learning behaviour, for instance the 2016 Journal of Information Science special issue on “Searching as Learning,” (Guest Editors: Hansen, Freund, Gwizdka, He, Kando, Rieh) and  the 2016 special issue of The Information Society “Revealing Mutually Constitutive Ties between the Information and Learning Sciences”(Guest Editors: Ahn and Erickson), the 2014 IIiX workshop on “Searching as Learning” (Organizers: Freund, Gwizdka, Hansen, He, Kando, and Rieh) the 2015 iConference “Digital Youth” workshop (Organizers: Juncker, Meyers, Martens, Balling, Fisher, and Todd), the 2017 Schloss Dagstuhl seminar on “Search as Learning”(Organizers: Collins-Thompson, Hansen, Hauff, and Klas), and others.

This SIG builds upon the growing recognition of the ways in which the scholarly disciplines of information science and the learning sciences stand to enrich one another theoretically, methodologically, and, empirically, for instance through design improvements within systems in which human learning is to be expected. We aim to support annual panel sessions and workshop(s) at the annual conference further supporting scholarship in this domain, and have developed social media and listserv channels for ongoing scholarly communication within the SIG.

We invite participation by those who conduct research in areas such as:

  • Information-seeking processes during both formal and informal learning endeavors
  • Learning and/or information-seeking by the full diversity of youth, adults, elders and specialized populations: at work; at school; at play
  • Design and use of learning systems and information systems involving searching and learning, in multiple contexts
  • Information, communication, and technology (ICT) issues in computer supported collaborative learning
  • Ethnographic, emancipatory, critical-race theory and post-structural research involving information and learning
  • Digital divide, literacies, access, and learning systems
  • Learning analytics and/or data science perspectives on inquiry activity with learning or information systems
  • Research on data sharing, information architecture, knowledge ecosystems in E-learning
  • Social and ethical issues, privacy and security concerns in online and cyber-learning.

Faculty Officers

Current Chair: Dr. Eric Meyers, University of British Columbia
Past Chair: Dr. Rebecca Reynolds, Rutgers University
Secretary/Treasurer: Dr. Samuel Abramovich, University at Buffalo-SUNY
Communications and Membership: Dr. Kathleen Campana, Kent State University
Webmaster/Social Media: Dr. Kyle M. L. Jones, Indiana University-Indianapolis (IUPUI)

Get Involved in InfoLearn

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/278013622611158

SIG InfoLearn Membership is open to all ASIS&T members interested in our mission. Any current member can join by simply logging into the ASIS&T site, and updating their member record. If you are interested in joining ASIS&T please click here.