Call for Papers: Beyond Semantics - the linguistic turn of Library and Information Science

Call for Papers: Beyond Semantics - the linguistic turn of Library and Information Science

LIBREAS (Library Ideas) is an electronic journal which operates under a free-access model,
meaning no costs for authors and readership (http://www.LIBREAS.eu or http://www.libreas.eu/formal/english.htm). This eJournal was
launched in 2005 by students at Berlin School of Library and Information Science (IBI)
which is part of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. It still is housed at the IBI.

Now the editorial board consists of eight unpaid editors (mostly alumni of IBI, some
currently students). Recently LIBREAS established a branch in St. Paul,
Minnesota (USA) to strengthen our focus on North American scholarship.

LIBREAS aims to be the gateway between the "young and wild ones" and the
"old hands" in research and practice. It acts as a place for dialogue and idea exchange. By
now it is an established institution within the field of library and information science. We
particularly encourage emerging professionals and students to identify with LIBREAS.

Open-mindedness for new ideas and trends throughout the field of library and information
science is one characteristic of LIBREAS. Accompanied by at least two issues
per year, we publish self-produced audio recordings and podcasts, blogs, travel reports
and photo slide shows on a regular basis. LIBREAS seeks to provide a space
for development, identify niches and encourage controversial thoughts.

We invite you to submit articles, podcasts or reviews for our upcoming issue. We also encourage you to distribute this CfP to other interested parties.

LIBREAS Issue 15 Call for Papers: Beyond Semantics - the linguistic turn of Library and Information Science

A key challenge in Library and Information Science is the fundamental change in the content carriers. While traditionally physical media, such as books, served as the content carrier the increasing shift to digital content requires a radical change in perspective.

In the digital environment the content is flexible; hyperlinked, dynamically distributed and automatically indexed. In this environment the sheer amount of content limits the ability of intellectual indexing.

There are three branches of semiotics:

• Syntactics: referring to the relation of signs to each other
• Semantics: referring to the relation between signs and the respective things they refer to
• Pragmatics: referring to the relation of signs to their impacts on those who use them.

Current technical means of indexing are mostly limited to the syntactic level. The indexing process only requires the use of algorithms and the application of respective relations. Because of the binary structure of digital texts, those means and methods tend to be accurate. This method clearly has its limitations when it comes to the meaning of some texts. Therefore, we propose the application and elaboration of semiotic approaches to address these limitations.

On the semantic level there are some technical approaches within the research of the so-called semantic web (e.g. the development of ontologies). As of now, both the practicality and the outcomes of these technical approaches appear to be rather limited. Intellectual assistance is still necessary to actualize the relations of meaning.

On the pragmatic level there is currently no technical approach. Still, the pragmatic level has attracted an increasing amount of attention and gains relevance as the communication processes are increasingly handled in the digital realm. Currently, different types of content are mixed-up; such that the line between official publication and personal utterances (e.g. blogs, Twitter) is blurred.

The major thesis of the next issue of LIBREAS is as follows:
It is imperative that any contemporary discourse in signs and sign-structures includes the whole semiotic framework. A solely intellectual and pragmatic approach inevitably fails because of the sheer amount of material, while a reduction of syntactic and structural aspects leads to the contraction of perspective regarding the actual usage of such environments. The combination of the syntactic, semantic and pragmatic levels is vital for LIS to effectively deal with the complexity of digital and netted content.

We are far from understanding what a combination of the syntactic, semantic and pragmatic levels will look like in a technical application framework. For the next issue of LIBREAS we ask for contributions to address the issue from a conceptual and/or methodological perspective in a broader sense and/or that discuss the given thesis. The goal is to elaborate on the relationships between signs and text regarding the syntactic and semantic values, as well as their relationship with human users. Furthermore, we will try to formulate fields of application and methodological potential for LIS within this context.

The deadline for submissions is July 24th, 2009. Please note our guidelines for authors.

You may contact us via redaktion@libreas.eu.

Call for Papers Issue 16: Children in the Library (LIBREAS)

Call for Papers Issue 16: Children in the Library (LIBREAS)

http://www.libreas.eu/formal/english.htm


Children represent one of the largest groups of patrons served by the public library. This may be one of the reasons why many positive associations are linked to these institutions in society. Despite their importance, children lack representation within the LIS literature or, if they are subjects of literature, authors refer to well-intentioned but more paternalistic strategies which result in one-sided approaches. For instance, literacy is one of the main issues at which libraries work is aimed. However, a short glance in public libraries reveals that literacy programs constitute only one small portion of the children’s interaction with the library – children mostly make use of a library as a playground and a place for adventure.

Apart from the practice-oriented discussion, LIS literature also lacks interdisciplinary connectivity to fields such as pedagogy, educational research, anthropology and sociology to name a few. One may assume that the already achieved knowledge which scrutinizes one-sided approaches to learning activities may influence the discussion. One may also expect a growing influence of the ongoing debate about new perspectives on early childhood education in the LIS literature.

Last but not least, recent demographic changes within western societies are changing the social structure that children inhabit. On one hand, immigration leads to a higher proportion of children with multi-cultural backgrounds; on the other hand children are growing up in a more distinguished media landscape. These developments are undeniable and cause new challenges in practise. Nevertheless, there is a striking discrepancy between reality and scientific discourse.

LIBREAS aims at shedding light on this discrepancy and proposes an interdisciplinary symposium held in Berlin complementing issue #16. Our purpose is to bring together representatives from the respective disciplines and librarians in order to debate the benefits and limits of library work for children.

General sample questions for discussions are:
• What is the impact of library work on children and how can it be assessed in an evidence-based manner?
• What is the relationship between libraries and educational institutions?
• Do librarians take enough advantage of educational research?
• What does an appropriate learning environment of children look like? What kind of needs must such an environment fulfill?
• What are children doing in the library and what keeps them there?
• Why do children stop going to a library when they grow up?
• How does library work reflect diverse cultural and social backgrounds of children?
• Are children really “digital natives”?
• What kind of media do children expect in the library and elsewhere?
As an E-Journal with an editorial board both in Berlin (Germany) and St. Paul, Minnesota (US) we aim to compare the situation in the US and Germany both on a national and on a local level.
• Social and demographic conditions
• Ambitions and realities of library programs
• The role of immigrants (e.g., in Germany it seems that library services are often aim at white, middle-class kids)
• Personal experiences of parents, librarians, teachers and children
• Best-Practises apart from read-aloud, gaming and Harry Potter parties
LIBREAS is looking forward to your fresh and controversial contributions on the topic of “Children in the Library”. Indeed, we welcome new perspectives on that issue not outlined above, too. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate in contacting us.

Proposed submission deadline: End of October 2009