i3 - information, interactions and impact

Every two years, we host the i3 conference which focuses on information, interactions and impact.  The fourth i3 conference took place here at RGU between 25th and 28th June.  Dorothy is the conference director and is ably assisted by the incomparable Katie Morrison who ensures that everything runs like clock-work.  We had delegates from around the world with particularly strong representation from North America and Australia.

Our first keynote was Dr Annemaree Lloyd from Charles Sturt University in New South Wales.  We were delighted that Annemaree was able to join us the week prior to the conference as a visiting scholar, undertaking a seminar for staff as well as participating iDocQ our Information Science doctoral colloquium which was held on the Monday before i3 started.  Annemaree is one of the world's leading information literacy researchers and is particularly well-known for her research involving workplace information literacy, most notably with fire-fighters and para-medics.  Annemaree is held in very high esteem by the information science community around the world and is a particularly dear and valued friend of the Department here at RGU and so we were thrilled that she could come and join us for a week and to be a keynote at the conference. 

At i3, we endeavour to have one keynote (out of four) who comes from outside the information science discipline and can, therefore, offer a very different take on information.  This year we were delighted to have Dr Adam Rutherford, the geneticist, journalist and television presenter who offered a very entertaining and enlightening presentation.  He offers some thought-provoking insights into information flow through genetics from a start point that ancestry is the way we communicate information through the generations.  Something, this genealogist, confesses he hadn't thought of previously.  Adam earned my undying admiration by beginning his paper by speaking about the Spanish Habsburgs and how their inbreeding eventually brought the line to an end in 1700 with the death of hopelessly deranged Carlos II.  I never thought that the Erzhaus would make it into i3 but, as you will imagine dear readers, I was very pleased that it did.

Our other keynotes were Professor Jane McKenzie from Henley Business School who is a knowledge management specialist and spoke on various aspects of organisational learning.  The final one was Dr Christine Urquhart, formerly of Aberystwyth University who brought together many of the themes which had emerged from the previous days' sessions.  She also highlighted just how important it for us to learning from marketing as a discipline.  The papers from i3 will be appearing in Information Research in due course.

We had a range of social events associated with the conference too including a Civic Reception at Aberdeen Art Gallery which was attended by the Lord Provost; we had another reception at the Sir Duncan Rice Library at University of Aberdeen courtesy of Chris Banks and her team.  The delegates were very much taken with the new library.

The conference dinner was held at the Marcliffe Hotel on the Thursday.  Dr Simon Burnett and yours truly welcomed the delegate with a Doric sketch, entitled Morecambe and Nae Wise which reflected on the culture (with a capital K) of Aiberdeen and North East Scotland.

i3 has become an important fixture in the information science calendar and is much-valued by delegates.  And, believe it or not, we will start our preliminary planning for i3 2015 in about five months time!