iWords: Exploring the interdisciplinary vocabularies of information research

Abstract

Language presents an insightful lens through which to consider issues of identity and interdisciplinarity within the field of information science. Through a multiphase research project, we seek to facilitate discussion among practitioners, graduate students and faculty about the way words shape our conceptualizations of information research. This work reports on the theoretical underpinnings of our inquiry and provides preliminary results from the first phase of our project, which included a workshop with 22 members of the iSchool community. During this arts‐based workshop, participants created keyword cards and word dice to generate dialogues about the role of language in the field of information research. Moving forward, we will adopt a Social Interactional Approach (De Fina & Georgakopoulou, 2008) to the narrative analysis of these artefacts, exploring the ways scholars used them to frame their research and construct their professional identities.

When words are key: negotiating meaning in information research

“…While scholars have outlined debates surrounding different terms in information research (Buckland, 1999; Furner, 2004; Hartel, 2020; Madsen, 2016), less attention has been given to the experiential aspects of language use within the field. For this reason, we developed the iWords project, a reflective inquiry that positioned us to consult other information researchers and professionals about their personal experiences negotiating the different names and narratives of information research (Tulloch et al. , 2018).…”

“…While scholars have outlined debates surrounding different terms in information research (Buckland, 1999;Furner, 2004;Hartel, 2020;Madsen, 2016), less attention has been given to the experiential aspects of language use within the field. For this reason, we developed the iWords project, a reflective inquiry that positioned us to consult other information researchers and professionals about their personal experiences negotiating the different names and narratives of information research (Tulloch et al, 2018). While there are a variety of professional organizations associated with the information field, we chose to conduct these conversations in the context of the iSchools community, because of the diversity of units it represents, as well as its close associations with organizations such as the Association of Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T) and the Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE).…”