[Air-l] ASIS&T SIG-III Global Information Village Plaza

[Michel J. Menou]

@@@ Apologies for duplication. Please forward to all relevant lists and
colleagues.@@@

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Join the Global Information Village Plaza
Celebrating ASIS&T SIG/III 20th Anniversary

A major feature in the so-called "information society" or else "digital
economy" is its global nature. This aspect is analyzed, described and 
commented upon by many "specialists." The same specialists and other happy 
few are involved in the preparation of policies and programs supposed to 
support the transition into this "new era."
Yet the lay professional public has little opportunity to express and
confront its views in a truly open and participative fashion, unbiased
by corporate, political or career stakes. While general economic and
social challenges or current practices are often debated, what do this "new" 
society mean and imply for people is more often than not overlooked.
This event will provide a unique opportunity for all ASIS&T members and 
information professionals at large to express and share their personal 
views. In keeping with the spirit of the Plaza -e.g., the 'public place' or 
shared community space reminiscent of the public sphere- the social 
interaction between the various participants and contributors is an 
important part of the process of reflecting about these issues.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE?

Step #1:
Send to the SIG/III discussion list sigiii-l at asis.org a short(300 words 
maximum) position statement on the following questions:

1° What in your opinion will be radically changed in your professional life 
as a result of the globalization of the information society?
- Why?
- What should you do in order to cope with the change?
- What should the information science & technology community do to help you 
cope with the change?
- What should the information science & technology community do to help 
itself cope with the change?

2° What in your opinion will be radically changed in your personal life as a 
result of the globalization of the information society?
- Why?
- What should you do in order to cope with the change?
- What should the information science & technology community do to help you 
cope with the change?

Messages should clearly indicate "Plaza" in the subject line.
Anyone can post messages to the sigiii-l list but if you wish to see what 
others have posted and participate in further discussion, we recommend that 
you subscribe to the list (see 
http://mail.asis.org/mailman/listinfo/sigiii-l for details on how to 
subscribe). Note that the list will be moderated to avoid spamming and 
unrelated announcements.

Step #2:
Send your comments about the statements posted on the list

Step #3:
Attend the "Global Information Plaza" session on Tuesday November 19 from 
12-1pm, at the ASIS&T Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, PA 
(http://www.asis.org/Conferences/AM02/index.html) and participate in the 
debates.


WHAT WILL HAPPEN AT THE ASIS&T ANNUAL MEETING?

A few weeks before the session, the moderators will summarize the major 
themes that arose from the statements and discussions into poster form.

A poster with an overview of the main topics identified will be placed in 
the Registration area. Attendees are encouraged to contribute their ideas by 
putting stickers with their comments and suggestions throughout the 
conference.

At the special session on "Global Information Plaza":
a) Posters on the various topics identified will be placed on the walls 
around the room. Participants will be able to move around the room and 
contribute to the topics by placing stickers with their ideas, or discussing 
these with other participants
b) Volunteers will be asked to moderate each poster discussion.
c) Halfway through the session, individual discussions will stop. The 
volunteers and moderators will then gather the various ideas (and stickers) 
and produce a short position statement summarizing the main concepts and 
proposals.
d) The volunteers and moderators will briefly introduce the position 
statements and highlight the contentious issues. This will be followed by a 
general discussion (recorded).

A summary of the session will be subsequently posted on the Sigiii-l 
discussion list along with edited position statement(s). It is our hope to 
then revise and expand these for publication in a professional journal, 
along with reflections on the process and outcomes of the experience.

Don't miss the opportunity to say your word (politically correct language 
NOT required). It might not change the course of history but it may make you 
feel better.

The moderators: Michel J. Menou, Department of Information Science,
City University London (menou at soi.city.ac.uk) and Nadia Caidi, Faculty of
Information Studies, University of Toronto (caidi at fis.utoronto.ca)
for the Special Interest Group on International Information Issues
SIG/III of the American Society for Information Science & Technology