IASSIST 2012

We are pleased to announce that registration is now open for the IASSIST 2012 Conference!

IASSIST 2012 conference site: http://www.iassist2012.org/index.html

Conference Theme: Data Science for a Connected World: Unlocking and Harnessing the Power of Information

Dates: June 4th – 8th, Washington D.C. USA.

Register before May 1st to take advantage of special conference and workshops rates. Fees and other details are available at: http://www.iassist2012.org/indexfolder/Register/index.php

The theme “Data Science for a Connected World: Unlocking and Harnessing the Power of Information” reflects the growing desire of research communities, government agencies and other organizations to build connections and benefit from the better use of data through practicing good management, dissemination and preservation techniques.

Information about the papers, panels, and other events can be found at: http://www.iassist2012.org/indexfolder/program

The theme for IASSIST 2012 is also reflective of this year's host city and nation's capital: Washington, DC. The seat of many US government agencies, as well as major international institutions like the World Bank and IMF, Washington is an ideal backdrop for discussing the importance of data sharing and management or international best practices. The city is also known for its vibrant nightlife, emerging cultural scene, historical sites, and free museums (check out post- conference tours options!).

We look forward to welcoming you to Washington DC for the IASSIST 2012 Conference.

The application for IASSIST Fellows is now closed. Over 40 applications from 23 different countries have been received with the following number of applications by region:

• 23 Latin America
• 12 Africa
• 6 Asia

The Fellows Committee is now working to evaluate the applications and will make the decisions in the following weeks. Good luck to all participants.

The IASSIST Fellows Program is now accepting applications for financial support to attend the IASSIST 2012 conference in Washington [http://www.iassist2012.org/], from data professionals from countries with emerging economies who are developing and managing data infrastructures at their home institutions.

Please be aware that funding is not intended to cover the entire cost of attending the conference. The applicant’s home institution must provide some level of financial support to supplement the IASSIST Fellow award. Strong preference will be given to first time participants, and applicants from Latin-American countries. Only fully completed applications will be accepted. Applicants submitting a paper for the conference will be given priority consideration for funding.

 You may apply for funding via this form.

For more information, to apply for funding or nominate a person for a Fellowship, please send an email to the Fellows Committee chair, Luis Martínez-Uribe.

Don't forget to propose that extra special workshop for IASSIST 2012. Deadline is Jan 16. You can also propose Pecha Kuchas, posters, and roundtable discussions until Jan 16.

Call for Workshops

Data Science for a Connected World: Unlocking and Harnessing the Power of Information

The 38th International Association for Social Science Information Services and Technology (IASSIST) annual conference will be hosted by NORC at the University of Chicago and will be held at the George Washington University in Washington DC, June 4 - 8, 2012.

The theme of this year's conferences is Data Science for a Connected World: Unlocking and Harnessing the Power of Information. This theme reflects the growing desire of research communities, government agencies and other organizations to build connections and benefit from the better use of data through practicing good management, dissemination and preservation techniques. Submissions are encouraged that offer improvements for creating, documenting, submitting, describing, disseminating, and preserving scientific research data.

Workshops details:
The conference committee seeks workshops that highlight this year’s theme Data Science for a Connected World: Unlocking and Harnessing the Power of Information.  Below is a sample of possible workshop topics that may be considered:

• Innovative/disruptive technologies for data management and preservation
• Infrastructures, tools and resources for data production and research
• Linked data: opportunities and challenges
• Metadata standards enhancing the utility of data
• Challenges and concerns with inter-agency / intra-governmental data sharing
• Privacy, confidentiality and regulation issues around sensitive data
• Roles, responsibilities, and relationships in supporting data
• Facilitating data exchange and sharing across boundaries
• Data and statistical literacy
• Data management plans and funding agency requirements
• Norms and cultures of data in the sciences, social sciences and the humanities
• Collaboration on research data infrastructure across domains and communities
• Addressing the digital/statistical divide and the need for trans-national outreach
• Citation of research data and persistent identifiers
• The evolving data librarian profession

Successful workshop proposals will blend lecture and active learning techniques.  The conference planning committee will provide the necessary classroom space and computing supplies for all workshops.  For previous examples of IASSIST workshops, please see our 2010 workshops and our 2011 workshops. Workshops can be a half-day or full-day in length.

Procedure: Please submit the proposed title and an abstract of no longer than 200 words to Lynda Kellam (lmkellam@uncg.edu). With your submission please include a preliminary list of requirements including:

• computer Lab OR classroom
• software and hardware requirements
• any additional expected requirements

Deadline for submission:  January 16, 2012
Notification of acceptance: March 2, 2012

Please contact Lynda Kellam, IASSIST workshop Coordinator, if you have any questions regarding workshop submissions at lmkellam@uncg.edu

IASSIST is an international organization of professionals working in and with information technology and data services to support research and teaching in the social sciences.  Typical workplaces include data archives/libraries, statistical agencies, research centers, libraries, academic departments, government departments, and non‐profit organizations.  Visit iassistdata.org  for further information.

IASSIST 2012
June 4 - 8, 2012
Washington DC, USA

-IASSIST 2012 Program Chairs: Jake Carlson, Pascal Heus and Oliver Watteler

The Call for Papers for IASSIST 2012 is closed, but proposals for Workshops are now being accepted.  The Call for Workshops is listed below:

Call for Workshops

Data Science for a Connected World:
Unlocking and Harnessing the Power
of Information

The 38th International Association for Social Science Information Services and Technology (IASSIST) annual conference will be hosted by NORC at the University of Chicago and will be held at the George Washington University in Washington DC, June 4 - 8, 2012. 

The theme of this year's conferences is Data Science for a Connected World: Unlocking and Harnessing the Power of Information. This theme reflects the growing desire of research communities, government agencies and other organizations to build connections and benefit from the better use of data through practicing good management, dissemination and preservation techniques. Submissions are encouraged that offer improvements for creating, documenting, submitting, describing, disseminating, and preserving scientific research data. 

Workshops details:
The conference committee seeks workshops that highlight this year’s theme Data Science for a Connected World: Unlocking and Harnessing the Power of Information.  Below is a sample of possible workshop topics that may be considered: 

• Innovative/disruptive technologies for data management and preservation
• Infrastructures, tools and resources for data production and research
• Linked data: opportunities and challenges
• Metadata standards enhancing the utility of data
• Challenges and concerns with inter-agency / intra-governmental data sharing
• Privacy, confidentiality and regulation issues around sensitive data
• Roles, responsibilities, and relationships in supporting data
• Facilitating data exchange and sharing across boundaries
• Data and statistical literacy
• Data management plans and funding agency requirements
• Norms and cultures of data in the sciences, social sciences and the humanities
• Collaboration on research data infrastructure across domains and communities
• Addressing the digital/statistical divide and the need for trans-national outreach
• Citation of research data and persistent identifiers
• The evolving data librarian profession

Successful workshop proposals will blend lecture and active learning techniques.  The conference planning committee will provide the necessary classroom space and computing supplies for all workshops.  For previous examples of IASSIST workshops, please see our 2010 workshops and our 2011 workshops. Workshops can be a half-day or full-day in length.

Procedure: Please submit the proposed title and an abstract of no longer than 200 words to Lynda Kellam (lmkellam@uncg.edu). With your submission please include a preliminary list of requirements including:

• computer Lab OR classroom
• software and hardware requirements
• any additional expected requirements

Deadline for submission:  January 16, 2012
Notification of acceptance: March 2, 2012

Please contact Lynda Kellam, IASSIST workshop Coordinator, if you have any questions regarding workshop submissions at lmkellam@uncg.edu

IASSIST is an international organization of professionals working in and with information technology and data services to support research and teaching in the social sciences.  Typical workplaces include data archives/libraries, statistical agencies, research centers, libraries, academic departments, government departments, and non‐profit organizations.  Visit iassistdata.org  for further information. 

IASSIST 2012
June 4 - 8, 2012
Washington DC, USA

-IASSIST 2012 Program Chairs: Jake Carlson, Pascal Heus and Oliver Watteler

Just a reminder that the deadline to submit an individual paper or a panel session to IASSIST 2012 is Friday December 9th.  The Submission Form can be found at: http://www.iassist2012.org/index.php/CPMS/submissions2012.html  

Call for Papers

Data Science for a Connected World: Unlocking and Harnessing the Power of Information

The theme of this year's conference is Data Science for a Connected World: Unlocking and Harnessing the Power of Information. This theme reflects the growing desire of research communities, government agencies and other organizations to build connections and benefit from the better use of data through practicing good management, dissemination and preservation techniques.

The theme is intended to stimulate discussions on building connections across all scholarly disciplines, governments, organizations, and individuals who are engaged in working with data.  IASSIST as a professional organization has a long history of bringing together those who provide information technology and data services to support research and teaching in the social sciences.  What can we as data professionals with shared interests and concerns learn from others going forward and what can they learn from us?  How can data professionals of all kinds build the connections that will be needed to address shared concerns and leverage strengths to better manage, share, curate and preserve data?

We welcome submissions on the theme outlined above, and encourage conference participants to propose papers and sessions that would be of interest to a diverse audience. Any paper related to the conference theme will be considered; below is a sample of possible topics

Topics:

• Innovative/disruptive technologies for data management and preservation
• Infrastructures, tools and resources for data production and research
• Linked data: opportunities and challenges
• Metadata standards enhancing the utility of data
• Challenges and concerns with inter-agency / intra-governmental data sharing
• Privacy, confidentiality and regulation issues around sensitive data
• Roles, responsibilities, and relationships in supporting data
• Facilitating data exchange and sharing across boundaries
• Data and statistical literacy
• Data management plans and funding agency requirements
• Norms and cultures of data in the sciences, social sciences and the humanities
• Collaboration on research data infrastructure across domains and communities
• Addressing the digital/statistical divide and the need for trans-national outreach

Papers will be selected from a wide range of subjects to ensure a broad balance of topics.

The Program Committee welcomes proposals for:
Individual presentations (typically 15-20 minutes)
Complete sessions, which could take a variety of formats (e.g. a set of three to four individual presentations on a theme, a discussion panel, a discussion with the audience, etc.)
Posters/demonstrations for the poster session
Pecha Kucha (a presentation of 20 slides shown for 20 seconds each, heavy emphasis on visual content) http://www.wired.com/techbiz/media/magazine/15-09/st_pechakucha
Round table discussions (as these are likely to have limited spaces, an explanation of how the discussion will be shared with the wider group should form part of the proposal).
[Note: A separate call for workshops is forthcoming].

Session formats are not limited to the ideas above and session organizers are welcome to suggest other formats.

Proposals for complete sessions should list the organizer or moderator and possible participants; the session organizer will be responsible for securing both session participants and a chair.

All submissions should include the proposed title and an abstract no longer than 200 words (note: longer abstracts will be returned to be shortened before being considered).  Abstracts submitted for complete sessions should provide titles and a brief description for each of the individual presentations.  Abstracts for complete session proposals should be no longer than 300 words if information about individual presentations are needed. 

Please note that all presenters are required to register and pay the registration fee for the conference; registration for individual days will be available.

• Deadline for submission of individual presentations and sessions: 9 December 2011.
• Deadline for submission of posters, Pecha Kucha sessions and round table discussions: 16 January 2012.
• Notification of acceptance for individual presentations and sessions: 10 February 2012.
• Notification of acceptance for posters, Pecha Kucha sessions and round table discussions: 2 March 2012.

We would want to receive confirmation of acceptance from those we invite to present by two weeks after notification.

The IASSIST 2012 conference website is now live and ready to receive submissions:  http://www.iassist2012.org/index.html

Call for Papers

Data Science for a Connected World: Unlocking and Harnessing the Power of Information

The theme of this year's conference is Data Science for a Connected World: Unlocking and Harnessing the Power of Information. This theme reflects the growing desire of research communities, government agencies and other organizations to build connections and benefit from the better use of data through practicing good management, dissemination and preservation techniques.

The theme is intended to stimulate discussions on building connections across all scholarly disciplines, governments, organizations, and individuals who are engaged in working with data.  IASSIST as a professional organization has a long history of bringing together those who provide information technology and data services to support research and teaching in the social sciences.  What can we as data professionals with shared interests and concerns learn from others going forward and what can they learn from us?  How can data professionals of all kinds build the connections that will be needed to address shared concerns and leverage strengths to better manage, share, curate and preserve data?

We welcome submissions on the theme outlined above, and encourage conference participants to propose papers and sessions that would be of interest to a diverse audience. Any paper related to the conference theme will be considered; below is a sample of possible topics

• Innovative/disruptive technologies for data management and preservation
• Infrastructures, tools and resources for data production and research
• Linked data: opportunities and challenges
• Metadata standards enhancing the utility of data
• Challenges and concerns with inter-agency / intra-governmental data sharing
• Privacy, confidentiality and regulation issues around sensitive data
• Roles, responsibilities, and relationships in supporting data
• Facilitating data exchange and sharing across boundaries
• Data and statistical literacy
• Data management plans and funding agency requirements
• Norms and cultures of data in the sciences, social sciences and the humanities
• Collaboration on research data infrastructure across domains and communities
• Addressing the digital/statistical divide and the need for trans-national outreach

Papers will be selected from a wide range of subjects to ensure a broad balance of topics.

The Program Committee welcomes proposals for:
- Individual presentations (typically 15-20 minutes)
- Complete sessions, which could take a variety of formats (e.g. a set of three to four individual presentations on a theme, a discussion panel, a discussion with the audience, etc.)
- Posters/demonstrations for the poster session
- Pecha Kucha (a presentation of 20 slides shown for 20 seconds each, heavy emphasis on visual content) http://www.wired.com/techbiz/media/magazine/15-09/st_pechakucha
- Round table discussions (as these are likely to have limited spaces, an explanation of how the discussion will be shared with the wider group should form part of the proposal).
[Note: A separate call for workshops is forthcoming].

Session formats are not limited to the ideas above and session organizers are welcome to suggest other formats.

Proposals for complete sessions should list the organizer or moderator and possible participants; the session organizer will be responsible for securing both session participants and a chair.

All submissions should include the proposed title and an abstract no longer than 200 words (note: longer abstracts will be returned to be shortened before being considered).  Abstracts submitted for complete sessions should provide titles and a brief description for each of the individual presentations.  Abstracts for complete session proposals should be no longer than 300 words if information about individual presentations are needed. 

Please note that all presenters are required to register and pay the registration fee for the conference; registration for individual days will be available.

• Deadline for submission of individual presentations and sessions: 9 December 2011.
• Deadline for submission of posters, Pecha Kucha sessions and round table discussions: 16 January 2012.
• Notification of acceptance for individual presentations and sessions: 10 February 2012.
• Notification of acceptance for posters, Pecha Kucha sessions and round table discussions: 2 March 2012.

We would want to receive confirmation of acceptance from those we invite to present by two weeks after notification.

The Latin Engagement Action Group have come up with a number of outreach activities aimed at supporting data professionals from Spanish and Portuguese speaking educational institutions, namely:

1. Research Data Management Webinars (complete with IASSIST contribution) for Spanish/Portuguese data specialists (http://www.recolecta.net/buscador/webminars.jsp)

Stuart Macdonald and Luis Martínez-Uribe in collaboration with Alicia López Medina (UNED, Spain), the Spanish Agency of Science and Technology (FECYT) and the network of Spanish repositories RECOLECTA have organised a programme of webinars in 3 strands starting in October to discuss RDM issues:

Strand 1 is dedicated to Research Data Management Strategy (presentations from FECYT, RedIris, Simon Hodson (JISC Managing Research Data (MRD) Programme Manager)

Strand 2 - RDM Tools and models (presentations from Sarah Jones on DAF/DMP online (DCC) and Stuart Macdonald (EDINA) on IASSIST Latin Engagement, RDM at Edinburgh & Research Data MANTRA 

Strand 3 - Research Data Management Experiences (presentations from Kate McNeil-Harmen (MIT) , Luis Martinez Uribe (Institute Juan March), colleagues from University of Porto

Several members of IASSIST have been invited and the work of the group will be presented in order to keep promoting the organization to colleagues in Spain, Portugal and Latin-America.

2. Preparation of a Latin-American session in next IASSIST annual conference in collaboration with outreach committee

Organise another Latin-American session at IASSIST 2012 (complete with NGO representation) led by Bobray Bordelan (Princeton). Liaise with the outreach to fund and invite data professional colleagues from Latin America to participate in this session.

3. Spanish and Portuguese translation of the main pages of the IASSIST site - May 2012

Working with the IASSIST web editor Robin Rice to scope and implement (voluntary) translation of the main landing pages on the IASSIST website (e.g. Home page, About page, Becoming a member if IASSIST, FAQ, IASSIST at a Glance, About IQ, Instruction for Authors)

Image: Toledo by Pat Barker on Flickr, CC-BY-NC licence

The Call for Papers for IASSIST 2012 is below.  The conference website is still under development, but we thought it important to disseminate the call for papers to IASSIST membership now.  The Call will be reposted and further disseminated once the conference website is up and running.  Thanks.

2012 Conference Program Chairs

-Pascal, Oliver and Jake   

===========================

Data Science for a Connected World: Unlocking and Harnessing the Power of Information

The 38th International Association for Social Science Information Services

and Technology (IASSIST) annual conference will be held in Washington DC, June 4 - 8, 2012.

The theme of this year's conference is Data Science for a Connected World: Unlocking and Harnessing the Power of Information. This theme reflects the growing desire of research communities, government agencies and other organizations to build connections and benefit from the better use of data through practicing good management, dissemination and preservation techniques.

The theme is intended to stimulate discussions on building connections across all scholarly disciplines, governments, organizations, and individuals who are engaged in working with data.  IASSIST as a professional organization has a long history of bringing together those who provide information technology and data services to support research and teaching in the social sciences.  What can we as data professionals with shared interests and concerns learn from others going forward and what can they learn from us?  How can data professionals of all kinds build the connections that will be needed to address shared concerns and leverage strengths to better manage, share, curate and preserve data? 

We welcome submissions on the theme outlined above, and encourage conference participants to propose papers and sessions that would be of interest to a diverse audience. Any paper related to the conference theme will be considered; below is a sample of possible topics

Topics:

• Innovative/disruptive technologies for data management and preservation
• Infrastructures, tools and resources for data production and research
• Linked data: opportunities and challenges
• Metadata standards enhancing the utility of data
• Challenges and concerns with inter-agency / intra-governmental data sharing
• Privacy, confidentiality and regulation issues around sensitive data
• Roles, responsibilities, and relationships in supporting data
• Facilitating data exchange and sharing across boundaries
• Data and statistical literacy
• Data management plans and funding agency requirements
• Norms and cultures of data in the sciences, social sciences and the humanities
• Collaboration on research data infrastructure across domains and communities
• Addressing the digital/statistical divide and the need for trans-national outreach

Papers will be selected from a wide range of subjects to ensure a broad balance of topics.

• The Program Committee welcomes proposals for:
• Individual presentations (typically 15-20 minutes)
• Complete sessions, which could take a variety of formats (e.g. a set of three to four individual presentations on a theme, a discussion panel, a discussion with the audience, etc.)
• Posters/demonstrations for the poster session
• Pecha Kucha (a presentation of 20 slides shown for 20 seconds each, heavy emphasis on visual content) http://www.wired.com/techbiz/media/magazine/15-09/st_pechakucha
• Round table discussions (as these are likely to have limited spaces, an explanation of how the discussion will be shared with the wider group should form part of the proposal).
• [Note: A separate call for workshops is forthcoming].

Session formats are not limited to the ideas above and session organizers are welcome to suggest other formats.

Proposals for complete sessions should list the organizer or moderator and possible participants; the session organizer will be responsible for securing both session participants and a chair.

All submissions should include the proposed title and an abstract no longer than 200 words (note: longer abstracts will be returned to be shortened before being considered).  Abstracts submitted for complete sessions should provide titles and a brief description for each of the individual presentations.  Abstracts for complete session proposals should be no longer than 300 words if information about individual presentations are needed.  

Please note that all presenters are required to register and pay the registration fee for the conference; registration for individual days will be available.

Deadline for submission of individual presentations and sessions: 5 December 2011.

Deadline for submission of posters, Pecha Kucha sessions and round table discussions: 16 January 2012.

Notification of acceptance for individual presentations and sessions: 3 February 2012.

Notification of acceptance for posters, Pecha Kucha sessions and round table discussions: 24 February 2012.