Blogs

Which resources for anti-racism research?

By Michele Hayslett & Nancy Kassam-Adams

January 11, 2021

Hi folks. The short version: A group of IASSIST members has been discussing a project to compile resources useful for anti-racist/anti-racism research. We would like wider input on what type of resource would be most helpful. The longer version: You may remember, my original idea was to compile datasets documenting racism and the Black experience internationally. Then I met Nancy Kassam Adams (virtually), who was working on compiling tools, articles, and rubrics for building anti-racism into the process of working with data across the research lifecycle.

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Editor's notes: Sharing open data without risk, and with machine-actionable provenance metadata

By Karsten Boye Rasmussen

December 18, 2020

Welcome to the fourth issue of 2020 and the last issue of volume 44 of the IASSIST Quarterly (IQ 44(4) 2020). At a future time, there might be a special issue of IASSIST Quarterly on ‘Corona data’. Right now, the numbers are rising as we are entering winter, but on the other hand vaccination is around the corner. I hope that only 2020 will be remembered as the year of the Coronavirus, and that 2021 will bring us better times.

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CFP for Special Issue: Systemic Racism in Data Practices

By IQ Editor

December 14, 2020

Systemic Racism in Data Practices Inspired by the work of Black scholars, technologists, and activists including Dr. Safiya Noble, Yeshimabeit Milner, and Joy Buolamwini, IASSIST Quarterly is publishing a special issue focusing on systemic racist practices in data. We invite you to submit a proposal that discusses anti-Blackness, antiindigeneity, white supremacy, and racism against minoritized and marginalized communities in data, research, tools, and practices. Case studies, essays, and articles will be considered.

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Welcome to the third issue of volume 44 of the IASSIST Quarterly

By Karsten Boye Rasmussen

September 23, 2020

Welcome to the third issue of volume 44 of the IASSIST Quarterly (IQ 44(3) 2020). Transparency is a prerequisite for valid analysis of data. Full disclosure of all aspects of the creation process is necessary for the evaluation of a data collection. The Roper Center has collaborated, assembled and developed standards, and performed scoring of datasets to facilitate the evaluation of data. It is easy to say that all aspects of data collection are important, but with more knowledge about the process of data curation PhD students become aware of how it is important for their research.

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Summary of the online discussion, Towards Defining Geospatial Data Literacy

By Amanda Tickner & Jennie Murack

September 15, 2020

The Geospatial Interest Group hosted a webinar and discussion on March 24, 2020, Towards Defining Geospatial Data Literacy, in order for participants to think about data literacy concepts that are unique to geospatial data and how these are presented in our teaching. Little has been written specifically about geospatial data literacy and the goal of this discussion was to gather information on what GIS and data educators see as important components.

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Racism, Data, and IASSIST

By IASSIST

September 13, 2020

Since the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May, race and racism have been in the headlines around the globe. The Black Lives Matter movement may have been born out of a uniquely American situation but the wrongs against which it protests exist in other parts of the world. If we learn nothing else from the current global focus on racism and its historical precedents, we learn that taking comfort in being ‘not racist’ is insufficient, bordering on complacent.

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Countries closing down - Reproducibility keeping science open

By Karsten Boye Rasmussen

July 2, 2020

Welcome to volume 44 of the IASSIST Quarterly. Here in 2020 we start with a double issue on reproducibility (IQ 44(1-2)). The start of 2020 was in the sign of Corona. Though we are now only in the middle of the year, we can say with confidence that 2020 will be known for the closing down of nearly all public life. From our very own world this included the move of the IASSIST 2020 conference to 2021.

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The business of being a community

By San Cannon

May 22, 2020

It’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly a year since I took the reins of the presidency from the wonderful Tuomas Alaterä. This week should have been my turn to miss lunch to lead the annual meeting at the conference. The 90 minute event is arguably the least exciting thing about the weeklong get together which is why we generally bribe people with lunch to attend. While it may not be an electrifying event, it provides an important forum for our community and allows the leadership to share important information about the activities of the organization that may or may not be readily apparent to the members at large.

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Introducing the New IASSIST Website

By Tuomas J. Alaterä

May 13, 2020

It’s alive! As you have probably noticed by now - IASSIST’s new website has been launched. This is the fourth IASSIST website if one does not count the separate membership site iassistdata.info. Before taking a closer look at the new site, let’s take a quick look back at IASSIST’s website history. IASSIST first ventured into the World Wide Web during the membership year 1994-1995. But prior to this there had already been IASSIST Gopher!

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Integrating Data Literacy into Library and Information Science (LIS) Curriculum

By LHorton 2

January 16, 2020

IASSIST’s Africa Regional Secretary Ms. Winny Nekesa Akullo and Prof. Constant Obura-Okello report on a data workshop at Makerere University, Kampala. If you’re looking to orginise a similar regional or national data event, the IASSIST 2020 Event Sponsorship Proposals call is open until 26 January 2020. IASSIST’s Membership Committee’s event sponsorship program recently sponsored a one day workshop on Integrating Data Literacy into Library and Information Science (LIS) Curriculum. The workshop aimed at bringing academicians in the field of library and information science to discuss how data literacy can be integrated in the LIS curriculum so as to have trained library professionals who are able to provide data literacy skills to their patrons.

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Which resources for anti-racism research?

Editor's notes: Sharing open data without risk, and with machine-actionable provenance metadata

CFP for Special Issue: Systemic Racism in Data Practices

Welcome to the third issue of volume 44 of the IASSIST Quarterly

Summary of the online discussion, Towards Defining Geospatial Data Literacy

Racism, Data, and IASSIST

Countries closing down - Reproducibility keeping science open

The business of being a community

Introducing the New IASSIST Website

Integrating Data Literacy into Library and Information Science (LIS) Curriculum

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