Conference Agenda (All times are shown in Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) unless otherwise noted)

This paper brings concepts from social practice theory into conversation with the question of how information practices relate to one another. In doing so, this paper speaks to the persistent challenge of articulating interconnections among information practices. To illustrate these interconnections, the paper presents the concept of embodied mutual constitution, which results from a recent empirical study of everyday information practices. This concept holds potential as a next step in identifying how multiple co-existing information practices can be explored. By contributing in this way to the advancement of information practices theory, this paper supports our expanding understanding of the nature and role of information in diverse life experiences.

This short paper reflects on previous personal information management (PIM) research using the theme of “invisible PIM.” Three scholars gathered to reflect on how this theme is relevant to their research. After comparing reflections, the following threads of invisibility are highlighted as holding potential for future exploration: the role that PIM can play in reinforcing invisibility, the concept of maintaining information over time as being more likely to be labeled as invisible labor, and a focus on non-work experiences of sample populations. This work in progress concludes with suggestions of how reflecting on themes versus following PIM activities (a departure from previous practices for these researchers) was a useful activity to think about a future PIM research agenda.

While all individuals deal with increasingly large amounts of digital information in their everyday lives and professionally, prior works suggest visual artists have unique information management practices and challenges. This study therefore examined the personal information management (PIM) practices and challenges of six practising visual artists using guided tours and short interviews. It was found that the visual artists had some unique practices connected to their strong emphasis on serendipity, inspiration, and visual dimensions of information. Like non-artists, the participants faced challenges across all phases of PIM, chiefly an excess of information and fragmented organisation, and they found it especially hard to assess how personal and valuable their information could be. After characterising this rarely discussed PIM demographic, we draw on the findings to provide concrete recommendations for artists doing PIM, for information and cultural heritage institutions, and for designers of PIM software.

This study represents the initial phase of a broader investigation into the significance of information seeking and personal information management (PIM) practices during life transitions. It focuses on early-career researchers who experience multiple academic transitions and aims to identify the information practices they use and their role in promoting successful life transitions. To achieve this goal, in-depth semi-structured interviews were held with 15 early-career researchers who recently completed their PhDs or graduated. Findings suggest that the participants relied on iterative cycles of various information seeking and validation practices to transition between positions and academic institutions, which improved their knowledge about the transition and reduced uncertainty. Once a network of transition-related information was established, participants began utilizing PIM practices to organize their information and plan for the transition, thereby enhancing their sense of control over their information and maintaining it over the long term in an unstable environment. The study underscores the importance of information practices during life transitions and recommends interventions such as institutional support and information skills training programs to assist early-career researchers in challenging transitions. The subsequent study will build upon these findings to further examine the role of information behavior in facilitating life transitions.

Incidental human-robot encounters are becoming more common as robotic technologies proliferate, but there is little scientific understanding of human experience and reactions during these encounters. To contribute towards addressing this gap, this study applies Grounded Theory methodologies to study human reactions in Human-Robot Encounters with an autonomous quadruped robot. Based upon observation and interviews, we find that participants’ reactions to the robot can be explained by their attitudes of familiarity, certainty, and confidence during their encounter and by their understanding of the robot’s capabilities and role. Participants differed in how and whether they utilized opportunities to resolve their unfamiliarity, uncertainty, or lack of confidence, shedding light on the dynamics and experiential characteristics of Human-Robot Encounters. We provide an emerging theory that can be used to unravel the complexity of the field as well as assist hypothesis generation in future research in designing and deploying mobile autonomous service robots.