Conference Agenda (All times are shown in Eastern Daylight Time)

Japan has the largest ageing population worldwide, with increased numbers of people living with dementia. Dementia legislation aims to disseminate accurate information about dementia, starting with public libraries. However, the policies’ effectiveness has not been examined. Therefore, this study analysed how people obtain information about dementia and investigated the significance of disseminating such information in public libraries. An online survey was conducted with 516 people who had cared for someone living with dementia or mild cognitive impairment and who had searched for dementia information at least once in the past year. The respondents often searched online for dementia-related information, including symptoms and mechanisms. The reliability and accessibility of public libraries were lower than those of hospitals and administrative bodies, but the psychological barriers to obtaining information from public libraries were low. However, some respondents could not find materials about dementia in public libraries, suggesting a need for dementia support services.

The paper investigates how digital interventions can benefit the human development of deaf people in Bangladesh by considering the three pillars of sustainability - economic, social, and environmental. The study recognizes that while persons with disabilities, including deaf people, are an essential part of the development process, they often face social exclusion, particularly in low-resource settings like Bangladesh. Digital interventions such as sign language recognition systems and mobile applications have been developed to improve accessibility for the deaf community. However, most of these technologies have focused on sign language without addressing broader socio-economic and environmental factors. The research employs a qualitative approach through focus groups and stakeholder interviews to explore the needs, challenges, and capabilities of deaf people regarding digital interventions. Key findings suggest a strong need for health and education services, with a particular emphasis on improving digital connectivity. The study also highlights the barriers posed by digital inequality and the limited availability of sign language interpreters, recommending a more inclusive approach that integrates the sustainability pillars into the design of digital interventions. The research concludes that collaboration with the government and stakeholders is crucial for creating sustainable, scalable solutions for the deaf community in Bangladesh.

Tertiary students are a widely studied group within the information behavior literature. This is in part because they are quite a diverse group of people but through a shared context of university, have overlaps in information environments. However, studies tend to consider the entirety of tertiary students, or only migrant students, rather than comparing between students that have migrated for study versus those that have not (sedentary students). The distinction is important as migrant students draw on transnational information sources, which further enriches their information experiences. Further, there is a tendency to emphasize the vulnerability of migrant students’ experiences rather than appreciating their strengths. To address these gaps, we ran a made-for-purpose survey (N=202). While there were similarities in information seeking behaviors, we found statistically significant differences for migrant students: they were more likely to interact with perceived disagreeable and perceived useful information, and to curate perceived useful information. This research expands on existing work by showcasing quantitative differences in information behaviors between migrant and sedentary student groups. This paper contributes to the information behavior literature by providing a different perspective on migrant students’ information behaviors which can be seen as strengths, rather than weaknesses.