Information Studies

Information Studies at Lund University concerns the study of the production, organization, storage, dissemination and use of information in its material forms and the institutions, such as libraries, where these activities take place. Information Studies also includes the cultural, social and technical conditions related to these activities, processes and institutions. Information Studies has links with other disciplines in the humanities, social sciences and technology. The research environment in Lund is characterized by an international orientation and is enriched by numerous well-established contacts inside and outside the academy. Information Studies at Lund University is based in a human cultural science tradition with a particular emphasis on the study of contemporary phenomena, not least those connected to digitization. Research is conducted within the research group "Information Practices: Communication, Culture and Society." Currently, two adjacent and partly overlapping research themes can be identified. These are:

Practices

The focus of this research theme is on the social and cultural practices that relate to information in its material forms. This research draws frequently, but not solely, on practice theory, of which a broad understanding is adopted, and focuses on practices in everyday situations, such as in or in relation to the workplace or educational settings. This may, for example, involve information searching or evaluation of information sources in these different contexts.

Institutions

The focus of this research theme is on institutions that mediate and, in some cases, produce information. Public and academic libraries are of particular interest. This research connects to the traditions of cultural and information policy studies and explores how cultural institutions, shaped during modernity, navigate an increasingly experience-oriented and, due to the internet, competitive market of cultural events and digital information. International guest researchers and doctoral candidates visit regularly and contribute to the research environment. Researchers and graduate students actively participate in networks, conferences and other collaborations, often in international contexts. Our department is part of NORSLIS (Nordic Research School in Information Studies), a network for researchers in the Nordic and Baltic countries, and the doctoral program has a formal cooperation agreement with the doctoral program in Information Studies at Uppsala University. Our researchers regularly act as expert reviewers, advisers and board or committee members for journals, book series and conferences. They are also actively involved in networks and associations such as International Conference on Conceptions of Library and Information Science (CoLIS), The International Information Literacies Research Network, Information Seeking in Context (ISIC) and the American Society for Information Science & Technology. We cooperate with libraries in the region, such as Malmö City Library and Lund University Libraries (LUB), as well as with Kultur Skåne.