Social Media and Crisis Informatics Research in LIS

Abstract

Crisis informatics is centrally situated within the realms of LIS research and practice, given the focus on the interconnection between information, people, and technology during disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires, and global health crises. However, there is yet to be a community dedicated to crisis informatics research at ASIS&T, where researchers can exchange theoretical frameworks, the latest methodologies, and collected datasets, potentially fostering long‐term collaborations. Therefore, this panel proposes to bring together scholars within LIS who have been active contributors to crisis informatics research, from multiple perspectives ranging from critical librarianship, machine learning, and human‐computer interaction (HCI), to mixed‐methods approaches. The panelists will first share their most current crisis‐related research project and how they envision their research agenda advancing crisis informatics research in the LIS community. Then, they will engage in an interactive Q&A with the audience to discuss the current state of crisis informatics research and their prospective plans for advancing the field within the LIS research and practice community. The panel will foster collaborations and contribute to the improvement of response planning and policies through evidence about how information is sought, processed, and used during crises. This panel is sponsored by SIG Social Media (SIG SM).