Information Ecologies:
the impact of new information 'species'

2-4 December 1998
Viking Moat House Hotel, York

A conference organised by the Electronic Libraries Programme and co-ordinated by UKOLN

Introduction

The arrival of the Internet expands our information landscape with many new sets of ecological niches. At first we can expect these to be colonised by our existing information 'species': journals, magazines, textbooks, monographs, paintings, maps, movies and so on. We already know how to deal with these and can expect to apply the same principles in the new environment. However, we have also seen totally new information species appearing such as: home pages, subject gateways, multi-media and continuous publication journals, e-zines and e-prints. We can expect many mutants to appear before the ecologies stabilise. There are new forms of life here too in the networked learner, as well as ancient crustaceans struggling to adapt.

This conference, organised by the Electronic Libraries (eLib) Programme and UKOLN, will look at the impacts of these new information ecologies on libraries and universities today, at the nature and economics of some of these new information species, and at how we should plan in order to cope with our new environment in the future. Such issues will be addressed with particular reference to the experiences of eLib projects, set in the wider context of the international community. In the pleasant environment of York, this international conference with a range of distinguished speakers is an event not to be missed by the discerning information ecologist! The conference has been designed to immediately follow the SCONUL autumn meeting in the same venue so that delegates can conveniently attend both if they wish.

This 3-day 2-night residential conference costs £375 sterling, which includes all sessions, two nights bed and breakfast in the York Viking Moat House Hotel, 3 lunches, the conference dinner and a drinks reception.

The links below provide an online booking form and the conference programme.