BOBCATSSS is an annual symposium organised by Library & Information Science (LIS) students andtheir tutors from a number of universities in Europe. It takes place under the auspices of EUCLID (European Association for Library and Information Education and Research) and deals with themes from library and information science.Target groups of the BOBCATSSS-Symposiums are information specialists,students, professors in the field of Library and Information Education and Research and employees of libraries and information departments.

This year’s organisers are the University of Parma, the University of Milan and Manchester Metropolitan University.

The 2010 conference theme is “Bridging the digital divide: libraries providing access for all?”
The conference sub- themes areas follows:

- Collection
- Community support
- Access & delivery
- Leadership & management
- Costs and economic models

Professor Diane H. Sonnenwald is joining the school as Professor and Head of School. Diane comes from the Swedish School of Library and Information Science at the University of Göteborg and University of Borås. Diane is also an adjunct professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Previously Diane worked at Bell Communications Research (Bellcore) and Bell Labs.

Diane H. Sonnenwald

Diane conducts research on collaboration, including the design and evaluation of technology and practices to facilitate collaboration across distances and disciplines. Her research has been funded by the (U.S). National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and the National Library of Medicine in addition to European funding agencies.

Dr. Ian Cornelius, the previous Head of School, is taking a year sabbatical. Diane and the School would like to express their sincere thanks to Dr. Cornelius for all his hard work and dedication while Head of School.

Retirement and Establishment of Scholarship Fund
Professor Mary Burke will be retiring as of the end of September. Mary Burke joined the staff at the Department of Library and Information Studies at UCD in October 1977 after four years as an information scientist at the Institute for Industrial Research and Standards. Before that, she completed a PhD in Chemistry at UCD and an MSc in Information Studies at the University of Sheffield. She was the first lecturer appointed to join Professor John Dean in the newly established Department of Library and Information Studies (DepLIS), which subsequently became the School of Information and Library Studies (SILS).

Mary Burke

Mary was responsible for teaching and research in the areas of information retrieval and digital libraries and has been a catalyst in the adoption of information technology by Irish libraries for over thirty years. She has been Head of the Department / School of Information and Library Studies from 1993 to 2006 with occasional breaks. She has made a significant contribution to Information Technology strategy and other policy areas in UCD through membership of Faculty and College committees, interview boards and working groups.

Mary has been active in various roles in the Library Association of Ireland, including as a Member of the Executive Board and of the Education Committee. She has been a member of the Member of the Editorial Board for Library and Information Science Research, Library Review and An Leabharlann. She has been External Examiner for many universities overseas, including current appointments at Northumbria University, the University of Sierra Leone and the University of Ulster. Mary has acted as advisor / consultant to many organizations including Telecom Eireann, the H W Wilson Company, and Mountains of the Moon University, Uganda.

Mary plans to remain active in many aspects of professional and academic life in her “retirement” with supporting library and information professionals in developing countries as a priority. To pay tribute to Mary and to thank her for her many contributions, the Mary Burke Research Scholarship in Information and Library Studies is being established. The purpose of the fund is to provide financial assistance to research students on MLitt / PhD programmes who have demonstrated financial need. Mary’s intention is that the scholarship should encourage students to undertake research in Library and Information Studies. These range from Irish students who need financial support to students from developing countries. She wishes to prioritise particularly the needs of students from Irish Aid partner countries. A reception in Mary’s honour will be held October 16 at 5.15pm in the Norah Greene Room, UCD Belfield. To make a reservation to attend the reception and/or make a contribution to the Mary Burke Research Scholarship in Information and Library Studies please contact Claire Nolan, SILS Administrator, phone: 01 716 7055, e-mail: Claire.Nolan@ucd.ie or download the contribution form at http://www.ucd.ie/sils/MBscholarship.doc.

• BSc (Hons) Information and library management
• BSc (Hons) Information and communication management
• BSc (Hons) Information and web management

For more information, go to http://www.northumbria.ac.uk/sd/academic/ceis/ifa/ceissubjects/icm/

Dick Hartley has been appointed Interim Director of the newly created Institute for Humanities and Social Science Research which is to be an umbrella structure for a number of research institutes and centres within humanities and social sciences.

Umbrella 2009 report

The MSc, starting in September 2009, is aimed at anyone working or aspiring to work with digital information – including political campaigners, CIOs, technology information analysts, implementation consultants, NHS workers and marketeers – to give them a competitive edge when creating and managing data. The combination of technical ability and social analysis that students will learn on the course, will equip them to deal more effectively with issues linked to the social networking phenomena.

More at:
http://www.city.ac.uk/sociology/information_communication_society/information_communication_society.html