Abstracts for the Lecture Series "Advanced Topics in Information Sciences"

Dr Carolyne Nyaboke Musembe (TU Kenia), Department of Information Science, Language and Communication Studies

Lecture abstract: Information Science is entering a frontier in which information is increasingly created, interpreted, transformed, governed, preserved and circulated through intelligent, interconnected and data-intensive environments. This conceptual lecture examines six interconnected frontiers: intelligent information, trustworthy information, governed information, remembered information, sustainable information, and shared information futures. Rather than treating technological change as the frontier in itself, the lecture argues that the emerging frontier lies in understanding the conditions under which information can be trusted, responsibly governed, meaningfully preserved, sustainably maintained and equitably shaped. The discussion considers the growing participation of artificial intelligence and automated systems in information creation and interpretation; questions of provenance, authenticity, integrity and information literacy in increasingly complex information environments; the governance of data, algorithms and automated decisions; the preservation of digital memory and documentary heritage; the environmental, institutional and infrastructural sustainability of information ecosystems; and questions of access, representation, participation and agency in shaping shared information futures. Particular attention is given to unequal digital and computing infrastructures and to African questions of knowledge, epistemic justice and community participation, recognising that technological and information futures are shaped within uneven social, institutional and infrastructural contexts. Recent developments in content provenance, including emerging standards for documenting the history and transformation of digital content, further illustrate the movement from questions of information trust to questions of governance and accountability. The lecture concludes that Information Science increasingly requires sociotechnical capabilities that connect information organisation, provenance, critical evaluation, governance, preservation, sustainability and inclusion across disciplinary and professional boundaries. The central proposition is that the future of Information Science depends not simply on what technologies can do, but on how societies create, trust, govern, preserve, interpret and share the information ecosystems that increasingly shape development and social life.

Dr Malte Vogl, The Electronic Life Of The Academy (TELOTA), Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities

Lecture abstract: The development of information infrastructures is directly intertwined with the dynamics of social group formation and processes of exchange, and influences how knowledge is expressed in writing and language.

This talk presents a theoretical framework for describing such integrated knowledge dynamics – socio-epistemic networks – and outlines studies on the linguistic analysis of the development of academic disciplines, as well as approaches to the quantitative identification of systematic biases in archives. The talk will be accompanied by two short exercises in which participants will apply basic techniques.

Dr Argie Kasprzik, ZBW Leibniz Information Centre for Economics

Lecture Abstract: Big Tech’s greed for energy, water, land, raw materials, labour, data and other essential resources, needed to develop and operate commercial services based on generative artificial intelligence (genAI), continues to grow unabated. This kind of aggressive, profit-driven expansion, with no regard for the consequences, is sometimes portrayed as an unavoidable necessity with no alternative (often in conjunction with euphemisms such as ‘disruptive innovation’ or ‘technological openness’) and is sometimes obscured by tactics such as ‘greenwashing’ or the demonstrative drawing of ethical red lines, which are then unhesitatingly withdrawn and crossed when necessary. 

The ongoing, commercially driven hype and clever marketing surrounding the latest generation of artificial intelligence methods is creating one thing above all else: the pressure not to be left behind in terms of technology adoption and knowledge. However, whilst the range of proprietary AI-based services is growing rapidly, there is often still a lack of awareness of the immense resources required for training and operation, as well as the practices employed by the major providers to deliver these services. 

This lectures begins by bringing together a wide range of aspects relating to the extent to which the current generation of AI methods and, in particular, their commercial application is leaving its mark on the environment, society and our information landscape. We will then explore a number of approaches for both individuals and institutions on how this footprint can be reduced whilst seeking ways to automate our daily workflows and activities, and how a disproportionate increase in this footprint can be prevented in line with the core values of the GLAM sector. 

Prof Dr Achim Oßwald, TH Köln – University of Applied Sciences

Lecture Abstract: Against the backdrop of the Open Access movement and its various manifestations in different Open Access models, this article focuses on the concept of Diamond Open Access (Diamond OA). In particular, it examines the ways in which DOA supports the objectives of a research culture based on openness. Challenges associated with the establishment of Diamond OA journals are presented both in general terms and on the basis of experience with the library-specialist journal ‘o-bib – Das offene Bibliotheksjournal’, on which the speaker serves as one of two managing editors. 

Prof Dr Elke Greifeneder, Berlin School of Library and Information Science, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin 

Lecture Abstract: What should one do when established methods are insufficient to answer a research question? Observations, interviews, guided tours, touchstone tours and think-aloud methods each offer different approaches to studying library spaces and their use. But what if the research question concerns experiences that cannot be adequately captured by any of these methods? 

This lecture introduces the "Situated Storywalks" method, which was developed and tested as part of the study "(In)visible Barriers at the Berlin State Library". The study focused on the individual experiences of library users with various limitations and disabilities. The participants ranged from people with social anxiety disorders to blind people. At the same time, the study aimed to identify barriers that had previously been invisible or unknown to library staff. Established survey methods proved to be only partially suitable for this research question: they were either unable to fully capture the situational experience within the space or required certain communicative and physical abilities. Consequently, a participatory and exploratory research approach was developed that directly links the participants’ individual experiences to the specific location and the respective situation. 

What makes this method special is that it is consistently participant-led. Drawing on the study, the presentation demonstrates how Situated Storywalks can be used to reveal barriers that were previously invisible and are experienced in specific situations. The focus is on the question of what new insights such a location-based, participatory approach enables compared to established methods. At the same time, the presentation discusses what happens when a research question highlights the limitations of existing methods – and research must therefore develop not only answers but also new methodological approaches.

Dr Kirsten Elger, GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences

Lecture Abstract: Research data are an essential part of geoscientific research and should, where possible, be published openly and in a form that allows for reuse, whilst ensuring that the researchers and institutions involved receive appropriate recognition. Research data repositories ensure the long-term availability of data and enable them to be identified and cited, for example by assigning DOIs. 

Subject-specific repositories offer particular advantages for the publication of high-quality research data that can be reused. Their data curators possess domain-specific expertise and can supplement general metadata with subject-relevant information. This includes, for example, details on spatial and temporal coverage, rocks and minerals, Measuring instruments and analytical methods. Controlled vocabularies and ontologies improve discoverability and machine-readable reusability. Furthermore, authors and contributors can be linked to ORCID and ROR identifiers, as well as to associated publications, datasets, software and physical samples. 

Subject-specific curation is an essential component of quality assurance and a prerequisite for high-quality data publication. Given limited staff resources, the efficient organisation of curation processes is a key challenge for subject-specific repositories. At the same time, there is a risk that long processing times will drive researchers towards generic repositories with self-service DOIs, where comparable subject-specific curation is lacking. GFZ Data Services therefore supports researchers right from the start in capturing and providing high-quality metadata. Metadata editors, data description templates and the integration of controlled vocabularies facilitate the structured description of data and reduce the effort required for subsequent curation. ELMO, the metadata editor, which had been completely overhauled in 2025, implements this approach. It supports researchers in metadata capture, but cannot replace the indispensable subject-specific curation. 

Dr Tobias Wildi, docuteam (Switzerland) 

Lecture Abstract: Archives are often still perceived as mere final repositories at the end of a life cycle, particularly where archiving is regarded as a tedious side task alongside the attractive access services offered by repositories and digital reading rooms. This lecture challenges this perception. It demonstrates how digital archives are evolving into active knowledge infrastructures that not only preserve semantics and context, but also make them accessible and analysable. Two developments lay the groundwork for this. The first is the ‘Records in Contexts’ (RiC) archiving standard, which, for the first time, enables the modelling of contextual networks around archival records. The second is machine learning tools, which now make it possible to systematically analyse the content of archived document collections. For reasons of labour efficiency, this was previously not even remotely possible. On this basis, a new archival practice of data intelligence is taking shape. Archival science’s knowledge of provenance and context is not rendered obsolete by this, but rather gains in significance.

Prof Dr Thomas Stäcker, FH Potsdam, Director of the Darmstadt University and State Library

Lecture Abstract: Building collections is part of the day-to-day operations of libraries. But does this also apply to digital collections? In recent years, libraries have largely refrained from systematically creating digital collections, instead settling for online access to resources licensed from publishers. However, in light of new possibilities for utilizing digital or digitized literature through text and data mining or AI, the question of collecting and providing digital resources has taken on new significance. What does collecting digital or digitized literature mean for the traditional three-step library process of acquisition, cataloging, and use? Is a new medium simply being added to the existing ones, or is a fundamental shift taking place? This lecture aims to shed light on the various aspects associated with building digital collections and to highlight perspectives on the role of libraries in the digital age, which is increasingly emerging as the age of AI.

Anja Gerber, Klassik Stiftung Weimar, NFDI4Objects 

Lecture Abstract: Archaeological finds, collection items and historic buildings are documented by researchers, museums, archives and heritage authorities using a variety of systems, languages and levels of detail. Anyone wishing to know where an object comes from, how it was used, how it came to be part of a collection and what has happened to it since will often find the answers scattered across numerous databases. The lecture demonstrates how information science helps to bring this heterogeneous data together and make it usable for research in the long term. 

Using the example of NFDI4Objects, the consortium of the National Research Data Infrastructure for cultural heritage spanning three million years of human and environmental history, this presentation outlines the work being carried out in the field of data integration and harmonisation. The focus is on the digital object biography as an event-based data model based on the CIDOC CRM, a so-called minimal dataset as a common denominator for different disciplines, and an ontology that enables data to be semantically linked within a knowledge graph. This highlights typical challenges: dealing with different traditions of indexing, striking a balance between standardisation and subject-specific detail, the role of standardised data and controlled vocabularies, and very close coordination with the specialist communities. 

The lecture will also provide an overview of the professional field: it offers an insight into a typical working day involving data modelling, standardisation and communication, and highlights the skills required – such as knowledge of metadata and ontologies, linked data technologies, as well as an understanding of subject-specific research questions and strong communication skills. Finally, career paths within research data infrastructures, memory institutions and digital humanities projects will be highlighted, and suggestions will be offered on how students can develop the necessary qualifications. 

Prof Dr Wolfgang Semar, FH Graubünden

Lecture Abstract: Artificial intelligence (AI) has long been an integral part of many areas of life and work. AI systems influence the content displayed online, analyse personal data to tailor offers and advertisement, and are increasingly being used in sensitive sectors such as medicine, public administration and business. With the EU AI Act, the European Union has created a comprehensive legal framework that regulates the use of AI on a risk-based approach and imposes far-reaching requirements on the various stakeholders along the AI value chain. 

This presentation provides an overview of the key regulations of the EU AI Act and other relevant European legislation. It focuses on the different roles and responsibilities of providers, operators, and users of AI systems. It highlights the legal, organisational and practical implications of the new requirements and how these should be taken into account in the relevant context of use.

The presentation thus illustrates how the EU AI Act is changing the framework for the development, deployment and use of AI in Europe.

Prof Dr Antje Michel, FH Potsdam

Lecture Abstract: In our leisure time, at work and in academia, we are all currently witnessing – as part of a large-scale real-world experiment without any methodological guidance – how generative AI is changing the way we handle information. It is therefore not surprising that, since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, people’s information behaviour when interacting with generative artificial intelligence has increasingly become the subject of research in the field of information science. 

On the basis of the findings of a systematic literature review (currently in press), which the speaker conducted in collaboration with her colleague from Hildesheim, Prof. Dr Joachim Griesbaum, the lecture will examine the following questions: How is the interest in generative artificial intelligence reflected in current research in the field of information behaviour? What research questions are being explored? Which areas of society and which target groups are the focus of this research? The presentation will also address challenges to the quality and timeliness of research arising from the temporal mismatch between the rapid adoption of technology by society and the significantly slower processes of scientific discovery. 

Drawing on insights from several workshops organised by the Information Literacy Working Group of the Conference of Information and Library Science Educational Institutions (KIBA), the discussion focuses on how current developments are influencing the practical field of information literacy teaching.