Friday 31 December 2010

Review of conference paper submissions

The Conference Review Panel have been busy reviewing submissions of proposals of papers and posters for the forthcoming ISKO UK 2011 Conference. The proposals cover a huge range of fascinating topics, from analyses of broad cultural issues to technical descriptions of metadata projects and software developments. A noticeable trend is the huge amount of innovation that is taking place in knowledge organisation, encompassing academic research into sophisticated semantic systems as well as practical case studies in how new technology can help professionals. However, it is also heartening to see serious reflection and assessment of topics that only a few years ago were at the cutting edge. This combination of “pace layers” – rapid innovation along with thoughtful analysis – illustrates the richness of the knowledge organisation field and the benefits of strong contacts between the research and practitioner communities.

The key themes of the conference:

  • Classification, information retrieval
  • Semantics and the Web
  • Putting the user first
  • Evaluation and testing
  • Society, networking and collaboration
  • Models and structure

have all been well represented, which will make for a balanced and highly informative event.

It is also pleasing to see the number of proposals from people based outside the UK and the diversity of their interests and experiences. This is surely fitting for a conference held in honour of Professor Brian C Vickery, whose intellect and interests ranged far and wide.

The authors of successful proposals will be informed by 1st February 2011.