Category: information science

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Samantha Hastings

Samantha Hastings

In Conversation

Episode 18 Sam Hastings

Retired Professor, School Director, Interim Dean

In Conversation with Samantha Hastings, who has been Professor and Director of the School of Library and Information Science at the University of South Carolina, Interim Dean at the University of North Texas, a Librarian, and a Consultant. She is a Past President of top information associations – ASIS&T and ALISE. She talks about growing up in Avra Valley, Arizona, her career, random acts of kindness, and fighting prejudice.

Trailer (1:05)

Interview (1:13:25)

Timecodes

0:00 Trailer

0:59 Intro

5:44 Time as a Math Teacher

10:24 Random Acts of Kindness

11:39 Childhood

15:19 Prejudice

19:53 Career

23:56 Art

28:08 AI

32:56 Significant Steps in Career

37:28 Serendipity

48:10 Information Science Field

50:12 Influences

55:45 Favorite Books

59:15 Importance of Kindness

1:03:53 Biggest Successes

1:04:50 Resilience

1:07:57 Life Principles

1:09:02 Goals

1:10:58 Mentoring Advice

This interview was supported by the ASIS&T Bob Williams Research Grant 2025.

More about Samantha Hastings ASIS&T | LinkedIn

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Nick Belkin

Nicholas Belkin

In Conversation

Episode 17 Nick Belkin

Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Information Science

In conversation with Nicholas Belkin, Distinguished Professor of Information Science, Emeritus, at the School of Communication and Information, Rutgers University and a stalwart of the information science and information retrieval fields. He talked about growing up speaking Russian in the US during the cold war, forming the Concept of Anomalous State of Knowledge (ASK), his time in the military during the Cuban Missile Crisis, being open to ideas but following your own, and keeping fit.

Trailer (1:02)

Interview (1:22:46)

Timecodes

0:00 Trailer

1:00 Intro

4:29 Nick’s Life and Career

13:11 Formation of the Anomalous State of Knowledge Concept

50:48 Childhood

55:07 Military, Cuban Missile Crisis

56:16 Return to Academia

59:43 Major Turning Points

1:05:26 Brenda Dervin

1:08:38 Key Skills

1:10:53 Biggest Successes

1:13:17 Difficult Phases

1:15:08 What Belkin Wished He Knew Earlier

1:18:03 Life Principles

1:18:51 What is Happiness?

1:20:11 Belkin’s Goals and Health

This interview was supported by the ASIS&T Bob Williams Research Grant 2025.

More about Nick Belkin Rutgers University | Google Scholar | Wikipedia

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Ina Fourie

Ina Fourie

In Conversation

Episode 15 Ina Fourie

Retired Professor, Head of Department, and Chair of the School

In conversation with Ina Fourie, who retired as a Full Professor from the University of Pretoria, South Africa. She has been Head of Department of Information Science and Chair of the School of Information Technology. She talks about growing up in apartheid South Africa, her work in health information behavior including cancer, grief, and palliative care, how personal experiences shaped her scholarly direction, with meaning, compassion and human connection being central to it all.

Trailer (1:00)

Interview (1:50:56)

https://youtu.be/b_hqFI3Uei8

Timecodes

0:57 Introduction

3:49 Early Life

15:23 South Africa

27:06 Career

36:39 Turning Points

42:31 Autoethnography

48:17 Serendipity

55:18 Information Science

1:02:26 Influences

1:11:55 Husband

1:19:36 Influential Books

1:21:36 Key Skills

1:27:12 Biggest Successes

1:30:28 Hardest Periods

1:34:34 Personal Conflict

1:37:47 Uncertainty

1:46:33 Goals

1:48:02 Mentoring Advice

This interview was supported by the iSchools Research Grant 2023.

More about Ina Fourie University of Pretoria | Google Scholar | LinkedIn

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Yunjie (Calvin) Xu

Yunjie (Calvin) Xu at the Grand Canyon, 2009

In Conversation

Episode 14 Yunjie (Calvin) Xu
Professor, Fudan University

In conversation with Yunjie (Calvin) Xu, Professor at the Department of Information Management and Business Intelligence, School of Management, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. He talked about growing up poor in a farming family, his faith, the social problems of AI, and balancing work and family.

Trailer (1:00)

Interview (1:24:55)

Timecodes

0:00 Trailer
0:55 Intro
4:45 Growing up in poor farming village in China
9:24 What led to career in information management
14:18 Moving from China to the US
15:21 Why choose Calvin for an English name
16:59 Turning points in career
26:46 Serendipity and life priorities
34:05 Information science field
38:50 Influences
41:33 Publication and writing
58:18 Advice for new researchers
1:02:02 Biggest successes
1:03:09 Biggest challenges
1:12:21 Life principles
1:19:44 Meaning of happiness
1:21:18 Goals

This interview was supported by the iSchools Research Grant 2023.

More about Calvin Xu Fudan University | Personal website | Google Scholar

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Gobinda Chowdhury

Gobinda Chowdhury

In Conversation

Episode 13 Gobinda Chowdhury
Professor, University of Strathclyde

In conversation with Gobinda Chowdhury, Professor of Information Science at the University of Strathclyde. He talked about growing up during the Bangladesh Independence war, meeting and working for then President of India A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, and his process for writing 17 books.

Trailer (0:58)

Interview (1:45:51)

Timecodes

0:00 Trailer
0:54 Intro
3:13 Childhood and access to computers
8:48 Bangladesh Independence War
10:55 Experience with change
15:40 Digital Work Environment
17:52 Family
22:38 Major turning point in life
27:33 Serendipity
31:12 Definition of Information Science
38:41 Artificial Intelligence (AI)
57:20 Chowdhury’s role in the field
1:00:17 Productive Lifestyle
1:06:52 Influences
1:12:05 Books that shaped thinking
1:14:37 Meeting and working for President of India APJ Abdul Kalam
1:19:51 Work with Organization of African Unity
1:24:12 Key skills
1:29:45 Resilience
1:37:46 Life principles
1:39:52 Goals
1:41:46 Mentoring advice

This interview was supported by the iSchools Research Grant 2023.

More about Gobinda Chowdhury University of Strathclyde | Google Scholar | LinkedIn