Preface

Established in 2005, the iConference is an annual gathering of a broad spectrum of scholars, researchers, and practitioners from around the world who share a common concern about critical information issues in contemporary society. The iConference pushes the boundaries of information studies, explores core concepts and ideas, and creates new technological and conceptual configurations—all situated in interdisciplinary discourses. iConference 2018, the 13th annual iConference, co-hosted by the Information Schools at the University of Sheffield and Northumbria University in Newcastle, took place in Sheffield during March 25–28, 2018. The theme of this first-ever UK-based iConference was “Transforming Digital Worlds,” and the aim was to bring together thinkers and leaders from academia, industry and not-for-profit organizations to discuss emerging challenges and potential solutions for information and data management in today’s rapidly changing world. Given the theme and the mission of the iSchools, which is to connect people with information using technologies, the conference keynotes addressed three areas, viz, information, people, and technologies. The keynote speakers were three world-renowned researchers – Dr. Lynn Silipigni Connaway from OCLC Research, Dr. Susan Dumais from the Microsoft Research Lab, and Professor Luciano Floridi from the Oxford Internet Institute.