Awards
The iConference Awards recognize the most exceptional research papers and posters presented at the iConference each year. They are judged by the respective track chairs.
Best Full Research Paper Award
Winner and Finalists
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(157) Voices from the River: Exploring Digitally Inclusive Tools with Marginalised Fishing Communities in Bangladesh.
Md Khalid Hossain, Gillian Christina Oliver, Misita Anwar, Tanjila Kanij, and Manika Saha
Monash University/ Swinburne University of Technology, Australia
Introduction. This study investigates how small-scale fishing communities in Bangladesh, often excluded from digital initiatives, articulate their priorities for inclusive tools. Using digital inclusion and intersectionality frameworks, it examines how gender, age, and livelihood contexts shape digital aspirations.
Method. Sixteen participatory ideation workshops were conducted in two districts with 128 participants stratified by age and gender (elderly men, elderly women, young men, young women). Sessions involved community mapping, problem identification, persona-building, and co-design of digital futures. Data were transcribed, translated, and thematically analysed, guided by Jia et al.’s five-dimensional digital inclusion model.
Analysis. Thematic coding and intersectional comparison revealed both shared priorities and subgroup-specific visions. Findings were aligned with digital inclusion and participatory design literature to identify theoretical and practical implications.
Results. Across all groups, participants emphasised accessible tools for livelihoods, regulation, and service access. Gendered differences emerged, with men prioritising occupational and market-based tools, and women focusing on caregiving, health, and small-scale entrepreneurship. Generational divides also shaped digital imaginaries, with older participants seeking stability and safety, while youth highlighted skills, autonomy, and transformation.
Conclusion. Digital inclusion is a situated, intersectional process requiring participatory, context-sensitive approaches. The study underscores the need to recognise intra-community diversity when designing equitable digital futures.
Best Full Research Paper Award
Winner and Finalists
Click on the arrows to see all finalists in order of IDs.
(157) Voices from the River: Exploring Digitally Inclusive Tools with Marginalised Fishing Communities in Bangladesh.
Md Khalid Hossain, Gillian Christina Oliver, Misita Anwar, Tanjila Kanij, and Manika Saha
Monash University/ Swinburne University of Technology, Australia
Introduction. This study investigates how small-scale fishing communities in Bangladesh, often excluded from digital initiatives, articulate their priorities for inclusive tools. Using digital inclusion and intersectionality frameworks, it examines how gender, age, and livelihood contexts shape digital aspirations.
Method. Sixteen participatory ideation workshops were conducted in two districts with 128 participants stratified by age and gender (elderly men, elderly women, young men, young women). Sessions involved community mapping, problem identification, persona-building, and co-design of digital futures. Data were transcribed, translated, and thematically analysed, guided by Jia et al.’s five-dimensional digital inclusion model.
Analysis. Thematic coding and intersectional comparison revealed both shared priorities and subgroup-specific visions. Findings were aligned with digital inclusion and participatory design literature to identify theoretical and practical implications.
Results. Across all groups, participants emphasised accessible tools for livelihoods, regulation, and service access. Gendered differences emerged, with men prioritising occupational and market-based tools, and women focusing on caregiving, health, and small-scale entrepreneurship. Generational divides also shaped digital imaginaries, with older participants seeking stability and safety, while youth highlighted skills, autonomy, and transformation.
Conclusion. Digital inclusion is a situated, intersectional process requiring participatory, context-sensitive approaches. The study underscores the need to recognise intra-community diversity when designing equitable digital futures.
Award for Best Short Research Paper
Winner and Finalists
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(118) Engineering Oral Stories: A Conceptual Model of Traditions as Water
Andrew Wiebe
University of Toronto, Canada
Introduction. Oral narratives often change form and ownership as they transition from speech to text, yet cataloguing practices rarely capture this fluidity. This study examines how description can mirror the layered nature of stories, rather than freezing them at the moment of initial recording.
Method. A comparative case design is used. First, recensions of the Táin Bó Cúailnge are examined through de Laet and Mol’s (2000) “fluid‑technology” lens to model how narrative parts are exchanged like pump components. Second, Mapping Assiniboia Residential School Survivor Stories: Did You See Us? is presented to demonstrate an Indigenous perspective in contemporary North America.
Analysis. The analysis of these two case studies is a literary review that provides a theoretical framing of scholarly responses to FRBR, addressing and situating how different oral traditions align in a central ambiguity.
Results . In both cases, a recurring chain appeared: community blueprint, local knowledge carriers, and distribution principles. Conventional catalogues only document the carrier, leaving the blueprint and flow unseen. A three-tier FRBR-Lite model captures all layers without the data overhead that hinders full FRBR adoption.
Conclusions. Treating description as hydraulic stewardship—tracking blueprint, pump, and flow—aligns metadata with long-standing narrative fluidity and honours Indigenous sovereignty by incorporating community protocols at the carrier level.
Award for Best Poster
Winner and Finalists
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(197) Preserving the Legacy of a Space Training Facility through Digital Storytelling
Junshan Liu, Danielle Willkens, Jeff Kim, Scott Kramer
Auburn University / Georgia Institute of Technology, United States of America
Introduction. The Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS) at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama, built in 1968, was a landmark facility for astronaut training during the Apollo, Skylab, and Shuttle programs. Demolished in 2025, the NBS is an exceptional case of endangered space heritage. This project explores how digital documentation and exhibition planning can preserve and interpret such sites at the intersection of technological innovation, Cold War history, and community memory.
Method. The project plans to integrate archival research, oral histories, and advanced digital documentation (e.g., LiDAR, photogrammetry, and 360° photography). By early 2026, the project team has completed field documentation of the NBS. These datasets provide a foundation for planning an interpretive exhibition that integrates archival materials and oral histories into both a physical on-site exhibition at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center and a globally accessible digital platform.
Analysis. At this planning stage, analysis focuses on developing interpretive themes, including space heritage, technological training, community identity, and preservation of at-risk sites, and testing strategies for combining digital assets with archival and narrative sources.
Results. Preliminary outcomes include a comprehensive digital record of the NBS and prototype concepts for interactive exhibition design. Presenting these results at iConference provides an opportunity to receive feedback from colleagues in information science, digital heritage, and cultural informatics, which will help refine the project’s next stages.
Conclusions. This poster introduces the project in its early stage, highlighting the urgency of preserving vanished space heritage and demonstrating workflows that can be adapted for other industrial or engineering heritage sites at risk or inaccessible to the public. By using iConference as a venue for dialogue, the project aims to strengthen its interpretive strategies through peer engagement.
Award for Best Chinese Research Paper
Winner and Finalists
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(125) 中国图书馆学话语体系的百年建构及其时代路径 (The Centennial Construction and Era Path of China’s Library Science Discourse System)
Qinggong Shi, Wei Feng, Ximing Xiao
Wuhan University, China / Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
中国特色图书馆学学科体系、学术体系、话语体系构建是中国特色哲学社会科学体系建设的重要任务之一。中国特色图书馆学话语创新经历了民国时期、新中国成立后的前30年和改革开放至今三个时期,不同历史时期的话语创新都取得了一定的成果。目前，中国特色图书馆学话语体系构建仍然面临着严峻的内部和外部挑战。理论性话语、制度性话语、价值性话语和实践性话语是中国特色图书馆学话语体系的主要内容构成。中国特色图书馆学话语体系构建的目标是，在表达内容上凸显“中国特色”，在表达形式上形成“中国风格”，在表达效果上彰显“中国气派”，在表达视野上体现“天下情怀”。中国式现代化背景下，构建中国特色图书馆学话语体系，要不断强化中国特色图书馆学话语体系的理论基础，创新中国特色图书馆学话语体系的表达形式，建全中国特色图书馆学话语体系的传播格局，提升中国特色图书馆学话语体系的实践效能，夯实中国特色图书馆学话语体系的外部保障。图1。参考文献45。
The construction of the discipline system, academic system, and discourse system of library science with Chinese characteristics is a crucial task in building a philosophical and social science framework unique to China. The innovation of this discourse has evolved through three distinct periods: the Republican era, the first thirty years following the establishment of the People's Republic of China, and the ongoing reform and opening-up period. Each historical phase has yielded significant achievements in discourse innovation. Currently, the construction of the discourse system of library science with Chinese characteristics faces serious internal and external challenges. The primary components of this discourse system include theoretical discourse, institutional discourse, value-based discourse, and practical discourse. The objective is to emphasize "Chinese characteristics" in content, establish a "Chinese style" in form, showcase "Chinese grandeur" in impact, and reflect a "global perspective" in outlook. In the context of Chinese modernization, it is essential to continuously strengthen the theoretical foundation of this discourse system, innovate its forms of expression, enhance its communication framework, improve its practical effectiveness, and solidify its external support. 1 fig. 45 refs.