Demons, Determinism, and Divining the Future of Information Science

“Demons, Determinism, and Divining the Future of Information Science,” ASIS&T Inaugural President’s Lecture

Abstract: A demon in science is a conceptual device used to illustrate a theory or pose a question for interrogation. For example, Laplace’s Demon was a creature that could know every action occurring across the universe in an instant and thus perfectly predict the future and divine the past. Laplace used this construct as the basis of what would come to be known as determinism-a logical, causal, clockwork universe.

Let us posit an information demon. A creature that could reach out and hold the entirety of information science in its hands. Would information science have soft or hard edges? Would the shape and inner forms be fixed or constantly moving? How big of a factor is AI in this whole? Of course, the biggest question might be why would a demon do this in the first place? What could one learn from grasping the whole of the field versus picking up components one by one?

Video (Script below the slides):

Script:

Demons, Determinism, and Divining the Future of Information Science

R. David Lankes

September 19, 2024

Let me start by thanking Crystal and ASIS&T for inviting me to give the inaugural President’s Lecture. I’ve prepared about 30-40 minutes of remarks that should leave us plenty of time for questions, disagreements, and conversation.

Continue reading “Demons, Determinism, and Divining the Future of Information Science”

My 6th Second Birthday

The mind is an amazing thing. Today is the 6th anniversary of my second bone marrow transplant. I can say that and my family laughs about how many birthdays I have and which one requires gifts. I joke about leaving blood evidence at the scene of a crime to frame my son.

My mind has taken the whole experience, put it in some nice little box marked “survivor” and moved on.

But every so often the lid of the box slips. I see in that box the times my thirteen year old son had to help me up a flight of stairs, or the time I had to tell my youngest that I had cancer. I see in that box crying in the shower as I pulled the beard off my face, cut free by chemo.

I can remember the promise I made to my wife that we would have only one conversation about what happens if I died.  Crying as we wrote down passwords and talked about cremation versus burial. 

Stuffed in that box is the fear of dying and the guilt of the burden I placed on those I love the most. Hidden away in that box is the realization that my sons and I were repeating a pattern of growing up with illness that my sister and I had done with my father and his heart surgeries.

In that box was my wife and I crying outside a Georgia hospital where an oncologist’s second opinion made clear I needed a second transplant. A kind nurse came up to us and told us that God loved me and would make it right. I told her that I would love God tomorrow, but at that moment I was mad that he could let this happen to me.

To be sure that box also contains riches. The outpouring of support and love from friends and colleagues and the well wishes of those I didn’t even know. The blood drives that saved lives. Lighting the Night. 

We all have boxes where we tuck away trauma. For some the kids never fully shut. For most it takes a lot of help and hours of people willing to listen and guide.

Today I’m opening that box and letting myself remember. I remember for those that are facing cancer and feeling the blackness that they will not have the chance to recover from. Today I ache for my uncle Johnny. I ache for Joanne where this scourge took her far too soon and for Ciaran the colleague I met all too briefly. 

Fuck cancer. 

Lankes to Present 1st Annual ASIS&T President’s Lecture

I’m honored to give the inaugural President’s Lecture to ASIS&T September 19 at 10 am Eastern Time.

From the ASIS&T site:

ASIS&T is delighted to announce the launch of the Annual ASIS&T President’s Lecture. The Lecture will be open to the public and delivered via Zoom to ensure that all who wish to may attend.

The inaugural ASIS&T President’s Lecture will take place September 19 at 10 am Eastern Time (find your time here) and be presented by R. David Lankes, Virginia and Charles Bowden Professor of Librarianship at the University of Texas at Austin.

Click here for more information and to register: https://www.asist.org/2024/07/24/lankes-to-present-1st-annual-asist-presidents-lecture/

A Longhorn Amongst the Tulips

With the generous support of the Dutch Library Association (thank you Klaas Gravestejin), I am headed to the Netherlands for a few weeks. There I’ll be spreading the word on the importance of centering librarianship on the communities we serve.

I am so looking forward to meeting with my Netherland colleagues. The country has long been a center of innovative librarianship. From Delft to Utrecht to Amsterdam to Tilburg to the amazing National Library of the Netherlands it is honestly more pilgrimage than a trip. I even get to catch up with folks like Irene Harmsen and the cohort of Community Librarians.

I am so looking forward to seeing colleagues and making new connections.

My current public event schedule:

29th MayInnovatie Dag Prodent Fabriek Amersfoort
4th JuneVisit Dutch StoryHouse  Cultura & Zo Nootdorp
6th JuneNational Members Netherlands Library Association for PL at Beeld and Geluid Hilversum

I’ll be posting slides and updates (and probably pictures of canals) here.

A special thank you to Erik Boekesteijn of the National Library for making this happen. Honestly, hanging with him is the real highlight of the trip.

On the Passing of Fred Roper

I just learned that Fred Roper has passed away. Fred was a previous dean of the School of Library and Information Science at the University of South Carolina. When I joined as director in 2016, Fred was not only welcoming, but extremely generous with his time. He was an invaluable mentor in my first true administrative role.

We would have regular breakfasts to talk about the school, and he was always forthcoming with advice and learned experience. He always said he would never offer advice unless I asked…he mostly stuck to that. In the end his advice was always welcomed and sought after.

I leave it to others to write about his academic achievements, his love of Chapel Hill, his award winning baking abilities, and his deep caring. I can only remark on how I will miss our discussions and his giving nature. I send my deepest condolences to his spouse Jon, and to the entire South Carolina community. Today we lost a great one.