Building trust and confidence
through sustainable
information systems research
Karen Anderson
Professor, Archives and Information Science
Mittuniversitetet
A journey: 2010 - 2015
• 2010: three independent, discipline-based groups were
challenged to combine:
• Archives and Information Science in Härnösand
• Informatics in Östersund
• Business Management and Organization in Sundsvall
• Mid Sweden University
• 10 years as a university in 2015
• Working to build a stronger research identity
• Institute for Information Technology and Media which no
longer exists
Mittuniversitetet
The InfoSYS Research Group
Researching about sustainable information and information systems:
• Conduct innovative multi-disciplinary research which creates new
perspectives and values.
• Use our double affiliation as both technologists and social
scientists to nuance and challenge taken-for-granted ways of
understanding information and information technologies, their
development and use.
• View technologies not only as separate artifacts but as contexts of
information, people, technology, design, manufacturing and use,
organizations and use practices.
Mittuniversitetet
ARC13: Assessment of Research & Coproduction
Our self-assessment for 2007-2012 consisted of three parts:
• A SWOT analysis for the developing research group;
• Quantitative data describing our activities – we pooled our data
• Low representation of our research activities in Web of Science
• Less than 30% visibility in the database
• Two ‘Impact Case’ descriptions identified as particularly important
or significant by the group
• Archives and Information Science provided one case demonstrating
strong international engagement through InterPARES Trust project
• The process took a whole year to complete.
Mittuniversitetet
Results?
• Quality
Very Good
• Productivity
Very Good
• Infrastructure
Good
• Collaboration
Very Good
• Coproduction
Very Good
• Impact
Very Good Insufficient
• Strategy
Good
Mittuniversitetet
Excellent
Good
Very
Good
Commendations
 Constructive SWOT process
 2 facilitated workshops
 A clear sense of position
 Confidence in our ability to
improve performance and
standing
Constructive advice
 Shared vision needs
development
 Implement a leadership
structure
 Develop a model for
interaction and collaboration
 In progress
Consolidation of our vision and
achievement is the strategic
priority
Mittuniversitetet
Mittuniversitetet
Five identified ‘challenges’ in focus for InfoSYS
We believe that digital information management is both
the feedstock and the necessary infrastructure to
underpin digital societies
• Sustainability
• Value creation
• Quality
• Accessibility
• Trustworthiness
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Conceptual framework for social sustainability (Cuthill 2010, p. 366)
The challenges facing education in archival science
• Archival theory supports the need to preserve the record for both
current need and future use, underpinning business needs and an
open and democratic society, which makes the social sustainability
construct relevant (e.g. McKenzie, 2004, Cuthill, 2010).
• The design of information systems in which records are created
and managed are a particular challenge for sustainability: few
information systems are designed to support both the long-term
preservation and accessibility of records, or to support the flow of
records between systems.
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Sustainability is guiding InfoSYS strategies that will make
a significant contribution to:
• The future sustainability of our research group,
• Educating for sustainable information provision
• Providing a new model for education for the information
professions
• Supporting a sustainable digital society
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Recordkeeping informatics
• Exploration of the technical and social environments facing
organizations and their risk-related responses;
• Undertaking business analysis to understand the information
architectures that intersect in sustainable ways with the enterprise
architectures;
• Flexible and responsive frameworks to facilitate access to and
rendering of authentic records and information in a secure and
trustworthy manner;
• Understanding the information culture within organizations;
• Embracing a service oriented approach (Oliver et al 2010).
Mittuniversitetet
Mittuniversitetet
Educational
structure
for
InfoSYS
PhD level
InfoSys is part of
Collegium for Computer &
Systems Sciences
Master level
Archives and Information Science
Informatics
Business Management & Organization
Bachelor level
Archives and Information Science
Informatics
Business Management & Organization
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Master degree in Sustainable Information Provision
• Students will graduate with one of 3 specializations
• 9 courses common to all 3 specializations
• Special focus on management and design of
information systems and services
• Provide a deeper understanding of the digital
environment, information management and managing
projects across distributed work environments.
• A group project which will include a representative from
each specialization
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Program content and contributions
• Sustainable Information
• Business Analysis
• Sustainable Architecture
• Change Management
• Design & Use of Information
Systems
• Knowledge Management in
Distributed Environments
• Archival theory
• Organisational Culture and
Change
• Information and Records
Management
• Current Issues in Archival
Research
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• Research methods
• Project
• Thesis 30 credits
The Master by Research programme @ MIUN
• 2-year research education program
• Archives , Informatics, Business management & oranization
• 1 year taught content:
• 30 credit research education + 30 credit discipline related courses
• Individual projects lead to a 30 credit Master thesis.
• Students become a member of our research group, carry out
research together with PhD-students and are supervised by senior
researchers in CEDIF.
• Draw on current research projects:, InterPARES Trust, Swedish
Transport Authority, National Archives e-ARD Project
• Only a few students are admitted each year – preparation for PhD.
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What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!
Trust and confidence
• We believe in our strengths and the benefits that each discipline
brings to the InfoSys partnership:
• A firm decision not to homogenize and submerge our identities in
the new group
• Confidence to swim against the flow: Archives/Libraries/Museums
partnerships focus on synergies and benefits for cultural
institutions, not for strengthening research in the information
disciplines
• InfoSys focuses on interdisciplinary research to ensure
information can be sustainably created, captured, managed,
preserved and retrieved for both the short and the long term
Mittuniversitetet