Objectives

The primary goals of the Center for Information as Evidence are:

To create a discourse around notions of information as evidence that articulate and expand upon this as an area of study

 

To promote interdisciplinary approaches to the study of information as evidence by facilitating collaborations that bridge theory and practice, and cross the academy, government, industry, and community

 

To monitor relevant local and global issues relating to record-keeping, accountability and rights

 

To sponsor relevant outreach and dissemination activities and research forums

CIE accomplishes these goals through its investigation of three interrelated components described in detail below: Accountability, Advocacy (both as evidence-related processes), and Artifacts (as evidence-bearing products). Axiomatic concepts that cut across these themes include legitimacy, power, authority, authenticity, literacy, classification, preservation, and sociopolitical context.

Accountability:  Records, statistics, and other kinds of documents and data are created, used, and preserved in order to ensure that government, business, medical, educational, research and many other kinds of organizations and programs are conducting their activities in a reliable, appropriate, and effective manner. Such accountability is often legally required and is essential to maintain the trust of those to whom organizations are accountable, such as taxpayers, shareholders, funding agencies, and patients. In an increasingly digital world, electronic recordkeeping, communications, and data collection and analysis raise significant new issues and challenges for ensuring accountability.

Advocacy:  Documents, records and recordkeeping systems and traditions serve as witnesses to all the major events of our lives. They can serve as collective memory, document our identities and ensure that our rights can be established and secured.  These same records, however, can also be used as instruments of oppression by the state or other governing institutions.  Different communities have different ways of keeping their records and transmitting their heritage, and these differences can result in power imbalances when two traditions come up against each other, for example, in legal actions, or in post-colonial settings.

Artifacts:  Whether they are official documents or everyday objects, primary artifacts contain a wealth of information.   Scholars in both the sciences and humanities must continually interrogate the best methods to extract and store that information for future use.  This process raises difficult questions of consistency with regards to determining metadata and artifact preservation.

upcoming events

Join us at our new Community Forum! We have created a Google Group for the purpose of bringing scholars and the public together to discuss issues relevant to the Center's interests in information analysis, management, and discovery. Participate in our monthly discussions, contribute to our working multidisciplinary bibliography, and form working relationships with scholars and the community. Membership is free and open to the public. Click here to visit the Forum's homepage and learn more.

WE ARE HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE THE CONTINUATION OF OUR COLLOQUIUM SERIES,

INTERDISCIPLINARITY AND INFORMATION NEXT FALL. IF THERE IS A TOPIC YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE ADDRESSED, PLEASE EMAIL US.