Keynote from Andrew Whitworth- Lessons from the Borg Cube: information literacy and the knowledge of difference. Pam liveblogs from #ECIL2017

Andrew began his talk with a brief discussion of the misinformation laden Brexit election, and commented on the neoliberal agenda that is closing libraries and increasing state surveillance. There is collusion between the establishment and the media to control information, as evidenced during the Hillsborough stadium disaster where a narrative blaming the Liverpool fans rather than the police persisted for 27 years. Andrew cited a book by Marge Piercey called "body of glass" where the heroine is an information professional. In this dystopian future controlled by multinational organisations, independent communities must protect their information by building complex information architecture. Andrew then used the Star Trek villains "the Borg" to comment on information practices, and the need to be creative.The work of David Harvey was used to comment on the relationship between space, place and capital.   Each landscape is unique, they can constrain information flows and flows of capital. The space of this lecture theatre is designed to allow information to flow from the stage to the audience. The work of Annemaree Lloyd on information landscape was used to raise the idea of mapping of the (information) landscape. An example was given of a local authority whose new office building radically altered both information and working practice, but not everyone found it a comfortable or easy place to work. Redesign of the physical space in an academic library can affect information practices. A concept mapping too was used to facilitate group mapping of practices in the landscape and to raise and discuss differences in practice. This allowed a bottom up reconfiguration rather than it coming from the top.

This was a wide ranging and complex keynote, so that I'm not sure I've been able to capture the breadth and the depth of the talk, however other perspectives are available!