The World Wide Web, arguably the platform that fully launched our Information Age, is 25 years old this year. There are now more than 600 million websites worldwide, and the Web has changed life forever across the globe, allowing people to access and share information in a way not possible even 30 years ago. But as the Web expands in size and complexity, there is increasing concern about its potential fragility and vulnerability. Dr. Griffiths will explore some of the trends that are straining the interwoven strands of our information universe, from net governance and neutrality to data policy and stewardship to individual privacy (or the lack thereof). Society, especially knowledge stewards, face a plethora of choices in these areas. How we choose to address these challenges correlates in many ways with how a spider constructs, monitors and repairs its web. Can the Information Age survive another 25 years? Understanding the interrelationships of the spider and the web, and the different roles and principles that undergird them, are critical to all of us in both the near and distant future. Dr. Griffiths will lay out the issues and some of the choices we face, and the potential impacts of those choices to the survival of our present and future knowledge ecosystem. Jose-Marie Griffiths' research spans information science, technology and leadership. She has done groundbreaking work on the value and return on investment in information systems and services; researched the development of protocols and policies for resource sharing across organizations on local, state and regional levels, including both public and private institutions; reported on the influences of the digital revolution on the conduct of research; and studied success criteria and best practices for information technology in higher education.
Partner:
New England Chapter of the Association for Information Science & Technology
