Rules of the game: An interactive panel discussion about how institutions shape information

We focus on the roles that institutions play relative to information behavior. Our working definition of institution is the formal and informal constraints that form the basis for exchange, relationships, and decision-making. We know that institutions play significant roles in the creation, management, and uses of information. And, scholars have long recognized that institutions have both direct and indirect impacts on the sustainability and ethical value of information. What is less clear are the ways in which institutions and people's information behaviors are mutually-constituted. The goal of this panel is to highlight particular opportunities for expanding the current and modest level of attention to studying the roles of human institutions relative to information. To do so, this panel will involve the audience in a lively conversation about how information science views the role of institutions in information behavior. It includes a participatory design structured activity that will engage the audience in identifying how existing threads of research are making contributions and key areas of further inquiry. The panel will begin with dialogue sharing insights of scholars and practitioners who are interested in data governance, information behavior, organization of information, and knowledge management. Then the panel will engage the audience in an interactive activity that explores emerging research streams and questions.