Scholarly Productivity in Contentious Times: Future Considerations for Early Career Information Scholars

ABSTRACT Recent policy changes and sweeping cuts to federal agencies in the United States (US) pose a significant threat to information scholars and practitioners in the US and elsewhere who benefit from the funding, services, programming, and support made possible by federal agencies like the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the National Science Foundation (NSF). The termination of research grants, the deletion of public federal data sets, and mass layoffs across the federal sector in the US have left many early career scholars concerned about disruptions to their research and scholarly productivity. These disruptions have the potential to impact scholars around the world who, for example, rely on data that is under threat, or who collaborate with researchers based at institutions in the US. This panel will discuss future considerations for these actions' impact on information scholars, practitioners, and their communities. We will present strategies for fostering scholarly productivity through scholarly collaboration, data sharing and reuse, and information resilience. We aim to foster an open discussion with panelists and audience members to explore additional avenues and strategies that early career information scholars may pursue to navigate these challenges.