Dear professionals, Here is an announcement for ASSIST 2006 International paper contest 2006 INTERNATIONAL PAPER CONTEST on International Digital Libraries and Information Science & Technology Advances in Developing Countries The American Society for Information Science & Technology (ASIST), International Information Issues Special Interest Group (SIG-III), is pleased to announce its seventh competition for papers to be submitted for the 2006 Annual Meeting, which will take place in Austin, Texas, November 3-9, 2006. The theme of this paper contest is: "Information Realities: Shaping the digital future for all?" The paper topic may address either the country or regional level issues. Papers could discuss issues, policies and case studies on specific aspects of this theme, such as, but not limited to the following: Egovernance in developing countries, Factors, issues, case studies etc pertaining to rural/urban digital divide and the information infrastructure (connectivity, access, hardware, cost implications, emerging trends etc) in developing countries. Indigenous Knowledge (IK) and digital libraries - Collecting, preserving and disseminating IK. Social, ethical, political, legal, and economic and cultural issues: issues related to the role of information in society, such as information policy, access, security, privacy, and intellectual property, as well as the social uses and abuses of information technologies such as the Internet and World Wide Web in bridging or separating diverse communities. Information organization, management, access, and retrieval. Information seeking and use: the role of information in professional and daily lives, use of various types of information technology, and social contexts of information seeking. Information technology, social equity and development: IT and governance, IT & and the new economy, including the future of work and implications of technological hardware and software developments; the role of ICTs in conflict management, etc. There will be six winners who will be selected by a panel of judges including Duncan Omole (chair), Jonathan Levitt (Co-Chair), Yunfei Du, Yin Zhang, Nadia Caidi, Sue Johnson, Liwen Vaughan, Nathalie Leroy and J.K.Vijayakumar. Selection Criteria Papers will be selected through a peer review process. The judging criteria will be based on: Originality of paper in the developing world environment (originality of the project described, etc.) Relevance to Paper contest. Presentation and organization. Style. The international paper contest committee requires that submissions follow the International Information and Library Review instructions to authors. Detailed information is available under the heading, Guide for Authors at: http://authors.elsevier.com/GuideForAuthors.html?PubID=622845&dc=GF The prize for each winner is a two-year individual membership in ASIST. In the case of multiple authors, the principal author will be awarded the ASIST membership. In addition, depending on SIG III fundraising for this competition, the first place winner will be rewarded a minimum of $1,000 toward travel, conference registration, and accommodations while attending the ASIST Annual Conference in Texas, Austin, November 3-9, 2006. Publishing opportunities Submitted papers will be considered for posting on the SIG III web site as pre-publications. In addition, they will also be considered for inclusion in a special issue of the International Information and Library Review, subject to the usual peer refereeing process. Information for authors Only papers by a principal author who is a citizen of, and resides in a developing country are eligible. Winners in the 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 or 2005 contests are not eligible. The papers should be original, unpublished, and ONLY in English. We encourage submissions from librarians, information and network specialists, and educators involved in the creation, representation, maintenance, exchange, discovery, delivery, and use of digital information. ASIST Copyright Policy ASIST will have the non-exclusive right to publish any of the papers submitted on its web site or in print, with ownership and all other rights remaining with the author. Deadline for submission of full papers Authors are invited to submit manuscripts, not to exceed 5000 words, by March 31, 2006, to Jonathan Levitt at jonathan@levitt.net Please check the SIG III website (http://www.asis.org/SIG/SIGIII/index.htm) for more information about the SIG III International Paper Contest, including Frequently Asked Questions, past CFPs, previous winners and winning papers, and successful stories from previous winners. Chudamani