IFDIK2025

The AP-iConference is an annual event that brings together researchers in the information field across the Asia-Pacific region. Started in 2014, this event is organized by the iSchools Asia-Pacific members, serving as a regional satellite of the global iSchools iConference. In recent years, AP-iConference has been held in conjunction with the ICADL. Also, together with the iSchools, A-LIEP, and ALIRG, it has been hosting doctoral consortia where students can share their current and future research with other students and experts/mentors. Building on this academic tradition, the AP-iConference continues to expand its reach to provide a larger and more inclusive community for the participants.

Following this year’s theme, the AP-iConference will explore critical questions and key challenges in managing digital archives, records, and information. Topics include ethical issues in the use of AI and various digital tools in records, archives, and information management, integrity and authenticity in digital records and information, and contestations of truth in the digital era. Discussions will also focus on balancing transparency and security, strengthening ethical frameworks, policies, and practices for open access, and bridging digital divides to promote inclusivity in libraries, archives, and other related information and cultural institutions.

This year’s conference is co-located with the International Conference on Asia-Pacific Digital Libraries (ICADL), and the Asia-Pacific Library and Information Education and Practice (A-LIEP) Conference under a collective title “2025 International Forum on Data, Information, and Knowledge for Sustainable and Ethical Societies (IFDIK 2025).” The conference will be hosted by the University of the Philippines School of Library and Information Studies (UP SLIS), and will take place from December 3 to 5, 2025, at the UP Bonifacio Global City (BGC) campus, Metro Manila, Philippines.

Highlights

• Paper presentation sessions
• Panel for emerging scholars
• Student symposium

Call for Participation: Papers and Student Symposium

We invite submissions for paper sessions and student symposium. The paper sessions provide an excellent opportunity for researchers in the information field to present their latest ideas and findings while receiving valuable feedback from both general and interdisciplinary audiences.

Meanwhile, the student symposium serves as a platform for graduate students to showcase and discuss their research with mentors from iSchools, ICADL, A-LIEP, and ALIRG. It also fosters networking opportunities for future international collaborations.

Topics

We welcome submissions related to developments, issues and challenges surrounding the following topics:

• Authenticity and trustworthiness of digital information and records – Addressing issues on digital manipulation and misinformation, deepfakes and AI-generated content, lack of standardized verification methods, metadata management consistency, and blockchain technology.
• AI and machine learning in archives, records, and information management – Developing strategies to integrate digital tools and technologies to enhance efficiency and processes, and improve accessibility while tackling concerns regarding digital ethics, algorithmic biases, and transparency in decisions and outputs.
• Intellectual property, stewardship and use of information, records, and archives – Ensuring proper use and handling of materials within the grounds of copyright limitations, licenses, fair use, and moral rights and attribution
• Legal and ethical frameworks for information policy and governance – Examining various legal and ethical foundations, and international and national regulations that govern the management, dissemination, and use of records, archives and information
• Open data, transparency and public accountability – Exploring the role of information accessibility and open data policies for public sector accountability, public trust, transparency, and good governance.
• Privacy, security, and access to information and records – Balancing between the right to information and right to privacy, and addressing ethical tensions and dilemmas in safeguarding, classifying, and disclosing records and information to the public.
• Scholarly communication, and ethical information production and use – Assessing scholarly outputs and academic integrity based on metrics, and verifying truthfulness and transparency in research methodologies, data, and analysis.
• Digital recordkeeping and preservation – Implementing systems and processes for records creation and capture, classification and organization, digital preservation strategies, and access and security management.
• Sustainable practices in libraries, archives, museums, and galleries – Promoting environmentally responsible approaches to archival and information management, including green and eco-friendly practices, digital sustainability, and ethical procurement and use of digital preservation tools.
• Technology, ethics, and information literacy – Advocating for information literacy frameworks and approaches that promote sustainable and lifelong learning opportunities.
• Community informatics and equitable access to information – Bridging digital divide in information and archival access by exploring models, solutions and community-driven approaches that are ethically appropriate for marginalized and underserved communities.
• Representation and inclusion in libraries, archives, and other information and cultural institutions – Revisiting methodologies and developing new frameworks and approaches in promoting diversity, equity, and ethical representation of historically marginalized groups, decolonizing information and archival practices, and acknowledging diverse cultures, identities, and voices.
• Archival labor and information work – Investigating the ethical, social, and economic dimensions of labor in archives, libraries, and other information and cultural institutions.

Theoretical discussions, and interdisciplinary approaches and research on topics not listed above but related to the conference theme are also welcome.

Submission and Presentation

We solicit the following submissions for two categories:

Short Paper: 6-8 pages + references following the Springer Computer Science Proceedings guidelines (https://www.springer.com/gp/computer-science/lncs/conference-proceedings-guidelines). The review process is double-blind. At least 3 Program Committee members will review each submission. All accepted papers will be published in the proceedings of ICADL as a special track. Each accepted paper must be presented by at least one of the co-authors. Sufficient time will be given to the oral presentation for accepted papers in all submission categories.

Selected accepted short papers will be encouraged to submit to a special issue of a peer-reviewed journal on archives, records, and information studies (journal title TBA).

Student Symposium: Proposals for presentation from graduate students, including not only Ph.D students but also master-level students. As we understand that students have different research areas and interests, the topics of proposals may or may not be directly related to the conference theme. Members of the organizing team and leading researchers from iSchools, ICADL, A-LIEP and ALIRG will participate in the event and give comments and suggestions to help students review and improve their research, and to build up their research plans. The student symposium has the following tracks:

Track 1 : On-going and finished research (for Ph.D. and master-level students) – Proposals may be made by one or more authors. The first author should be a student and present their research at the symposium.

Track 2 : Research plans for pursuing doctoral degrees (Doctoral Consortium Sessions) – Proposals should be made by a doctoral student.

All proposals should be written in English and include the following:

For Track 1:
Section 1: Author(s): name, their institutional affiliations, five to ten keywords.
Section 2: Abstract (no more than 500 words)

For Track 2:
Section 1: A short (100 to 150 words) introductory statement explaining: who the applicant is, their institutional affiliation, supervisors, and (provisional) thesis title, five to ten keywords; the applicant’s current stage of their graduate career (beginning, completion of required courses or initial candidacy stage, full doctoral status, data collection and analysis, about to submit thesis etc.); an explanation of what they hope to get out of attendance at the symposium.
Section 2: A research statement of no more than 500 words describing their dissertation project.

Submissions of short papers and proposals for student symposium will be via Easychair through the ICADL conference paper submissions at https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=icadl2025 via the AP-iConference 2025 track. Authors of accepted submissions have to present their work at their designated sessions.

Important Dates

• Submission Deadline: July 14, 2025
• Acceptance Notification: September 8, 2025
• Camera Ready Copy: October 1, 2025