Award of Merit acceptance speech: Bridges, linchpins and membranes: From I to We

Editor's Summary Accepting the ASIS&T Award of Merit for 2011, Gary Marchionini reflected on his early career in mathematics education and its synergies with information science. He observed that information scientists are connectors and that the field itself is based on establishing connectivity. We create mappings or links between elements, such as maps between search queries and documents, between databases and information objects, between concepts and taxonomies, between searchers' mental models and interfaces. Mapping such relationships is similar to a bridge spanning spaces and cultures, a linchpin coupling an engine and load, and a membrane regulating cellular transport in that each relates sets of properties. In the sphere of human interactions, relationships enable us to move from “I” to “we.” Marchionini expressed appreciation for connections made through ASIS&T and looked ahead to making and studying intellectual and social connections in the field and the organization.