First Early Career Researchers Roundtable for Information Access Research

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we work, study, and conduct research. Ongoing stresses and uncertainties of the pandemic have impacted research activities and collaborations, especially for graduate researchers1 and Early Career Researchers (ECRs)2. It has also changed the way we connect with the broader research communities. For example, in the last year, conferences were either postponed or held online. Even though many conferences implemented social activities, connecting online with peers is hard. Thus, serendipity and forming new bonds or research connections at conferences have been more complex. Indeed, graduate researchers and ECRs have increased challenges connecting and establishing new research connections in online driven environments. This workshops aims to empower graduate and ECRs, make new research connections, and foster a sense of belonging. The First ECRs Roundtable on Information Access Research workshop at ACM CHIIR'22 looks into the future of research, collaborations, and self-development to ask the following. The workshop is hands-on and interactive-with two key talks to kick-start discussion. Rather than a series of technical talks, we solicit position statements from attendees on opportunities, problems, and solutions on (post-)pandemic research on information access within the wider CHIIR community. Building on work presented at ACM CHIIR 2021 [10], this workshop empowers attendees to share their do's and don'ts, review their practices for success, and refine which strategies work for them. The workshop provides a neutral platform for an open and honest discussion about the lessons learned from working in a pandemic. Outcomes include a technical report written by the attendees.