The document outlines a panel discussion on enhancing collaboration and professional development in the field of information sciences, featuring insights from various experts. It emphasizes the significance of teamwork, trust, and adaptability while also addressing barriers such as toxic environments and differing personal goals. The participants are encouraged to share their own experiences and ideas for future collaboration between the ASIS&T European and African chapters.

1. Creating connections for enhancing
collaborative and professional
development: opportunities and challenges
Professor Imane Hilal: School of information
Sciences, Rabat, Morocco
Dr Grace Msoffe: University of Dodoma, Tanzania
Dr Sophie Rutter: Information School, University of
Sheffield, United Kingdom
Sheila Webber: Information School, University of
Sheffield, United Kingdom
27 April 2022

2. Outline
1. Chair's & panel introduction
2. Each panel member will take c. seven minutes to provide insights into how collaborations can
be advanced and strengthened, and to note barriers to effective collaboration and
development: Hilal; Msoffe; Rutter; Webber
3. Participants share their own tips for effective collaboration
4. Participants share ideas for how the ASIS&T European and Africa chapters could collaborate
in the future for the benefit of all their members.
i. When the time comes, please comment in text chat or put a note on the Miro board (if
you have already used Miro today!)
Hilal, Msoffe, Rutter & Webber, 2022

3. Professor Imane Hilal
● Collaboration is chemistry
● Depends on personal characteristics (introvert, social skills,....)
● Strengths: excel, surpass oneself, high achievements, more courage to
embrace new experiences
● Limitations : sensitive to context, to motivation, toxic environment,
management of responsibilities
● For successful collaboration, a precise scoop and an ethical code is
important in case of multicultural teams
Hilal, Msoffe, Rutter & Webber, 2022

4. Dr Grace Msoffe
Strengthening collaborations:
● Teamwork
● Communication and Networking
● Trust and Empathy
● Synergy and Compromise
● Open-mindedness and Adaptability
● Transparency and Honesty
Hilal, Msoffe, Rutter & Webber, 2022

5. Dr Sophie Rutter
Project: Embedding Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in Usability Testing
● Project team: Efpraxia Zamani, Jo McKenna-Aspell, Yuhua Wang
● Project partners: Paper, Ideasmiths, Sheffield Digital, LGBT Foundation, Disability Rights UK
● Participants: individuals who are underrepresented in usability testing, charities and organisations which
support underrepresented groups, and organisations which conduct usability testing.
A diverse team. How to collaborate with equality and inclusion?
● Listen!
● Flexibility
www.embedEDI.com
Hilal, Msoffe, Rutter & Webber, 2022

6. Sheila Webber
Enablers for collaboration include
● Regular interaction to develop trust and rapport
● Shared interests, goals and values
● Finding out about, and taking account of, people's different
preferences/access to communication & collaboration tools
● A (virtual) place where people can find & share all the important
documents
● Guidelines & procedures, but only where you really need them
● Learning about time zones
Working with
committees for
various
professional
bodies, including
IFLA, ASIS&T,
VWER & UNESCO
MIL
Hilal, Msoffe, Rutter & Webber, 2022

7. Sheila Webber
Hindrances to collaboration include
● A governing or influencing body that ignores,
dictates or undermines what you are doing
● People with different personal goals disrupting,
exploiting or poisoning
● People feeling exploited, exhausted
● Assumptions
McKinney, P.A. & Cook, C. (2018) Student
conceptions of group work: visual research
into LIS student group work using the
draw-and-write technique. Journal of
Education for Library and Information
Science, 59(4), 206-227.
Hilal, Msoffe, Rutter & Webber, 2022

8. Your tips and warnings about collaboration!
Hilal, Msoffe, Rutter & Webber, 2022
Your ideas about collaboration between European
and Africa chapters!

9. Contacts
Africa Chapter: https://www.asist.org/chapters/africa/welcome-to-asist-africa-chapter/
Professor Imane Hilal: School of information Sciences, Rabat, Morocco (Chair of
ASIS&T Africa Chapter) ihilal@esi.ac.ma
Dr Grace Msoffe: University of Dodoma, Tanzania (Chair-Elect of ASIS&T Africa Chapter)
gracemakenga@gmail.com
European Chapter: https://www.asist.org/chapters/europe/
Sheila Webber: Information School, University of Sheffield, United Kingdom (Chair of
ASIS&T European Chapter) s.webber@sheffield.ac.uk
Dr Sophie Rutter: Information School, University of Sheffield, United Kingdom (Chair-
Elect of ASIS&T European Chapter) s.rutter@sheffield.ac.uk