Dr Allen Foster

BA, MSc, PhD, PGCTHE, FHEA

Dr Allen Foster

Reader - DIS

Department of Information Studies

Contact Details

Profile

I am currently Reader in Information Science here at Aberystwyth University and I have expertise in the areas of information management and information behaviour and degrees in Social History, Information Management, along with Fellow Higher Education Academy, I have supervised research students with more than 20 students working on MPhil, PhD, DProf over the years and many more at Master’s level in a variety of related areas with aspects of information, communication access, behaviour and technology,  serendipity, institutional repositories, technological adoption, health and justice systems and knowledge management.  

My contributions to the university and academic life have spanned management and advisory functions and in no particular order include Senior Tutor, Investigative Officer, Chairing Degree Viva Voce Examinations, Head of Department, Director of Postgraduate Studies, PGR Coordinator, Deputy Dean of Social Science, Senate Member and Representative, Online Coordinator, Steering Groups memberships, External examiner roles for research and taught degrees at various universities.  

Other external activities in the academic, publishing and commercial environment include Joint Editor in Chief for the Journal of Information Science, Editorial Board Member for ASLIB: Journal of Information Management, has also included Editorial Board for The Electronic Library and also advisory boards such as the Chilean  Comite Cientifico, Revista Ciencias De La Documentation and research funding panels including AHRC as panellist and then as AHRC member of the Peer Review College, reviewer for HEA, and member of advisory groups and consultancy for libraries and associated committees, International and UK Conference Committee memberships and reviewing, and peer reviewer for a number of journals in the field of information science, information studies and associated areas.  

Additional Information

Office hours - in addition to my office hours I run term time virtual drop-in sessions on Teams as well, usually Teams will be on and receiving calls from 4pm to 5pm on Thursdays (Not week of 6th November).  

If the matter is urgent send me an email and we can arrange a suitable appointment either online or at the office. 

 

Teaching

Module Coordinator
Coordinator
Lecturer
Grader
Tutor

Teaching in a number of core areas across management and information subject areas including Information services planning, studies in management, information retrieval and information literacy and digital information literacy, knowledge and information architecture.

Research

Areas of interest include Human Information Behaviour, Information Needs, Information Seeking and Searching Behaviour, Serendipity, Interdisciplinarity, Information Literacy and Information Skills, Knowledge Management, Technology and Communication, Mediated Communication, Information Problems, Service development and User Experience modelling.  

With an interdisciplinary background and wide knowledge of research methods, modelling and theory I may be able to help with a project, a PhD, or other research endeavour.  Always happy to talk about ideas and help develop topics.

 

Responsibilities

Coordinator for Postgraduate Research Student and Postgraduate Research Student Admissions 

Personal Tutor and Higher Degree Supervisor

Investigative Officer, Registry

Module Coordinator

Office Hours (Student Contact Times)

  • Monday 4pm-5pm
  • Wednesday 12pm-1pm

Publications

McDonald, C, Foster, AE & Rafferty, P 2024, 'Playlists and genre: The role of music genre in Spotify’s playlists', Journal of Documentation. 10.1108/JD-08-2023-0152
Houghton, F & Foster, AE 2024, 'Resistance and collaboration within the panoptivarsity: differing views of ORCID in Ireland', Journal of Documentation. 10.1108/JD-07-2024-0184
Houghton, F & Foster, A 2024, 'Resistance and power in Irish Higher Education: ORCID and the monitored university', Journal of Academic Librarianship, vol. 50, no. 2, 102853. 10.1016/j.acalib.2024.102853
Foster, A 2023, 'The search for “a monk, a strawberry and an information professional”: Exploring strategies for advanced information skills beyond formal continuing professional development. ' ABTAPL Bulletin, vol. Spring 2023.
Foster, A, Bishop, JE & Goode, MMH 2022, The Role of Ecological Cognition for Supporting Webometrics: Towards “Serendipity Engineering for Seductive Hypermedia” and “User Analysis Using Socialnomics”. in R Pettinger, BB Gupta, A Roja & D Cozmiuc (eds), Handbook of Research on Digital Transformation Management and Tools. 1 edn, vol. A volume in the Advances in Logistics, Operations, and Management Science (ALOMS) , IGI Global, Hershey PA, USA 17033, pp. 117-143. 10.4018/978-1-7998-9764-4.ch006
More publications on the Research Portal