BCS IRSG Informer goes Medium
By Gregor Donabauer (IRSG Informer co-Editor)
After roughly three decades of informative newsletters, originally distributed as a PDF file, and more recently via online format, we are happy to announce that as of today, BCS IRSG Informer takes the next step, moves platforms and switches to Medium. As the editorial team of Informer, we are excited to officially “inaugurate” our new home on Medium, where we aim to keep the IR community posted on the latest news and activities in the field.
For those unfamiliar with our history, Informer has been the flagship publication of the BCS IRSG since its launch in 1994. Originally distributed as a quarterly newsletter via PDF, it switched to an online format in winter 2012. Informer has always provided insights and inspiration to (and from) researchers and professionals working in all aspects of search and information retrieval. It covers various important topics in the field, ranging from focused, practical advice, overviews of broader topics and research-oriented articles as well as opinion pieces. Informer also keeps you updated about the events and activities of the BCS IRSG, including news about ECIR, the annual Karen Spärck Jones Award, Search Solutions and much more.
The current Informer website was recently shut down by BCS, without warning, making us reconsider how we might want to interact with the community. To keep our publication up-to-date and accessible, we have chosen Medium as our new platform. From now on, we will publish content asynchronously, making sure that you have timely access to the latest updates and discussions from the IR community (late-breaking news: the old Informer site has now been made available as an archived version).
We continue to invite contributions from the international IR community, welcoming articles on a wide range of topics including feature pieces, conference reviews, opinion pieces, event highlights, and more. Our past issues have showcased the diversity of IR, with special editions on regions such as Switzerland, Spain, and Germany, as well as featuring reports from PhD students who shared their research areas. If you would like to share your perspective/expertise with the community, we are happy to feature you as a guest editor of Informer (if interested reach out here on Medium or contact the new editor of Informer Gregor at gregor.donabauer@ur.de).
We want to thank all readers and previous contributors who made Informer what it is today. We are looking forward to having you with us in the future!
And here we go with a nice mix of articles on ECIR, Search Solutions, Industry Awards …
