CIRI Blog

Published: Apr 12th, 2025 by Dr. Norman Mooradian

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming how organizations handle data, but its dependence on vast datasets raises pressing privacy concerns. AI systems, particularly those using machine learning and deep learning, not only process personal information but also generate new insights about individuals, sometimes from seemingly unrelated data. This ability to infer sensitive details—such as political beliefs or health risks—makes managing privacy more complex than ever. A recent study I coauthored with Patricia C. Franks, and Amitabh Srivastav explores these risks from an information

Published: Feb 12th, 2025 by Dr. Yu Chi

The opioid crisis remains one of the most pressing public health emergencies globally, with opioid use disorder (OUD) contributing to significant mortality, societal burden, and healthcare challenges, particularly in the United States. “You Are Not Alone in This Fight” is the title of r/OpiatesRecovery, Reddit’s largest community dedicated to opioid recovery. The anonymity of Reddit is particularly valuable for those with opioid use disorder (OUD), reducing stigma and encouraging honest discussions. However, this openness also introduces risks, as users may disclose sensitive  

Published: Nov 8th, 2024 by Dr. Sue Alman

[Dr. Sue Alman is the coordinator for the SJSU Gateway PhD program at the iSchool. CIRI had the pleasure of interviewing her about the Gateway Program and the role it plays in our iSchool research community.]

1. Could you provide an overview of the Gateway PhD program and how it’s run?

The Gateway PhD program is an international doctoral degree program in Library and Information Management that is offered through a joint partnership with the SJSU iSchool and Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) in Manchester, England.

Published: September 13th, 2024 by Dr. Anthony Bernier

I’m generally proud of our iSchool’s approach to research methods.

Several years ago, prior to an ALA accreditation review, I investigated what other schools were doing relative to their research methods course offerings. I discovered that while most schools offered a course in research methods, only very few required such a course. Among those programs requiring a methods course, only one or two approaches were offered. Broadly speaking, while the iSchool does an excellent job in preparing students to value the importance of collecting and analyzing evidence through our methods course requirement, there is room for improvement.

Published: May 13th, 2024 by Irene Miller

[Irene was an active participant in CPGE Online Student Conference, the annual college-wide conference that aims to showcase student work and provide a space for students to network. She presented at both the 2023 and 2024 conference and her work drew much attention from the CPGE student community. CIRI had the pleasure of interviewing her about her reflections on the conference experience.]

Can you please tell us a bit about yourself?

My name is Irene and I live in Washington State. After completing a seemingly arbitrary collection of courses including several foreign languages, biological sciences, and

Published: March 25, 2024 by Dr. Michelle Chen 

[Dr. Michelle Chen completed her sabbatical in 2023. CIRI had the pleasure of interviewing her about her sabbatical research project and her advice for faculty applying for sabbatical.]

1. Can you talk about what your sabbatical project was about?

During my sabbatical, I focused on developing a predictive model to streamline and enhance the effectiveness of library outreach programs. This project involved collaboration with a local county library, an industry partner, and an international scholar

Published: April 13, 2023 by Dr. James A. Hodges

The digital technologies that we use every day are controlled by increasingly complex algorithmic systems. These run the gamut from the very banal (say, Netflix recommendations), to the very consequential (say, sentencing recommendations in the criminal justice system). As these systems become more widespread and impactful, there are more and more reasons that we may want to preserve them and refer to them later. Perhaps you’re a software developer and you want to look back at how your

Published: February 14, 2023 by Dr. Norman Mooradian

My current research has two central tracks, digital ethics, and digital epistemology.  The label digital ethics includes traditional information ethics[1], but also encompasses ethical issues arising from emerging technologies, for example, the ethics of artificial intelligence and virtual reality. Digital epistemology includes areas such as knowledge management and representation, as well as the application of theories of knowledge to computing and information science generally.