My name is Kieran Hegarty. I am a librarian, sociologist, and critical information studies scholar, and I live and work on the unceded land of the Boon wurrung and Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation.
I am currently undertaking my PhD as part of the Representing Multicultural Australia in National and State Libraries project at the Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University. I am also a member of the Digital Ethnography Research Centre and was a 2022 Digital Humanism Junior Visiting Fellow at the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna. As part of this fellowship, I pursued a project that explored the ethical implications of archiving the digital traces of individuals and communities.
Over the past decade, I have held a number of positions in libraries and research centres (mainly in the not-for-profit and university sectors). Through my work, I became interested in how the technologies that libraries and scholars rely on constrain and enable particular forms of knowledge production and ways of knowing.
I am currently undertaking my PhD as part of the Representing Multicultural Australia in National and State Libraries project at the Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University. I am also a member of the Digital Ethnography Research Centre and was a 2022 Digital Humanism Junior Visiting Fellow at the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna. As part of this fellowship, I pursued a project that explored the ethical implications of archiving the digital traces of individuals and communities.
Over the past decade, I have held a number of positions in libraries and research centres (mainly in the not-for-profit and university sectors). Through my work, I became interested in how the technologies that libraries and scholars rely on constrain and enable particular forms of knowledge production and ways of knowing.
My PhD research has allowed me to combine my disciplinary (sociology and information studies) and professional (librarianship) backgrounds, to investigate how libraries are using automated software and third-party applications to develop national heritage collections. I am interested in how these methods of collecting frame how we critically understand Australian history and society.
I am passionate about taking experimental, creative, and collaborative approaches to research. Following my doctorate, I hope to continue my work in libraries, creative arts institutions, and sites of research, supporting ways to understand and challenge the power structures that shape how knowledge is created, disseminated, and authorised.
If you are interested in collaborating or would like a copy of any of my presentations or publications, please contact me via email. I am also available on Twitter and LinkedIn.
I am passionate about taking experimental, creative, and collaborative approaches to research. Following my doctorate, I hope to continue my work in libraries, creative arts institutions, and sites of research, supporting ways to understand and challenge the power structures that shape how knowledge is created, disseminated, and authorised.
If you are interested in collaborating or would like a copy of any of my presentations or publications, please contact me via email. I am also available on Twitter and LinkedIn.