What is this place

[fiveipads]

What this is

Scope and Content is a discussion board for information workers of all kinds. It is a platform to exchange information about all aspects of the field that is less hefty than a listserv, but more open than a group chat.

The goal of this discord is to collect together the very wide group of people that make up what is nebulously called “information science.” By sharing knowledge and experiences, information science professionals can work more effectively, and more thoughtfully.

Functional things like job postings are great, but broader ideological discussions about the field are crucial. Participating in this community should go beyond professional courtesy into professional camaraderie. We hope to cultivate a community with a strong shared understanding of labor, care, and generosity.


Why this is

Unless I’m missing something (very possible!), there are vanishingly few “general purpose” spaces for archivists to just convene.

Pretty much every day I encounter something really silly or interesting that would only be appreciated by information professionals. I feel insane sending the same text like ten times.

Similarly, how often are you in a situation where you just actually need to talk to someone? Or you’ve got a question that you can’t even figure out who to ask? Maybe you’re applying for a job but the vibe seems a little off. Maybe you’re starting a project you know has been done before, but you just can’t figure out how.

Too much information is gated behind niche discords, paid professional organizations, and cliqueish group chats. We want this place to democratize knowledge and perhaps even, just a little bit, strengthen the community of “information professionals” if one exists at all.


Why a message board in 2026?

When an academic article cites a listserv discussion, usually you’re in for a good read. Though listservs do still foster the occasional flurry of generative dialogue, they’re quickly going the way of Usenet in a time when professional emails are becoming criminal evidence. Who would have thought those legal disclaimer signatures were completely inactionable?

While there are a few “indie” social networking platforms, a vast network of really good Signal chats, and even some Facebook groups on life support, Discord is seemed like the best option for “community building” in the current landscape of digitally mediated communication. However, in light of a ton of questionable decisions surrounding age verification, and a general resistance to handing off what will hopefully become a useful corpus of information off to a third party platform, I altered course.

I love message boards. I grew up on message boards. And I was very happy when I was pushed to make one. I hope that the kitsch factor of starting a new message board in the year 2026 doesn't overshadow the real and important dialogue that could happen here. I also think that it just being a regular degular URL versus an app removes some barriers to entry, and the searchability is way nicer.

I am hosting this message board using phpbb on a VPS via bluehost. I don't know Mr. Bluehost personally, but I do know how to back everything up and delete it, permanently, if need be, and I know no one needs a scan of your face to participate. If you want to "harden" the opsec of this message board, whatever, fine, you can get in touch with me and I'll gladly hand it off to you. But I think this is as good as I personally am going to get it.