Event report: esss 2011—Scientometric education in Indian summer at the University of Vienna

Abstract

According to the annual rotation idea the second esss (European Summer School for Scientometrics) was hosted by the University of Vienna from 11 to 16 September 2011. It was again jointly organized by the University of Vienna (Austria), the Humboldt University (Germany), the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium) and the iFQ (Institute for Research Information and Quality Assurance, Germany). While last year’s debut programme in Berlin (Gorraiz et al. 2010a, b) comprised of only 3 days, this year’s event was expanded to 6 days including a free pre-programme, a conference, seminars, hands-on sessions and a workshop. The pre-programme as well as the conference took place at the appealing reading room of Teinfaltstrasse Library, which is part of the Vienna University Library. esss seminars, hands-on sessions and the workshop were then all held at the IT Seminar Rooms of the Vienna University Campus. esss 2011 started unofficially with a free pre-programme on 11 September, which was a bibliometric crash course for esss participants short on experience in the field. The attendees were familiarized with the main terms and concepts of bibliometrics by a panel of experts composed of Wolfgang Glanzel (KU Leuven, Belgium), Sybille Hinze (iFQ, Germany), Juan Gorraiz and Christian Gumpenberger (both University of Vienna, Austria). The official opening of esss 2011 took place on 12 September by the newly appointed Vice Rector Susanne Weigelin-Schwiedrzik from the University of Vienna, who emphasized the importance of bibliometrics and gave a warm welcome to the 120 attendees of the 2 days esss conference.