The red thread of information

2020 ◽  
Vol 76 (3) ◽  
pp. 647-656
Author(s):  
Jenna Hartel

PurposeIn The Invisible Substrate of Information Science, a landmark article about the discipline of information science, Marcia J. Bates wrote that “…we are always looking for the red thread of information in the social texture of people's lives” (1999a, p. 1048). To sharpen our understanding of information science and to elaborate Bates' idea, the work at hand answers the question: Just what does the red thread of information entail?Design/methodology/approachThrough a close reading of Bates' oeuvre and by applying concepts from the reference literature of information science, nine composite entities that qualify as the red thread of information are identified, elaborated, and related to existing concepts in the information science literature. In the spirit of a scientist–poet (White, 1999), several playful metaphors related to the color red are employed.FindingsBates' red thread of information entails: terms, genres, literatures, classification systems, scholarly communication, information retrieval, information experience, information institutions, and information policy. This same constellation of phenomena can be found in resonant visions of information science, namely, domain analysis (Hjørland, 2002), ethnography of infrastructure (Star, 1999), and social epistemology (Shera, 1968).Research limitations/implicationsWith the vital vermilion filament in clear view, newcomers can more easily engage the material, conceptual, and social machinery of information science, and specialists are reminded of what constitutes information science as a whole. Future researchers and scientist–poets may wish to supplement the nine composite entities with additional, emergent information phenomena.Originality/valueThough the explication of information science that follows is relatively orthodox and time-bound, the paper offers an imaginative, accessible, yet technically precise way of understanding the field.

2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 16-18
Author(s):  
Jessica Crossfield McIntosh ◽  
Kirstin Krumsee ◽  
Julie E. Zaveloff ◽  
Derek C. Zoladz

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to share the authors’ collective experiences of ILEAD, explore the mobile app (Know the Lingo) development process and inspire further use of the open access code. Libraries have changed over time, providing more and more access to information. Despite the goal of the library to serve as a provider of information resources, the authors’ classification systems, vocabulary and jargon can often alienate the majority of the users. The authors’ team, brought together by ILEAD Ohio, worked to determine a community need among the authors’ institutions, which led to the creation of Know the Lingo, a mobile application (app) that aids patrons with discovery. Design/methodology/approach – This paper will define and describe the application steps for ILEAD, the authors’ collaboration efforts and the finalization of the authors’ project. Findings – Throughout the process of ILEAD, the authors’ team discovered new ways to engage the communities, collaborate effectively and produce an innovative technological project. Originality/value – ILEAD is a new grant program that is operating through various states in the Midest. It is our hope that the program continues to grow, and this paper strives to support that mission. Leadership and community are strongly held values in the information science discipline, and ILEAD strives to provide that support to librarians across the country.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Willett

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a bibliometric review of the journal Library Review (LR) from 1989 until its relaunch in 2018 as global knowledge, memory and communication. Design/methodology/approach Bibliometric analysis of 1,084 articles published in LR in the period 1989–2017. Findings Authors from 69 different countries have published in the journal, with Scotland providing the largest single contribution in terms of authors and institutions. Articles in the journal have been extensively cited, with the citations coming not only from the core library and information science literature but also from journals in a very broad range of disciplines. Originality/value This paper extends previous work on articles published in the journal and provides the first detailed study of citations to those published articles.


Author(s):  
Paul Ranson ◽  
Daniel Guttentag

Purpose This study aimed to investigate whether increasing the social presence within an Airbnb lodging environment could nudge guests toward altruistic cleaning behaviors. Design/methodology/approach The study was based around a theoretical framework combining the social-market versus money-market relationship model, nudge theory and social presence theory. A series of three field experiments were conducted, in which social presence was manipulated to test its impact on guest cleaning behaviors prior to departure. Findings The experimental results confirmed the underlying hypothesis that an Airbnb listing’s enhanced social presence can subtly induce guests to help clean their rental units prior to departure. Originality/value This study is the first to examine behavioral nudging in an Airbnb context. It is also one of the first field experiments involving Airbnb. The study findings offer clear theoretical and practical implications.


2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 333-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Macdonald ◽  
Briony Birdi

Purpose Neutrality is a much debated value in library and information science (LIS). The “neutrality debate” is characterised by opinionated discussions in contrasting contexts. The purpose of this paper is to fill a gap in the literature by bringing these conceptions together holistically, with potential to deepen understanding of LIS neutrality. Design/methodology/approach First, a literature review identified conceptions of neutrality reported in the LIS literature. Second, seven phenomenographic interviews with LIS professionals were conducted across three professional sectors. To maximise variation, each sector comprised at least one interview with a professional of five or fewer years’ experience and one with ten or more years’ experience. Third, conceptions from the literature and interviews were compared for similarities and disparities. Findings In four conceptions, each were found in the literature and interviews. In the literature, these were labelled: “favourable”, “tacit value”, “social institutions” and “value-laden profession”, whilst in interviews they were labelled: “core value”, “subservient”, “ambivalent”, and “hidden values”. The study’s main finding notes the “ambivalent” conception in interviews is not captured by a largely polarised literature, which oversimplifies neutrality’s complexity. To accommodate this complexity, it is suggested that future research should look to reconcile perceptions from either side of the “neutral non-neutral divide” through an inclusive normative framework. Originality/value This study’s value lies in its descriptive methodology, which brings LIS neutrality together in a holistic framework. This framework brings a contextual awareness to LIS neutrality lacking in previous research. This awareness has the potential to change the tone of the LIS neutrality debate.


2019 ◽  
Vol 120 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 59-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Danell Teasley

Purpose The explosive growth in the number of digital tools utilized in everyday learning activities generates data at an unprecedented scale, providing exciting challenges that cross scholarly communities. This paper aims to provide an overview of learning analytics (LA) with the aim of helping members of the information and learning sciences communities understand how educational Big Data is relevant to their research agendas and how they can contribute to this growing new field. Design/methodology/approach Highlighting shared values and issues illustrates why LA is the perfect meeting ground for information and the learning sciences, and suggests how by working together effective LA tools can be designed to innovate education. Findings Analytics-driven performance dashboards are offered as a specific example of one research area where information and learning scientists can make a significant contribution to LA research. Recent reviews of existing dashboard studies point to a dearth of evaluation with regard to either theory or outcomes. Here, the relevant expertise from researchers in both the learning sciences and information science is offered as an important opportunity to improve the design and evaluation of student-facing dashboards. Originality/value This paper outlines important ties between three scholarly communities to illustrate how their combined research expertise is crucial to advancing how we understand learning and for developing LA-based interventions that meet the values that we all share.


2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shamini Manikam ◽  
Rebekah Russell-Bennett

Purpose – Despite the importance of theory as a driving framework, many social marketers either fail to explicitly use theory as the basis of designing social marketing interventions or default to familiar theories which may not accurately reflect the nature of the behavioural issue. The purpose of this paper is therefore to propose and demonstrate the social marketing theory (SMT)-based approach for designing social marketing interventions, campaigns or tools. Design/methodology/approach – This conceptual paper proposes a four-step process and illustrates this process by applying the SMT-based approach to the digital component of a social marketing intervention for preventing domestic violence. Findings – For effective social marketing interventions, the underpinning theory must reflect consumer insights and key behavioural drivers and be used explicitly in the design process. Practical implications – Social marketing practitioners do not always understand how to use theory in the design of interventions, campaigns or tools, and scholars do not always understand how to translate theories into practice. This paper outlines a process and illustrates how theory can be selected and applied. Originality/value – This paper proposes a process for theory selection and use in a social marketing context.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 210-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Tadajewski ◽  
Brian Jones

Purpose This paper reviews autobiographical accounts of thought leadership in the marketing discipline and draws out pertinent insights for senior, mid-career and junior academics alike. Design/methodology/approach This narrative is based on a close reading of the pertinent material. Findings To be a pioneer in marketing takes considerable hard work, tenacity, serendipity, and a high tolerance for risk. Originality/value This manuscript can be used by junior scholars to legitimize the challenges they pose to more established colleagues. It helps contribute to the reversal of extant power relations in academic practice.


Author(s):  
Gwen Adshead

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe some of the basic features of attachment theory, and explore how they relate to the development of the “social mind” and the work of therapeutic communities (TC). Design/methodology/approach – The author describes the essentials of attachment theory in humans; and the development of both secure and insecure states of mind. The author will set out how insecure attachment systems are associated with deficits in mentalising processes which are fundamental to the activity of the social mind. Findings – The author suggests how attachment to a TC can promote mentalising processes. The author draws on the work of other speakers in the conclusions about how to “grow” secure minds and societies. Research limitations/implications – This paper is a brief over view only and does not address attachment process to TC in any depth. Practical implications – Attachment theory could help both service users and therapists who work in TCs understand some of the difficulties people have in engaging at the start. Attachment theory also gives a guide to what a “good enough” experience in a TC might look like. Originality/value – There is little existing discussion of the application of attachment theory to TCs.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline S.L. Tan

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine psychological ownership (PO) experienced by followers of social media influencers toward both influencer and the product. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected using face-to-face semi-structured interviews that were conducted with 30 respondents and analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings The study demonstrated that the PO experienced by the follower changes under different conditions resulting from perceived value, social currency and follower activity. Social currency plays a vital role in determining the target of PO, often affecting the narrative by the follower. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first paper to examine the transference of PO between product and influencer as experienced by the follower. It provides an understanding on PO that is experienced in different levels of intensity and changes depending on the motive of the follower; hence, transference of PO occurs and it is not a static.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katie Elson Anderson

Purpose This paper aims to provide information and promote discussion around the social media platform TikTok. Design/methodology/approach Research, literature review. Findings Libraries and library and information professionals should be aware of the potential of TikTok for engagement and information sharing. Originality/value Adds to the research on the social media platform TikTok.


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