scholarly journals Narrative ephemera: documents in storytelling worlds

2020 ◽  
Vol 77 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-127
Author(s):  
Alex C. Urban
Keyword(s):  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Information Behavior ◽  
User Interactions ◽  
Science Field ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Narrative Space ◽  
Stimulated Recall ◽  
Digital Stories ◽  
Behavior Theories

PurposeSome virtual, immersive stories are filled with documents that users must locate and interact with to experience a narrative. Exploring a new area of inquiry in the information science field, this study focuses on individuals' experiences with documents in a particular 3D storytelling world.Design/methodology/approachUsing a qualitative approach, this study examined user interactions with virtual documents to better understand the relationship between information behavior and narrative spaces. This study employed observations of users in a story-rich world, followed by semistructured interviews using virtual artifacts and stimulated recall.FindingsUsing an interpretative phenomenological analysis, this study found that (1) environmental and personal influences, (2) the search and the narrative experience and (3) expectation and confirmation events surround a user's experiences with documents in storytelling worlds. These influences and experiences determine the user's relationship with these documents, which may be considered narrative ephemera – objects that a user accumulates to create and structure a story. This model of narrative ephemera depicts the user's search for narrative cadence, fulfillment of competence needs and visions of story events or the user's own lived experiences. Individuals may experience these phenomena from a single document, shifting back and forth between the designers' intentions and the users' own realities.Originality/valueThis study represents a first attempt to investigate information behavior in a distributed narrative space: a virtual world filled with documents. This study reveals that commonly employed information behavior theories, as well as literary and motivation theories, may be well suited for investigating story worlds. Continued research in this area of inquiry may benefit educators as well as designers of digital stories.

Intellectual structure of information science 2011–2020: an author co-citation analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dangzhi Zhao ◽  
Andreas Strotmann
Keyword(s):  
Citation Analysis ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Research Evaluation ◽  
Information Behavior ◽  
Intellectual Structure ◽  
Knowledge Domain ◽  
Science Field ◽  
Content Type ◽  
History Of ◽  
Time Periods

PurposeThis study continues a long history of author co-citation analysis of the intellectual structure of information science into the time period of 2011–2020. It also examines changes in this structure from 2006–2010 through 2011–2015 to 2016–2020. Results will contribute to a better understanding of the information science research field.Design/methodology/approachThe well-established procedures and techniques for author co-citation analysis were followed. Full records of research articles in core information science journals published during 2011–2020 were retrieved and downloaded from the Web of Science database. About 150 most highly cited authors in each of the two five-year time periods were selected from this dataset to represent this field, and their co-citation counts were calculated. Each co-citation matrix was input into SPSS for factor analysis, and results were visualized in Pajek. Factors were interpreted as specialties and labeled upon an examination of articles written by authors who load primarily on each factor.FindingsThe two-camp structure of information science continued to be present clearly. Bibliometric indicators for research evaluation dominated the Knowledge Domain Analysis camp during both fivr-year time periods, whereas interactive information retrieval (IR) dominated the IR camp during 2011–2015 but shared dominance with information behavior during 2016–2020. Bridging between the two camps became increasingly weaker and was only provided by the scholarly communication specialty during 2016–2020. The IR systems specialty drifted further away from the IR camp. The information behavior specialty experienced a deep slump during 2011–2020 in its evolution process. Altmetrics grew to dominate the Webometrics specialty and brought it to a sharp increase during 2016–2020.Originality/valueAuthor co-citation analysis (ACA) is effective in revealing intellectual structures of research fields. Most related studies used term-based methods to identify individual research topics but did not examine the interrelationships between these topics or the overall structure of the field. The few studies that did discuss the overall structure paid little attention to the effect of changes to the source journals on the results. The present study does not have these problems and continues the long history of benchmark contributions to a better understanding of the information science field using ACA.

scholarly journals The use of participatory methodologies for conducting literacy activities

2017 ◽  
Vol 118 (9/10) ◽  
pp. 456-470 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan D. Machin-Mastromatteo
Keyword(s):  
Digital Media ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Science Field ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Methodological Basis ◽  
Methodological Foundation ◽  
The Media ◽  
Digital Media Literacy

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to construct the basis for a research agenda that integrates participatory methodologies (PMs) into literacies (L) research and practice as a valuable methodological basis. Design/methodology/approach The pros and cons of using PM on L research and practice are explained, as well as its possibilities, characteristics and the contributions of a research agenda under such integration (PM-L agenda). This analysis draws from the pertinent literature, Scopus publication data, the author’s own practice as an information literacy (IL) researcher and a questionnaire used to gather further insights from the research community in this matter. Findings A further understanding of the contributions that a PM-L research agenda can bring to the library and information science field is achieved. The pros, cons, hesitations and eagerness that researchers might have toward the idea of using such integration are valuable for determining if this really is a perfect but not an explicit fit. Research limitations/implications Although the questionnaire was promoted in a large international conference during a four-year period (2013-2017), it was answered by 34 participants; only 16 participants had previous experiences with the PM-L integration, and only an average of 8 participants provided significant answers to our open-ended questions. Thus, the amount of data available to analyze was limited. Certainly, using Scopus data provides a large but incomplete picture of the specialized literature that is peer reviewed and indexed, because it excludes publications not indexed that may be pertinent. Originality/value The PM-L integration is deemed as highly adequate, as PMs seek to improve participants’ conditions, situations and realities through reflection and engagement, while L-related activities and research (including information, digital, media literacy or new literacies) are conducted to improve people’s use and understanding of the media for which they are developing literacy. This contributes to their betterment as critical-thinkers, persons, citizens and learners. However, many researchers and especially practitioners do not formally use PM to conduct L activities, at least in many cases, this is not made explicitly. In the case of practitioners, some have conducted such activities empirically, without an appropriate methodological foundation. Hence, to establish PM as the methodologies of choice may help researchers and practitioners have a stronger methodological basis to conduct their work.

scholarly journals Time and temporality in library and information science

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jutta Haider ◽  
Veronica Johansson ◽  
Björn Hammarfelt
Keyword(s):  
Information Science ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Library And Information Science ◽  
Science Field ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Time Regime ◽  
Information Work ◽  
Late Modern

PurposeThe article introduces selected theoretical approaches to time and temporality relevant to the field of library and information science, and it briefly introduces the papers gathered in this special issue. A number of issues that could potentially be followed in future research are presented.Design/methodology/approachThe authors review a selection of theoretical and empirical approaches to the study of time that originate in or are of particular relevance to library and information science. Four main themes are identified: (1) information as object in temporal perspectives; (2) time and information as tools of power and control; (3) time in society; and (4) experiencing and practicing time.FindingsThe paper advocates a thorough engagement with how time and temporality shape notions of information more broadly. This includes, for example, paying attention to how various dimensions of the late-modern time regime of acceleration feed into the ways in which information is operationalised, how information work is commodified, and how hierarchies of information are established; paying attention to the changing temporal dynamics that networked information systems imply for our understanding of documents or of memory institutions; or how external events such as social and natural crises quickly alter modes, speed, and forms of data production and use, in areas as diverse as information practices, policy, management, representation, and organisation, amongst others.Originality/valueBy foregrounding temporal perspectives in library and information science, the authors advocate dialogue with important perspectives on time that come from other fields. Rather than just including such perspectives in library and information science, however, the authors find that the focus on information and documents that the library and information science field contributes has great potential to advance the understanding of how notions and experiences of time shape late-modern societies and individuals.

Interpretative phenomenological analysis for LIS research

2015 ◽  
Vol 71 (2) ◽  
pp. 338-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy VanScoy ◽  
Solveig Beyza Evenstad
Keyword(s):  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Information Service ◽  
Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Library And Information Science ◽  
Phenomenological Method ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Information Professionals

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview and evaluation of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) for the library and information science (LIS) community, as this method has only recently been used for exploring experiences of various phenomena related to LIS. Design/methodology/approach – IPA is discussed within the phenomenological tradition. Two examples of recent IPA studies are examined in parallel to show application of the IPA method. Issues and challenges of applying IPA to LIS research questions are discussed. Findings – IPA is an alternative phenomenological method, adding to the repertoire of qualitative methods used for LIS research. It was an effective method for exploring experience among information professionals: it was equally suitable for studying reference and information service work for academic library professionals and burnout experience for information and communication technology workers. Originality/value – Only a few LIS studies have used IPA and no discussion or evaluation of the method has been published for this field. This paper provides a discussion of the method for LIS researchers interested in this emerging phenomenological method.

scholarly journals Preparing for the age of the digital palimpsest

2012 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 513-522
Author(s):  
Jason Bengtson
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Data Recovery ◽  
Digital Archives ◽  
Science Field ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Moon Landing

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to define and stimulate interest in a potential new specialty within the information science field.Design/methodology/approachSources on digital forensics and digital archeology are discussed, and the topic is examined critically from a librarian perspective. The author examines the possibility of an information science specialty pursuing the reconstruction of “digital palimpsests”, where data that later becomes historically significant has been deleted or partially overwritten on digital media.FindingsThe author identifies at least one key incident (the NASA moon landing tapes) where this potential field has already started to be defined. Examination of the literature indicates that emphasis in data recovery to this point has centered on the needs of law enforcement and disaster recovery rather than on the considerations of manuscript preservation, recovery, and curation. The author emphasizes the need for librarians to bring together the skills of multiple fields, especially that of information technology, in order to shape the tools needed to take the lead in “digital palimpsest” recovery.Originality/valueThe author asserts that the recovery of “digital palimpsests” will become important as digital archives age and society's position on what has historical value inevitably shifts. The author further asserts that members of the information science field must actively work to take ownership of the field before it is subsumed by information technology or another discipline less equipped to manage its nebulous considerations effectively.

The information of story: the genre and information activities of ultrarunning race reports

2017 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
pp. 460-474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim Gorichanaz
Keyword(s):  
Information Science ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Information Behavior ◽  
Genre Theory ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Serious Leisure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Qualitative Survey ◽  
New Ideas ◽  
Leisure Pursuit

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the “race report” as a document genre in the serious-leisure pursuit of ultrarunning. Despite the sport’s largely non-documental nature, race reports stand as an anomaly in their importance. This exploration serves as a springboard to investigate the informativeness of story in human life generally. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative survey of the information behavior of ultrarunners was conducted. The 46 participants were runners in a 100-mile footrace in 2016. Responses were first analyzed through phenomenological theme analysis and then were subjected to a deductive audit using a framework of information activities validated for use in serious-leisure pursuits. Findings Race reports are bound up in information activities across the information-communication chain. Race reports help athletes choose races, prepare for races, pre-experience races, communicate their race experiences, gather new ideas, extend their training and, finally, find entertainment. Research limitations/implications This discussion of genre is synchronic, largely limited to one moment in time, and its findings were limited in depth by the survey method. Further research should investigate race reports historically (diachronically) and infrastructurally. Originality/value This work points to symbiosis between genre theory and information behavior theory. It also legitimizes narrative reasoning as a way of knowing, which has been largely unrecognized in information behavior. Some implications of this for information science and technology are discussed.

An interdisciplinary platform for information behavior research in the liberal arts hobby

2014 ◽  
Vol 70 (5) ◽  
pp. 945-962 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenna Hartel
Keyword(s):  
Liberal Arts ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Information Behavior ◽  
Serious Leisure ◽  
Leisure Studies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Serious Leisure Perspective ◽  
Leisure Pursuit

Purpose – The liberal arts hobby is a leisure pursuit that entails the systematic and fervent pursuit of knowledge for its own sake. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the liberal arts hobby as a setting for information behavior research. Design/methodology/approach – The method of interdisciplinary translation work is used to relate existing research from the specialties of leisure studies, adult education, and information behavior. Drawing from leisure studies, the liberal arts hobby is presented within the context of the serious leisure perspective, a theoretical framework of leisure. Also, relevant research. Findings – The basic informational features of the liberal arts hobby and adult learning project are discussed in terms of three issues of current interest within information behavior scholarship. The issues are: first, social metatheory and the ideal level of analysis; second, time and information behavior; and third, information behavior in pleasurable and profound contexts. Research limitations/implications – Research into everyday life, serious leisure and hobbies is extended and methodological tools are provided. Practical implications – Information professionals, such as public librarians or systems designers, will have a better understanding of the information experience of a popular hobby group and be better able to meet their information needs. Social implications – Awareness and understanding of the liberal arts hobby will be increased across the field of information science, thereby creating a better alignment between the field and society. Originality/value – The paper is the first to establish an interdisciplinary starting point for information behavior research in the liberal arts hobby.

Resource-sharing through an inter-institutional repository

2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 730-748 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Abrizah ◽  
Mohd Hilmi ◽  
Norliya Ahmad Kassim
Keyword(s):  
Resource Sharing ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Research Output ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Open Access Publishing ◽  
Institutional Repository ◽  
Teaching Resources ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Institutional Repositories ◽  
Digital Repositories

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to be concerned with the motivations and resistance among an institutional repository (IR) stakeholder – the Library and Information Science (LIS) academicians – with respect to Green Road open access publishing in an inter-institutional repository. Design/methodology/approach – The answers were identified from 47 LIS faculty from three library schools in Malaysia who reported awareness of what an IR is and having had experience in contributing resources to digital repositories. Data were collected using survey and interviews. Findings – The results highlighted the LIS faculty on their motivation to share their intellectual profile, research and teaching resources in an inter-institutional repositories and why the reluctance in contributing. The study reveals that the major motivation to share resources for those practicing self-archiving is related to performance expectancy, social influence, visible and authoritative advantage, career benefit and quality work. The major resistance to share scholarly research output through self-archiving in institutional repositories for those practicing self-archiving is concern on plagiarism, time and effort, technical infrastructure, lack of self-efficacy and insularity. Practical implications – Knowing what conditions predict motivation and resistance to contribute to IRs would allow IR administrators to ensure greater and more effective participation in resource-sharing among LIS academic community. If this resistance is addressed aptly, IRs can be of real benefit to their teaching, scholarship, collaborations, and publishing and to the community that they serve. Originality/value – The first study that has explored the ways LIS academics respond to a situation where knowledge sharing in academe has now been made mandatory through an IR and what makes them resist to do so.

scholarly journals The concept of neutrality: a new approach

2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 333-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Macdonald ◽  
Briony Birdi
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Social Institutions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Library And Information Science ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Normative Framework ◽  
Contextual Awareness

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.

Learning analytics: where information science and the learning sciences meet

2019 ◽  
Vol 120 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 59-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Danell Teasley
Keyword(s):  
Learning Analytics ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Significant Contribution ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Learning Sciences ◽  
Digital Tools ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Working Together ◽  
Everyday Learning

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.

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