9.1 Chatman, E.A. (1996). The Impoverished Life-World of Outsiders. Journal of the American Society for Information Science 47(3), 193-206.
The portrait of the outsiders' world showcased in this article is dizzying and confusing. I could not even begin to understand the various rules and relationships underlying the outsiders and their needs. While this article presents general guidelines for working with this user group, it appears as if it is only scratching upon the surface of those plagued by information poverty. The very fact that they are outsiders would lead one to suspect the information collected by the researchers in the first place. How much is given truthfully to the authors if secrecy and deception dictate this group's behaviors?
One thing that I found very interesting from the article is that sources of information are filtered and judged throughout the outsider's community before the outsider will accept it. Even if it can recognize that it will be beneficial. This relies on the people that the outsider trusts to gauge what is acceptable and what is not. But, again, the secrecy and deception that occurs within this group might lead one to pretend as if a source is not worth consulting, in order to consult that same source for him or herself. Is there anyway for the librarian to get over the barrier of this intermediary? We must address the problem of the outsiders without being too demanding. That much is clear, but how would we gain trust? The only thing I can think of would be for librarians to make the library some place that is comfortable, yet confidential. A place outside of reference volumes and is filled with friendly faces. By helping outsiders with situations that are less relevant to their life and less personal, we can begin to forge a bond of trust.
Showing posts with label H. Section Nine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label H. Section Nine. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Section Nine
9.4 Agosto, D.E., Hughes-Hassell, S. (2005). Toward a Model of the Everyday Life Information Needs of Urban Teenagers, Part 1:Theoretical Model. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 57(10), 1394-1403.
Something I find respectable about research articles is personally addressing the limitations of their study. I take that to be an admission that they are not the ultimate voice in terms of the group or item being researched. Not only do these authors acknowledge the barriers preventing their study from being more generalizable, but they describe them and engage the reader to attempt transferability. The authors of this article also located the limitations at the end, rather than the beginning, of the methodology. This allows the reader to more easily tackle all of the data with a grain of salt, as it is one of the last things read in this article.
This body of research is helpful for the library community to garner a more holistic understanding of our teenage patrons. And while I personally find teenagers to be too obnoxious to work with, I recognize that the elementary students I will be teaching will develop into teenagers. By understanding the needs of what they are to be, I can create strategic lesson plans to lead them to become better information seekers when they reach that age. The authors assert that librarians need to think of the teenager as a whole person, not just someone with curriculum needs to be met and I wholly agree with this sentiment. It is not enough for librarians to instruct students on finding reference answers, but guide them to take charge of their entire searching needs.
Beyond assisting teenagers in such a way that they can solve their everyday life information needs, it is helpful for librarians to understand the world of teenagers. Outside of storm and stress and the negative connotations associated with teenagers, research like this reminds us of what teenagers are interacting with on a daily basis. Currently, I am still close enough in age with high schoolers that I can assess these needs based on my own memory, but that will not always be the case. Data provided by the authors suggests an easy way for librarians to remember what teenagers are going through, once they can no longer remember for themselves. And especially as new technology and situations influence teenagers, it is good to have these concepts readily available to those who could not even fathom these new scenarios.
Something I find respectable about research articles is personally addressing the limitations of their study. I take that to be an admission that they are not the ultimate voice in terms of the group or item being researched. Not only do these authors acknowledge the barriers preventing their study from being more generalizable, but they describe them and engage the reader to attempt transferability. The authors of this article also located the limitations at the end, rather than the beginning, of the methodology. This allows the reader to more easily tackle all of the data with a grain of salt, as it is one of the last things read in this article.
This body of research is helpful for the library community to garner a more holistic understanding of our teenage patrons. And while I personally find teenagers to be too obnoxious to work with, I recognize that the elementary students I will be teaching will develop into teenagers. By understanding the needs of what they are to be, I can create strategic lesson plans to lead them to become better information seekers when they reach that age. The authors assert that librarians need to think of the teenager as a whole person, not just someone with curriculum needs to be met and I wholly agree with this sentiment. It is not enough for librarians to instruct students on finding reference answers, but guide them to take charge of their entire searching needs.
Beyond assisting teenagers in such a way that they can solve their everyday life information needs, it is helpful for librarians to understand the world of teenagers. Outside of storm and stress and the negative connotations associated with teenagers, research like this reminds us of what teenagers are interacting with on a daily basis. Currently, I am still close enough in age with high schoolers that I can assess these needs based on my own memory, but that will not always be the case. Data provided by the authors suggests an easy way for librarians to remember what teenagers are going through, once they can no longer remember for themselves. And especially as new technology and situations influence teenagers, it is good to have these concepts readily available to those who could not even fathom these new scenarios.
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