Information horizons as a method of human information behaviour research

U radu se opisuju značajke i važnost koncepta informacijskih horizonata, koji je 1999. godine predložila Diane Sonnenwald sa svrhom istraživanja informacijskoga ponašanja. Teorijska osnova modela informacijskih horizonata razvija okvir istraživanja, traženja, filtriranja, korištenja i diseminacije informacija. Različiti izvori mogu biti uključeni u informacijske horizonte pojedinaca, primjerice kolege, predmetni stručnjaci, knjižničari, dokumenti, mediji, mrežne stranice, knjige, alati za pretraživanje, eksperimenti te promatranje okoline. Teorija informacijskih horizonata predlaže kako su određene vrste podataka, koje inače nisu bile uključivane u istraživanja informacijskoga ponašanja, važne za povećanje razumijevanja informacijskoga ponašanja, a ovi podatci uključuju donesene odluke i poduzete radnje tijekom procesa traženja informacija, kada i zašto osobe pristupaju informacijskim izvorima i kanalima (ili zašto im ne pristupaju), odnose i međusobnu povezanost informacijskih izvora, osobne preferencije i vrednovanje informacijskih izvora te utjecaj konteksta i situacija na proces traženja informacija. Sonnenwald predlaže metodologiju ispitivanja informacijskih horizonata koja uključuje polustrukturirane intervjue uz korištenje metode kritičnoga događaja te metodu skiciranja mapa. Koncept informacijskih horizonata omogućava istraživanje informacijskih potreba srednjoškolaca, studenata preddiplomskoga i diplomskoga studija, starijih odraslih osoba te stručnjaka određenih profesija, što pruža mogućnost informacijskim ustanovama prilagoditi svoje usluge i zbirke stvarnim potrebama korisnika.This paper presents features and importance of the concept of information horizons, which was proposed in 1999 by Diane Sonnenwald with purpose of exploration human information behaviour. Theoretical framework of information horizons model develops a framework of searching, seeking, filtering, using and disseminating information. For a particular individual, a variety of information resources may be included within their information horizon, for example, they may include colleagues, subject experts, librarians, documents, media, websites, books, information retrieval tools, experiments and observation in the world. The framework suggests that certain types of data, which have not been traditionally included in studies of information behaviour, are important. These data include when and why people access (or why they do not access) informaton resources and channels, relationships and interconnectedness among information resources, individual preferences and evaluation of information resources and the impact of contexts and situations on the information seeking process. Sonnenwald proposes the methodology of investigating information horizons which consists of semi-structured interviews using the critical incident technique and map drawing technique. Concept of information horizons enables investigating information needs of high school students, undergraduate and graduate college students, elderly and professionals, which allows information institutions to adjust their services and collections according to their users’ actual needs

Why is Russian Domestic War Propaganda so Effective?

This article provides a review of possible causes of the effectiveness of the Russian domestic propaganda campaigns launched in connection with the war in Ukraine and aimed at the domestic consumer, as well as their discussion in academic research and analytical publications. Currently, this phenomenon is much discussed in the oppositional Russian-speaking, Ukrainian, and world media. Nevertheless, the number of short journalistic pieces devoted to specific aspects of this effectiveness significantly prevails over detailed analytical articles or holistic academic studies. The present research aims to partially fill this gap. The article defines the main groups of reasons for the effectiveness of Russian domestic propaganda, identified both in modern studies and in earlier works, and also traces the relationship between these groups. It discusses the organizational and technical prerequisites (the possibility of total control of the media, including access to information via the Internet), cultural issues (the unique situation in Russia, which has developed as a result of its transgenerational traumas), and "political technology" (political manipulation and persuasion) methods. In conclusion, the author makes some suggestions (and assumptions) about further possibilities for studying the phenomenon of Russian domestic propaganda and discusses its social significance

An information behaviour approach to conspiracy theories: listening in on voices from within the vaccination debate

INTRODUCTION. We report on a research study that uses the vaccination debate as a case to understand the information worlds of conspiracy theories. We pay specific attention to the information behaviour of the believers of anti-vaccination theories through self-reports of people who have since converted to pro-vaccination and examine the circumstances under which this belief revision occurred. METHOD. We used publicly available data, mainly from a curated portal for personal blogs where converts from anti-vaccination to pro-vaccination post the stories of their information journeys. ANALYSIS. Text from blog posts about the personal experiences from twelve different individuals on the topic were manually coded and analysed by two researchers using content analysis, and informed by a constructive grounded theory approach. RESULTS. All twelve individuals moved from a paradigm of passionate belief in anti-vaccination, primarily based on online and social media information, and toward a more informed understanding, only when the issue affected them in a very personal manner. This prompted them to seek authoritative information from a healthcare professional, after which they shed their fears and reservations about vaccines, and proceeded to vaccinate their children. CONCLUSION. People trust their primary health care professionals, but they do not often hear such trusted and authoritative voices on social media and the Internet, which has become the first point of information seeking for many. Social media and many other open online forums often bring the polarised voices on both sides of the debate to the forefront, drowning out any other voices. Hence, we argue that there is a need for first-line healthcare professionals, such as doctors and nurses, who are trained to address patients’ concerns, to engage with social media

Indicative findings from a study of information behaviour in digital business ideation: insights from the developing world

Though a wealth of information behaviour research has been undertaken in various contexts over the years, less has been done on entrepreneurship. In particular, there is a lack of literature around the ideation component in the early stages of business formation. This study seeks to address the theoretical and empirical gap within this research stream, bringing together information, innovation, and creativity theory, as lenses through which to explore the phenomenon. Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted with business founders. Participants operated in a variety of segments of the digital technology spectrum. Critical Realism and Grounded Theory were used as theoretical and practical data techniques, using abduction in the theoretical redescription of concepts (codes) identified in the empirical data, and retroduction to identify the necessary contextual conditions for a particular causal mechanism to take effect and result in the observed empirical trends. Indicative results show several societal and personal factors play a role in shaping the information behaviour of digital entrepreneurs. These factors include but are not limited to poverty, parenting, and unequal power between mentors and mentees. While this research project is ongoing, early findings emerge in previously unexplored aspects of information behaviour such as the importance of reading passion and early exposure to digital devices amongst digital entrepreneurs.Peer Reviewe

Indicative findings from a study of information behaviour in digital business ideation: insights from the developing world.

Though a wealth of information behaviour research has been undertaken in various contexts over the years, less has been done on entrepreneurship. In particular, there is a lack of literature around the ideation component in the early stages of business formation. This study seeks to address the theoretical and empirical gap within this research stream, bringing together information, innovation, and creativity theory, as lenses through which to explore the phenomenon. Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted with business founders. Participants operated in a variety of segments of the digital technology spectrum. Critical Realism and Grounded Theory were used as theoretical and practical data techniques, using abduction in the theoretical redescription of concepts (codes) identified in the empirical data, and retroduction to identify the necessary contextual conditions for a particular causal mechanism to take effect and result in the observed empirical trends. Indicative results show several societal and personal factors play a role in shaping the information behaviour of digital entrepreneurs. These factors include (but are not limited to): poverty, parenting, and unequal power between mentors and mentees. While this research project is ongoing, early findings emerge in previously unexplored aspects of information behaviour such as the importance of reading passion and early exposure to digital devices amongst digital entrepreneurs

Navigating “Mixedness”: The Information Behaviours and Experiences of Biracial Youth in Australia

It is generally understood that, ‘for those deemed white, the idea of race serves as a vast source of unearned privilege within all facets of life; for those deemed coloured, it means susceptibility to countless forms of prejudice and racism’ (Nuttgens 2010, p. 255). But what does this mean for a person with indistinguishable physical features, who is questioned daily, “where are you from?” or, even more dehumanisingly – “what are you? In the current racial climate of Australia, biracial second-generation Australians are left to choose between two or more identities on how to behave in attempts to fit binary racial groups and expectations (Shih & Sanchez 2009). This paper presents the data from six in-depth interviews with Asian biracial youth from across Sydney. The interviews explore how this group has confronted race while developing their own identities during adolescence, as well as how their understanding of being “mixed” has developed over time. In exploring this collective racial identity, I draw from my own racialised experiences to address emergent themes from my findings. Numerous displays of information behaviours emerged from the participant’s stories of isolation, belonging and resentment towards their racial mixedness. Information avoidance, browsing, seeking and satisficing were observed within their daily experiences of school, family and social life. Such practices informed how these individuals internalised their inherited intersection of racial persecution and privilege. Critical engagement with information behaviours theories justifies the modern notions of identity as a continuous state of reconstruction (Hall 1996) as the biracial participants of this study struggle to find balance with the external validation of others and their driving agency to be themselves

Information Sharing as Embodied Practice in a Context of Conversion to Islam

This article works to extend two emerging areas in information scholarship: religious practice and embodiment. By reporting on completed research about information practices among Muslim converts in the Toronto, Ontario, Canada area (Guzik 2017), this article reveals how information is shared in the context of religious transitions that take place within a contentious political landscape. Research was guided by ethnography and involved participant observation, semistructured interviews, and timeline drawings (Bagnoli 2009; Sheridan, Chamberlain, and Dupuis 2011). While additional themes related to navigation and authority were identified through the use of constructivist grounded theory (Charmaz 2006), this article focuses specifically on how research participants express and exchange information through nonwritten sources such as clothing items, spoken words, and creative products. The article considers the visibility of information when it is carried on the body as religious symbols, and the implications that this visibility has for accessing expertise, places of worship, and secular public spaces. It also highlights how creative pursuits allow Muslim converts to become information producers and publishers, rather than mere consumers. These roles of production may involve written documents (e.g. sacred texts, scholarly articles, blog posts), but they are primarily expressed through physical actions and spoken words

Saturation, acceleration and information pathologies: the conditions that influence the emergence of information literacy safeguarding practice in COVID-19-environments

Purpose: The purpose of this second study into information literacy practice during the COVID-19 pandemic is to identify the conditions that influence the emergence of information literacy as a safeguarding practice. / Design/methodology/approach: The qualitative research design comprised one to one in-depth interviews conducted virtually during the UK's second and third lockdown phase between November 2020 and February 2021. Data were coded and analysed by the researchers using constant comparative techniques. / Findings: Continual exposure to information creates the “noisy” conditions that lead to saturation and the potential for “information pathologies” to act as a form of resistance. Participants alter their information practices by actively avoiding and resisting formal and informal sources of information. These reactive activities have implications for standard information literacy empowerment discourses. / Research limitations/implications: The paper is limited to the UK context. / Practical implications: Findings will be useful for librarians and researchers who are interested in the theorisation of information literacy as well as public health and information professionals tasked with designing long-term health promotion strategies. / Social implications: This paper contributes to our understandings of the role that information literacy practices play within ongoing and long-term crises. / Originality/value: This paper develops research into the role of information literacy practice in times of crises and extends understanding related to the concept of empowerment, which forms a central idea within information literacy discourse

Participation and Presence: Interrogating Active Learning

Active learning forms a common teaching method within information literacy instruction. Commitment to participatory models of teaching and learning requires critical vigilance, however, particularly given changing information environments and broader educational priorities. This theoretical paper interrogates active learning and its prevalence within library instruction. Literature from library and information science (LIS), education, educational technology, and development studies is used to consider active learning in relation to self-protective information behaviors, the performance of learning, nonparticipatory and resistant activity, technological risk, and questions of inclusion. This discussion invites readers to acknowledge the complexity inherent in adopting active learning for contemporary settings