LIS 5053 Information Seeking and Use

This artifact is for LIS-5053 Information Seeking and Use, taken in Fall 2022. The paper chosen was observations of an information ground. The project was to observe a location for a minimum of two hours in which information is being shared in a social area. I chose to observe a coffee shop in Norman, OK, for an hour each day for two days.

The results from the observations provided me with insights into how information is shared and knowledge is transferred within the coffee shops. I saw quite a few similarities between the journal articles and information incidents I observed in the coffee shop. I learned there are various ways in which information incidents can occur, and there are various ways in which information is conveyed or transferred. I also learned that coffee shops are being used within libraries and businesses to transfer knowledge or provide programming to mimic the way coffee shops do.

From the observations and research for the paper, I learned I need to pay attention to where a patron is in the information search process or learning process. I am applying the ideas in this class and paying attention to how the patron is searching or asking for information to better assist them in their information search, not just within catalog searches but also with internet searches and makerspaces. I recognize when someone is repeating information back as a way to learn the information and how to facilitate the patron to help get over some of the frustration in the learning process. The paper also made me question how I seek information when I engage in a social situation and how to facilitate the best information incident resolution possible.  This paper also made me realize that there is missing data and analysis on information transfer in information grounds when the participants are not in a cordial state. This artifact contributed to my personal learning goals by helping me understand information resources (American Library Associations, 2023) of being able to understand how information grounds meet and reflect the diverse needs of information in communities. As well as how different approaches can be used to transfer information and knowledge from one person to another. The paper also ties into SLIS SLO 5 Methods and Analysis (2022) because I learned how research methods and evaluation methods work in the LIS field compared to engineering. I also learned more about SLIS SLO 6 Diversity (2022) due to the diverse ways that users not only seek for information but how they process and learn from various forms of information.

Reference

American Library Association. (2023). 2022 ALA core competences of librarianship_final. In American Library Association. Retrieved February 28, 2023, from https://www.ala.org/educationcareers/sites/ala.org.educationcareers/files/content/2022%20ALA%20Core%20Competences%20of%20Librarianship_FINAL.pdf

School of Library and Information Studies. (2022, October 10). Goals and student learning outcomes. The University of Oklahoma. Retrieved February 27, 2023, from https://www.ou.edu/cas/slis/about/vision