#information communities

[missmickiescorner]

Breaking Down Information Sectors

As an aspiring information professional, one of the first things you have to understand is the concept of information organizations, needs, seeking-behavior, and communities are essential to the foundation of your career.

Don’t believe me?

Think back to when you were a child. Did you spend a lot of time watching shows like Sesame Street, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, Blue’s Clues, or Between the Lions? If you did, can you remember what you got out of those programs outside of educational value? Did Steve make you believe that he was your friend? Was there comfort in the opening acknowledgement and ending farewells? Was there a desire to return to these programs as they aired in order to obtain this value?

Then congratulations!

You were a participant—whether aggressive or silent—(Chang et al., 2022) of an information community!

Now of course, it would be easy to stop here and simply presume that an information community is exactly what it sounds like—a community of information—and while you would technically be right, if we go just a few layers deeper we can bring to surface a more comprehensive of what an information community truly is.

In the simplest of terms, an information community is a community that is formed by people who are—presumably—seeking to fulfill an information need. Although I would prefer not to be quoted on it, one could also presume that a community is able to form because it’s participants are both seeking to fulfill a information need as well as partaking in similar information seeking-behaviors. In our current example, the information community would be the Educational Children’s Television Programming Community (hereby after, ECTPC)—that is, organizations who produce educational children’s content and participants who engage with said content—and an information organization within that community would be PBS.

The Public Broadcasting Service (better known as PBS) is a publicly broadcasted, free-to-air television network that is both the most prominent provider of educational programming as well as the most trusted media organization in the United States. (Publicity, 2022) To understand how significant that is, PBS is a media organization so successful in its advocacy and public facing marketing, that unlike the public library (unfortunately) almost 80% of survey respondents don't mind if their tax dollars are used to keep it running and an astounding 84% of parents believes that the network's children's programming helps set children up for educational success. That is almost unfathomable in this day and age given that there is currently so much division amongst racial, economic, and socio-political lines.

All this to say, PBS—and the greater ECTPC at large—are examples of information organizations and communities that are a part of the information sector. Moreover, I’d like to submit the argument that PBS in particular is an incredible example of an information organization that was born out of the emergence of a new technology (television) and has managed to adapt with that technology as it has changed, advanced, and coincided with the creation of new media forms.

At a higher level, PBS as a media organization exists as an aggressive participant in a never-slowing information community; however, at the more grounded level—that is, participation at the level of show creation and distribution—there is a more specific and explicit information need that different programs were meant to address. Fred Rogers, host of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, pursued his career in television in order to “[use] this fabulous instrument to be of nurture to those who would watch and listen.” (2013) As he further elaborated in his speech to the Senate Subcommittee of Communications, his show—and PBS at large—was meant to help nurture, validate, and educate the children watching. (2020) Sesame Street was created in the hopes that television could be used to help disadvantaged children prepare for school when they might otherwise have been unable (2024) Between the Lions, an animated/live-action/puppet hybrid show that was created to promote reading, was proven by the Early Childhood Institute of the University of Mississippi to have actually improved literacy rates in both low-income communities and communities where English was spoken as a second language.

I could go on (really, I could) but in summary: information sectors/communities/organizations are all around us and they are led by people that you might have never considered to be information professionals to address information needs you never realize existed!

References

Chang, K.-F., Huang, Y.-H., Li, W.-C., Luo, S., & Yang, D.-J. (2022). Promotion of internet users’ aggressive participation via the mediators of flow experience and identification. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.836303

 Our mission and history. Sesame Workshop. (2024, May 8). https://sesameworkshop.org/about-us/mission-and-history/#:~:text=Against%20the%20backdrop%20of%20the,prepare%20disadvantaged%20children%20for%20school.)

Public Broadcasting Service. (2013, January 8). Fred Rogers. PBS. https://www.pbs.org/wnet/pioneers-of-television/pioneering-people/fred-rogers/)

Publicity, P. (2022, March 17). PBS and member stations named “Most trusted” media organization for 19 consecutive years. https://www.pbs.org/about/about-pbs/blogs/news/pbs-and-member-stations-named-most-trusted-media-organization-for-19-consecutive-years/

(subtitles) Fred Rogers testifies before the Senate Subcommittee on Communications 1969. YouTube. (2020, March 11). https://youtu.be/E6wSjINly88?si=8ZG9eRcQQcchC7Dr

[finchwell]

Information-Seeking Behaviors of the Queer Artist Community

This is where I actually started being able to research the topics for class. Since this classes whole deal was information behaviors, I needed to take the initial research I did and apply it to the community I had chosen. Essentially, this would be reworked into my thesis for the final project for the class.

-------

Learning and information-seeking behaviors do not need to happen in a classroom or as the result of hours pored over a textbook in dim and unflattering lighting. Spink and Cole (2006) argue that “non-library methods of user information seeking, where the user seeks information through so-called informal channels like talking to relatives or work colleagues, were preferred by the user over accessing information systematically through formal channels made available to the user in the library” (Spink & Cole, 2006). Queer artists especially use social based information-seeking behaviors to explore their craft and gain insights into their own identities and health.

Cobbledick uses a series of interviews with artists and years of personal experience to highlight how artists rely on each other in their efforts to “obtain technical information and information about developments and the local art scene” (343). The starving, isolated artist trope proves to be inaccurate time and time again, as Cobbledick notes that her subjects have diverse needs that require “access to the universe of knowledge…and libraries that would meet their information needs must become access points to that universe” (365). She also notes that while artists make great use of library resources, much of their “substantial use of libraries and print materials” (343) were not related to art.

In the queer artist community, art making is only half of the equation. LGBT+ individuals rely on community, online and offline, to find and develop friendships and partnerships, supplement individual knowledge bases concerning sexual health and identity, and discover LGBT+ events and services. DeHaan et al. conducted interviews with diverse participants to identify themes and behaviors in LGBT+ youth. While the interviews were conducted with individuals ages 16-24, the idea that “LGBT youth may fear being judged, secluded, or victimized due to their sexual orientation” (422) can certainly be argued as a universal concern. DeHaan et al. continue that this fear of isolation “[and] lack of support, along with the limited availability of LGBT peers and potential romantic partners may lead youth to seek online relationships” (422). It’s important to note that this study gathered participants from “a large, Midwestern city” (423), and while cities are, by definition, more diverse and densely populated than rural areas, this author posits that the experiences of these youth may be different than a coastal city with a higher population density and more progressive and comprehensive social support programs. DeHaan et al. conclude that “the Internet allows for easy access to information and support that enhances the quality of LGBT youths’ offline experiences. Simultaneously, youths’ offline lives also shaped the ways they used the Internet” (432). DeHaan et al. also note that “using the Internet for socialization was common in our sample” and that “our findings highlight the value of Web sites that provide information on both online and offline resources and support” (432).

While none of these studies focus specifically on queer artists, the common center of the Venn diagram depicting the information seeking behaviors of LGBT+ individuals on one side and artists on the other would list social and activity-based methods at the forefront. This supports Hartel in emphasizing long-lasting and intense activities as the foundation for the serious leisure information-seeking behavior theory. Further, Hartel (2003) cites Stebbins, stating that serious leisure activities do not happen in a bubble. “Activities happen in cultures with histories, values, and performance standards among other social forces” (Stebbins, 2001, pp. 6-10). We know from DeHaan et al. that what LGBT youth will engage with depends entirely on the existence or lack of a support network, the resources they have access to, and the ease of access to the resources they may need, to the point that if they do not have these resources in their offline life they will seek them out until they are found in online spaces (422). Artists use similar social-based methods, with Cobbledick finding that artists who work in site-specific canvases will need to research and engage with the local history, culture, and particularities (including other artists) to hone their skills, produce their work, and understand the local art scene (343).

Resources

Cobbledick, S. (1996) The information-seeking behavior of artists: Exploratory interviews. The Library Quarterly, 66(4), 343-372.

DeHaan, S., Kuper, L. E., Magee, J. C., Bigelow, L., & Mustanski, B. S. (2013). The Interplay between Online and Offline Explorations of Identity, Relationships, and Sex: A Mixed-Methods Study with LGBT Youth. The Journal of Sex Research, 50(5), 421–434. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2012.661489

Hartel, J. (2003). The serious leisure frontier in library and information science: hobby domains.

Knowledge Organization, 30(3/4), 228–238. https://doi.org/10.5771/0943-7444-2003-3-4-228

Stebbins, R.A. (2001b). Serious leisure. Society, 38(4), 53–57.

Spink, A. & Cole, C. (2006). Human information behavior: Integrating diverse approaches and information use. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology 57(1). 25-27.

[bubbles-the-banshee]

Happy Pride Month!

In case you didn't know, I'm working toward a Master's in Library and Information Science, and that means researching the needs and information seeking behaviors of different communities. For this particular project, I decided to focus on the LGBTQIA2S+ and Queer community, and the problems they face when it comes to emerging, AI-based technologies like Automated Gender Recognition (AGR) and AI Gaydar.

If you'd like more information on the information seeking behaviors and needs of the LGBTQIA2S+ and Queer community, check out my blog, "The Queer Librarian," over at https://ischoolblogs.sjsu.edu/info/thequeerlibrarian

[learninglearningeverywhere-blog]

LGBTQ Online Youth – Ethical and Legal Issues in Information Seeking

April 2, 2015

The ethical and legal issues related to my information community are complex, contentious, and plentiful. This is primarily because of age, but also because of identity. Identifying as LGBTQ can be in direct opposition to one’s family, religious, or community standards, and therefore access to information is all the more critical.

LGBTQ youth who seek information online often do so because of a lack of offline support for their identity (or identity questioning).  However, when accessing information through their school or public library, certain laws, regulations, and local practices can prevent youth from encountering or experiencing the very information that they are seeking for their own self-realization.

The Code of Ethics of the ALA upholds individuals’ rights to library service without discrimination, without personal belief interference, and with confidentiality. That position statement should give comfort to those who feel that libraries should (and must) serve as an open, unbiased, non-partisan, non-parochial source of information. And, indeed the ALA, along with the ACLU, has fought (and won) legal battles on these grounds (against the Communications Decency and the Children’s Online Protection Acts).

However, because minors are seen as a class of citizens in need of protection, not all freedoms have been upheld for them. The Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA), enacted in 2000 and upheld by the Supreme Court in 2003, requires that libraries receiving government subsidies or federal grants must utilize filtering software on their public computers so that children are protected from viewing (or seeing others viewing) pornography or other harmful material.

The ALA, along with their Freedom to Read Foundation, led the fight against CIPA in the courts.  One of their arguments is of particular interest to the LGBTQ youth community: “Filters block many legitimate sites, not just pornographic ones.” They noted that studies of Internet filter providers showed that many have ties to conservative religious groups and use religious concepts as well as sexual terms to block content (Hansen, 2015).

Because of CIPA, critical resources dealing with sexual or gender identities may be blocked by filtering systems, preventing youth from accessing important information. Among some sectors, same-sex attraction and gender identity are considered pornographic in and of themselves.

Hillier et al (2012) suggested that monitoring and filtering of web content for LGBTQ youth can be a source of even more danger than what they may encounter without these measures. And filtering has been noted as noted as a particular concern for rural LGBTQ youth populations where Internet access is more likely done through schools or libraries (GLSEN, 2013).

CIPA puts libraries and librarians in the terrible position of choosing between vital funding streams and upholding their professional and ethical obligations to the free flow of information. And it puts LGBTQ youth in jeopardy of being denied identity-affirming (and sometimes life-affirming) information.

  References:

GLSEN (2013). Out online: The experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth on the internet. Retrieved from www.glsen.com

Hansen, D. (2015). Intellectual freedom and american law. Lecture 1, Module 9, LIBR 200. Intellectual Freedom and American Law.pdf.

Hansen, D. (2015). Intellectual freedom and the web. Lecture 2, Module 9, LIBR 200. Intellectual Freedom and the Web.pdf.

Hillier, L., Mitchell, K. J., & Ybarra, M. L. (2012). The internet as a safety net: Findings from a series of online focus groups with LGB and non-LGB young people in the United States. Journal Of LGBT Youth, 9(3), 225-246.

[learninglearningeverywhere-blog]

Final Thoughts… (on INFO 200)

INT. OFFICE IN BUSINESS PARK ADJACENT TO A LARGE PUBLIC RESEARCH UNIVERSITY – DAY

Laurel takes a deep breath and thinks about what to write for her final Blog Post of her first class of Library School.

LAUREL (V.O.)

Or are they calling it iSchool now? That sounds cooler, but kind of Apple-borg-esque.

Laurel shifts in her chair, recalling the ergonomic evaluation she received last year and that one of her New Year’s Resolutions was to have better posture.

LAUREL (V.O.)

Maybe I’ll do a little flashback voice over-ing for you all.

Wavy lines fill the screen and doodly-doo-doodly-doo music effects are played, a-la 80’s and 90’s sitcom flashbacks.

Laurel sits at her desk. Same desk; same office.

Title Card: 15 Months Ago

LAUREL (V.O.)

Sigh…how did I get this far in my career without realizing that it’s not something I enjoy??  Maybe I should take a class!

Title Card: 14 Months Ago

LAUREL (V.O.)

I’ve done kickboxing, regular boxing, water aerobics, horseback riding, yoga, and ice hockey. But classes are so short-lived. Maybe there’s an online degree program that will fit my interests. Wait. What are my interests?

Video montage of Laurel furiously Googling, researching, and reading things like “Find Your Passion!” “What’s Your Passion?!” “Second Career Time?” “Take This Quiz and Find Your True Path!”  And of Laurel reading the books What Color is Your Parachute and Strengths Finder 2.0 and taking notes in a lovely leather bound journal.

Laurel in the present, breaking the 4th wall and speaking to the camera.

LAUREL

Both of the above mentioned books were actually really helpful in giving me confidence in knowing who I am and what kinds of paths to pursue. Plus, all those BuzzFeed quizzes were a ton of fun too!

Back to the flashback.

LAUREL (V.O.)

Yep, I’m an introvert who likes to learn.  And I like animals, history, nature, and am interested in LGBTQ equality. So… where’s the online degree program for that? Maybe some kind of outdoor LGBTQ safe-zone training with animals? I could be a pioneer in the field!

Or… there’s the SJSU MLIS program…

Okay, silliness over. Enrolling in the SJSU MLIS program was a fantastic decision. I have been intellectually inspired and stimulated, and the engaging class discussions has been invigorating.

At this point, I don’t have goals to be an actual “librarian,” but I do hope to forge a career path in which I can become more closely aligned with the identity of an “information professional.”

Information Communities has been a great introduction to the world of information and libraries. My eyes have been opened to visions of libraries as centers of learning, creating, and community. And my personal definition of an “information community” (if I even had one to start with) has been expanded exponentially.

My work on the research paper has inspired me to keep exploring the evolving use of technology by LGBTQ youth, and I can see several research avenues worth following should I decide to pursue the thesis option.

Most of all, the materials we’ve been exposed to in the weekly Modules have led me to explore websites, follow links, add RSS feeds to my Feedly account, and scope out classes.

In my current job, I have to communicate a lot of complex information about regulations, policies, and procedures related to charitable giving. The topics we’ve covered in class on things like data visualization and information communication geared toward the actual users (rather than formats that suit my own style) inspired me to re-design my training materials for new staff members.

I have become an Evernote devotee, filing away websites and articles for future reading and exploring, which I am looking forward to diving into!

I’ve got a new motto: Always Be Learning

[learninglearningeverywhere-blog]

Libraries Are Global

April 13, 2015

I’m not sure what I was expecting the content of this week’s module (Module 11) on “Global Librarianship” to hold for us, but reality turned out to be different than the hazy imaginings I had, which involved something along the lines of examining “special cases”of libraries the world over.

The truth turned out to be that libraries and librarians are the same everywhere!

At first, I bristled as this notion crept into my head, because I was wary of my perspective of privilege. “No!” I thought. “Third world and economically emerging countries and communities have special issues!”

“Wait. Stop. Hold the bus,” came the next brain-flash.

That kind of “we must treat the ‘disadvantaged’ world differently” thinking is just as poorly thought-out and patronizing as not realizing my privilege (and not in the good way that libraries have patrons!).

The videos of Luis Soriano’s Bibioburro (and his under-construction library building) and the Electronic Information for Libraries (EIFL) “Connect Uganda” project proved that libraries serve the same purposes world-wide. The patrons want to learn (whether it be learning to read or finding better techniques for beekeeping); and the librarians want to provide learning opportunities and access to information. The passion for libraries and learning exhibited by Luis Soriano and Xavier Baluku (Ugandan librarian) was contagious.

Luis Soriano and the eBook Friendly‘s list of other “extraordinary mobile libraries” reminded me of the Mekong River library boat that I saw on the BBC Two special “The Mekong River with Sue Perkins.” Very similar to the Bibioburro, when the book boat comes to its destination at a Laotian village, the children get so excited, and even sing a library song.  (Unfortunately, I now can not find a good link for watching this episode.) I love that this model of library outreach is happening many places in the world.

Providing a safe space for women (as in the article “The Case for a Safe Space: Libraries Empower Women in Asia“) and developing a better educated and engaged Colombian citizenry (as articulated by Luis Soriano) are just two examples beyond the traditional and limited “books and reading” vision of libraries.

It is true that each country, county, city, and community has unique information needs. It is also true that libraries can be places that address those needs, nearly no matter what they are.

Nearly.

My idealized vision of librarians and libraries are akin to a romanticized version of holy people (the librarians) and a sanctuary of nurture and learning (the library). Clearly this is likely not true even in the “best” of library settings (envision a wealthy community in the United States). Libraries may be staffed by those who choose not to actively uphold and actively agitate for the principles in the ALA’s Code of Ethics. Then there are communities and countries where resources for physical assets or technology are not available (including those not lucky enough to receive grants). This could be compounded and confounded in places where even if resources are plentiful, learning may be limited to one gender, one class, or simply not encouraged at all.

I guess I really am a true believer in “knowledge is power” and that “power” means personal and community empowerment through the freedom of information.

As a Post Script:  Though not related to a “global” perspective, I really like the infographic on “the many roles of the 21st century library” on the eBook Friendly website. Libraries are SO many things to SO many people!

[learninglearningeverywhere-blog]

LGBTQ Online Youth – Ethical and Legal Issues in Information Seeking

April 2, 2015

The ethical and legal issues related to my information community are complex, contentious, and plentiful. This is primarily because of age, but also because of identity. Identifying as LGBTQ can be in direct opposition to one’s family, religious, or community standards, and therefore access to information is all the more critical.

LGBTQ youth who seek information online often do so because of a lack of offline support for their identity (or identity questioning).   However, when accessing information through their school or public library, certain laws, regulations, and local practices can prevent youth from encountering or experiencing the very information that they are seeking for their own self-realization.

The Code of Ethics of the ALA upholds individuals’ rights to library service without discrimination, without personal belief interference, and with confidentiality. That position statement should give comfort to those who feel that libraries should (and must) serve as an open, unbiased, non-partisan, non-parochial source of information. And, indeed the ALA, along with the ACLU, has fought (and won) legal battles on these grounds (against the Communications Decency and the Children’s Online Protection Acts).

However, because minors are seen as a class of citizens in need of protection, not all freedoms have been upheld for them. The Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA), enacted in 2000 and upheld by the Supreme Court in 2003, requires that libraries receiving government subsidies or federal grants must utilize filtering software on their public computers so that children are protected from viewing (or seeing others viewing) pornography or other harmful material.

The ALA, along with their Freedom to Read Foundation, led the fight against CIPA in the courts.  One of their arguments is of particular interest to the LGBTQ youth community: “Filters block many legitimate sites, not just pornographic ones.” They noted that studies of Internet filter providers showed that many have ties to conservative religious groups and use religious concepts as well as sexual terms to block content (Hansen, 2015).

Because of CIPA, critical resources dealing with sexual or gender identities may be blocked by filtering systems, preventing youth from accessing important information. Among some sectors, same-sex attraction and gender identity are considered pornographic in and of themselves.

Hillier et al (2012) suggested that monitoring and filtering of web content for LGBTQ youth can be a source of even more danger than what they may encounter without these measures. And filtering has been noted as noted as a particular concern for rural LGBTQ youth populations where Internet access is more likely done through schools or libraries (GLSEN, 2013).

CIPA puts libraries and librarians in the terrible position of choosing between vital funding streams and upholding their professional and ethical obligations to the free flow of information. And it puts LGBTQ youth in jeopardy of being denied identity-affirming (and sometimes life-affirming) information.

References:

GLSEN (2013). Out online: The experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth on the internet. Retrieved from www.glsen.com

Hansen, D. (2015). Intellectual freedom and american law. Lecture 1, Module 9, LIBR 200. Intellectual Freedom and American Law.pdf.

Hansen, D. (2015). Intellectual freedom and the web. Lecture 2, Module 9, LIBR 200. Intellectual Freedom and the Web.pdf.

Hillier, L., Mitchell, K. J., & Ybarra, M. L. (2012). The internet as a safety net: Findings from a series of online focus groups with LGB and non-LGB young people in the United States. Journal Of LGBT Youth, 9(3), 225-246.