LIBR 553: Understanding Information Users in Diverse Environments – Course Syllabus
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Program: Master of Library and Information Studies, Dual
Year: 2014-2015
Course Schedule: Mondays, 2-5 pm
Location: Allard Hall, B101
Instructor: Dr. Heather O’Brien
Office location: Room 487, IKBLC
Office phone: 604-822-6365
Office hours: Mondays and Tuesdays, 9:30-10:30 am
E-mail address: h.obrien@ubc.ca
SLAIS Student Portal: http://connect.ubc.ca
Course Goals:
The goals of this course are to:
 Explore and integrate relevant theories, models, and academic/professional research about
information seeking and use in diverse environments and/or with specific groups of people.
 Promote learning and reflection, and an evidence-based orientation to understanding and
evaluating user needs.
 Foster an understanding of the theoretical and applied nature of human information interaction in
relation to your future endeavours as information professionals.
Course Objectives:
Upon completion of this course you will be able to:
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Identify, analyze, and assess the information needs of diverse individuals, communities and
organizations, and consider how to respond to those needs through the design, provision and
assessment of information resources, services and systems.
Apply knowledge of information technologies and resources to the information needs and
interactions of a real-world information-seeking scenario.
Reflect in a critical and informed manner on individual information practices.
Articulate ideas and concepts fluently and thoughtfully in oral and written communications.
Assess, select, and employ communication and instructional tools based on an understanding of
Demonstrate leadership, initiative, and effective collaboration within team and small group settings.
Synthesize and apply the research and professional literature to identify and analyze significant
theoretical and practical questions in the area of human information interaction.
Course Topics:
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Human information interaction
Constructs, models, theories, and approaches in human information interaction
Information needs
Strategies for interacting with information (e.g., browsing, searching, encountering)
Information needs, behaviors and seeking of individuals and user groups
Assessment and evaluation of information needs, seeking and use
Human information interaction and the design of services, programs and systems
Prerequisites:
MLIS CORE; LIBR 505 Recommended
Format of the course:
This course will involve lectures, class discussions and activities, individual and group work, and
instructor- and self-assessment.
Required Reading:
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Case, D.O. (2008). Looking for Information: A Survey of Research on Information Seeking, Needs
and Behavior. Emerald Group Publishing (On print reserve; available as an e-book through UBC
Library).
Fidel, R. (2012). Human Information Interaction: An Ecological Approach to Information Behavior.
MIT Press (On print reserve; available as an e-book through UBC Library).
Fisher, K.E., Erdelez, S. & McKechnie, L.E.F. (2005). Theories of Information Behavior. American
Society for Information Science and Technology (On print reserve).
Spink, A. & Heinström, J. (Eds.). (2011). New Directions in Information Behaviour. Emerald Group
Publishing Ltd (On print reserve).
Additional print and electronic readings (see weekly schedule).
Course Assignments:
Assignment
Participation
In-class activity
Seminar or critique paper
Term Project: Identifying and
facilitating information needs
Due Date
Throughout term
February 2
Various dates
Part 1: January 26
Part 2: February 9
Part 3: March 30
Part 4: April 7
Weight
10%
15%
20%
Part 1, literature review (pairs) – 15%
Part 2, Method (see in-class activity)
Part 3, report (pairs) – 25%
Part 4, reflection (individual) – 15%
Course Schedule [week-by-week]:
Date
January
5
Topics
Introduction to the
course and human
information
interaction
January
12
Constructs,
models, theories,
and approaches in
human information
Activities
Readings
Case, D.O. (2008). Information needs and
information seeking (Chapter 4). Looking for
Information. Emerald Publishing Ltd.
Fidel, R. (2012). What is human information
interaction? Human Information Interaction: An
Ecological Approach to Information Behavior (pp.
17-43). MIT Press.
Marchionini, G. (2008). Human-information
interaction research and development. Library
and Information Science Research, 30(3), 165–
174.
Case, D.O. (2008). Models of Information
Behavior (Chapter 6) and Perspectives,
paradigms and theories (Chapter 7). Looking for
Information. Emerald Publishing.
interaction
Information needs
January
19
Human affect,
behaviour and
cognition
Strategies for
information
seeking
January
26
Methods and
measures for
studying human
information
interaction
February
2
Methods and
measures for
studying human
information
interaction
February
23
The “Dark Side” of
information:
Avoidance,
overload and
uncertainty
March 2
Everyday Life
Fidel, R. (2012). Theoretical constructs and
models in information-seeking behavior. Human
Information Interaction: An Ecological Approach
to Information Behavior (pp. 49-81) MIT Press.
Savolainen, R. (2007). Information behavior and
information practice: Reviewing the “umbrella
concepts” of information-seeking studies. Library
Quarterly, 77(2), 109–132.
Bawden, D. & Robinson, L. (2011). Individual
differences in information-related behaviour:
What do we know about information styles? In
Spink, A. & Heinström, J. (Eds.). (2011). New
Directions in Information Behaviour. Emerald
Group Publishing.
Kuhlthau, C. C. (1991). Inside the search process:
Information seeking from the user’s perspective.
Journal of the American Society for Information
Science and Technology, 42(5), 361–371.
Savolainen, R. (2014). Emotions as motivators for
information seeking: A conceptual analysis.
Library and Information Science Research,
36(1), 59-65.
Case, D.O. (2008). The Research Process
(Chapter 8) and Methods: Examples by Type
(Chapter 9). Looking for Information. Emerald
Publishing.
Kelly, D., Harper, D.J., Landau, B. (2008).
Questionnaire mode effects in interactive
information retrieval experiments. Information
Processing and Management, 44, 122-141.
Samuels, J. (2004). Breaking the ethnographer’s
frames: Reflections on the use of photo
elicitation in understanding Sri Lankan monastic
culture. American Behavioral Scientist, 47, 15281550.
In-class activity:
Development
and testing of
term project
interview
instruments
Guest speaker:
Colleen Addison,
PhD Candidate
Allard, S., Case, D. O., Andrews, J. E., & Johnson,
J. D. (2005). Avoiding versus seeking: The
relationship of information seeking to avoidance,
blunting, coping, dissonance, and related
concepts. Journal of the Medical Library
Association, 93(3), 353–362.
Chatman, E. A. (1996). The impoverished lifeworld of outsiders. Journal of the American
Society for Information Science and Technology,
47(3), 193–206.
Kuhlthau, C. C. (1993). A principle of uncertainty
for information seeking. Journal of
Documentation, 49(4), 339–355.
Elsweiler, D., Wilson, M.L. & Lunn, B.K. (2011).
Understanding casual-leisure information
March 9
Children and
Young Adults
Students
March
16
Health Information
Environments
March
23
March
30
No class meeting
The Workplace
Scholars
Guest speaker:
Devon Greyson,
PhD Candidate
behaviour. In Spink, A. & Heinström, J. (Eds.).
(2011). New Directions in Information
Behaviour. Emerald Group Publishing.
Savolainen, R. (1995). Everyday life information
seeking: Approaching information seeking in the
context of ‘‘way of life’’. Library & Information
Science Research, 17(3), 259–294.
Bowler, L. (2011). Into the land of metacognitive
knowledge during the information search
process: A metacognitive ethnography. In Spink,
A. & Heinström, J. (Eds.). (2011). New
Directions in Information Behaviour. Emerald
Group Publishing.
Head, A.J. & Eisenberg, M.B. Truth be Told: How
College Students Evaluate and Use Information
in the Digital Age. Project Information Literacy
Progress Report, University of Washington's
Information School, November 1, 2010.
Available: http://projectinfolit.org/publications/
Meyers, E.M. (2012). The collaboration penalty:
Why groups of students show lower performance
on complex search tasks. American Educational
Research Association (AERA’12) Conference,
April 13-17, 2012. Vancouver, BC Canada.
Lambert, S.D. & Loiselle, C.G. (2007). Health
information-seeking behavior. Qualitative Health
Research, 17(8), DOI:
10.1177/1049732307305199
Luo, L. & Park, V.T. (2013). Preparing public
librarians for consumer health information
service: A nationwide study. Library and
Information Science Research, 35(4), 310-317.
Veinot, T.C., Kim, Y.M., Meadowbrooke, C.C.
(2011). Health information behavior in families:
supportive or irritating? American Society for
Information Science & Technology Annual
Conference, pp.1-10.
Bystrom, K. & Jarvelin, K. (1995). Task complexity
affects information seeking and use. Information
Processing & Management, 31(2), 191-213.
Tenopir C, Allard S, Douglass, K, Aydinoglu, U,
Wu L, Read, E., Manoff, M. & Frame, M. (2011).
Data Sharing by Scientists: Practices and
Perceptions. PLoS ONE 6(6): e21101.
Attendance: The calendar states: “Regular attendance is expected of students in all their classes
(including lectures, laboratories, tutorials, seminars, etc.). Students who neglect their academic work
and assignments may be excluded from the final examinations. Students who are unavoidably absent
because of illness or disability should report to their instructors on return to classes.”
Evaluation: All assignments will be marked using the evaluative criteria given on the SLAIS web site.
Written & Spoken English Requirement: Written and spoken work may receive a lower mark if it is, in
the opinion of the instructor, deficient in English.
Access & Diversity: Access & Diversity works with the University to create an inclusive living and
learning environment in which all students can thrive. The University accommodates students with
disabilities who have registered with the Access and Diversity unit:
[http://www.students.ubc.ca/access/drc.cfm]. You must register with the Disability Resource Centre to
be granted special accommodations for any on-going conditions.
Religious Accommodation: The University accommodates students whose religious obligations
conflict with attendance, submitting assignments, or completing scheduled tests and examinations.
Please let your instructor know in advance, preferably in the first week of class, if you will require any
accommodation on these grounds. Students who plan to be absent for varsity athletics, family
obligations, or other similar commitments, cannot assume they will be accommodated, and should
discuss their commitments with the instructor before the course drop date. UBC policy on Religious
Holidays: http://www.universitycounsel.ubc.ca/policies/policy65.pdf .
Academic Integrity
Plagiarism
The Faculty of Arts considers plagiarism to be the most serious academic offence that a student can
commit. Regardless of whether or not it was committed intentionally, plagiarism has serious academic
consequences and can result in expulsion from the university. Plagiarism involves the improper use of
somebody else's words or ideas in one's work.
It is your responsibility to make sure you fully understand what plagiarism is. Many students who think
they understand plagiarism do in fact commit what UBC calls "reckless plagiarism." Below is an excerpt
on reckless plagiarism from UBC Faculty of Arts' leaflet, "Plagiarism Avoided: Taking Responsibility for
Your Work," (http://www.arts.ubc.ca/arts-students/plagiarism-avoided.html).
"The bulk of plagiarism falls into this category. Reckless plagiarism is often the result of careless
research, poor time management, and a lack of confidence in your own ability to think critically.
Examples of reckless plagiarism include:
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Taking phrases, sentences, paragraphs, or statistical findings from a variety of sources and piecing
them together into an essay (piecemeal plagiarism);
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Taking the words of another author and failing to note clearly that they are not your own. In other
words, you have not put a direct quotation within quotation marks;
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Using statistical findings without acknowledging your source;
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Taking another author's idea, without your own critical analysis, and failing to acknowledge that this
idea is not yours;
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Paraphrasing (i.e. rewording or rearranging words so that your work resembles, but does not copy,
the original) without acknowledging your source;
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Using footnotes or material quoted in other sources as if they were the results of your own
research; and
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Submitting a piece of work with inaccurate text references, sloppy footnotes, or incomplete source
(bibliographic) information."
Bear in mind that this is only one example of the different forms of plagiarism. Before preparing for their
written assignments, students are strongly encouraged to familiarize themselves with the following
source on plagiarism: the Academic Integrity Resource Centre
http://help.library.ubc.ca/researching/academic-integrity. Additional information is available on the SAIS
Student Portal http://connect.ubc.ca.
If after reading these materials you still are unsure about how to properly use sources in your work,
please ask me for clarification.
Students are held responsible for knowing and following all University regulations regarding academic
dishonesty. If a student does not know how to properly cite a source or what constitutes proper use of a
source it is the student's personal responsibility to obtain the needed information and to apply it within
University guidelines and policies. If evidence of academic dishonesty is found in a course assignment,
previously submitted work in this course may be reviewed for possible academic dishonesty and grades
modified as appropriate. UBC policy requires that all suspected cases of academic dishonesty must be
forwarded to the Dean for possible action.