Autoethnography for Librarians and Information Scientists PDF
Preview Autoethnography for Librarians and Information Scientists
AUTOETHNOGRAPHY FOR LIBRARIANS AND INFORMATION SCIENTISTS Autoethnography for Librarians and Information Scientists illustrates that autoethnog- raphy is a rich qualitative research method that can enhance understanding of one’s own work experiences, whilst also facilitating the design of tailored expe- riences for a variety of audiences. Starting with the position that librarians and information scientists require deep insight into people’s experiences, needs and information behaviour in order to design appropriate services and information interventions, this book shows that using only conventional methods, such as questionnaires and focus groups, is insufficient. Arguing that autoethnography can provide unique insights into users’ cultural experiences and needs, contributors to this volume introduce the reader to different types of autoethnography. Highlighting common challenges and clarifying how autoethnography can be combined with other research meth- ods, this book will empower librarians and information scientists to conceptu- alise topics for autoethnographic research, whilst also ensuring that they adhere to strict ethical guidelines. Chapters within the volume also demonstrate how to produce autoethnographic writing and stress the need to analyse autoethnogra- phies produced by others. Autoethnography for Librarians and Information Scientists is essential reading for any librarian, information scientist or student looking to deepen their under- standing of their own experiences. It will be particularly useful to those engaged in the study of service provision, user studies and information behaviour. Ina Fourie is a full professor and Head of Department of Information Sci- ence, University of Pretoria. Professor Fourie is currently Vice Chair of the ISIC (Information Seeking in Context) Steering Committee and part of the ASIS&T (Association of Information Science and Technology) Executive Board as Treas- urer. She has published more than 130 articles, books and conference papers and has presented in more than 16 countries. AUTOETHNOGRAPHY FOR LIBRARIANS AND INFORMATION SCIENTISTS Edited by Ina Fourie First published 2021 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2021 selection and editorial matter, Ina Fourie; individual chapters, the contributors The right of Ina Fourie to be identified as the author of the editorial material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record has been requested for this book ISBN: 978-0-367-43999-6 (hbk) ISBN: 978-0-367-43979-8 (pbk) ISBN: 978-1-003-01477-5 (ebk) Typeset in Bembo by KnowledgeWorks Global Ltd. CONTENTS List of contributors vii List of abbreviations xiii Preface and acknowledgements xv PART I Introduction to autoethnography as research method for librarians 1 1 What is autoethnography? 3 Ina Fourie 2 Autoethnography as a tool for critical reflection on library practice: making the case 15 Anne-Marie Deitering PART II Different types of autoethnography 31 3 Evocative autoethnography – evoking is as evoking does 33 Lisa P. Spinazola, Carolyn Ellis and Arthur Bochner 4 Analytic autoethnography 49 Ina Fourie 5 Collaborative autoethnography as method and praxis: understanding self and others in practice 61 Kathy-Ann C. Hernandez vi Contents PART III Challenges of autoethnography 77 6 “How does this move us forward?”: a question of rigour in autoethnography 79 Tim Gorichanaz 7 Ethical challenges and protection of privacy 92 Anika Meyer and Ina Fourie 8 Supplementary and alternative methods: Dervin’s sense-making methodology 112 Christine Urquhart and Louisa Lam PART IV Autoethnography in contexts 129 9 Moments of illumination: a personal experience narrative of cultural competence 131 Fiona Blackburn 10 Autoethnography, law enforcement and an opportunity for libraries 146 Naailah Parbhoo-Ebrahim and Ina Fourie 11 Caregiving and autoethnography – a librarian perspective reinforced by experience as an academic and researcher 161 Olívia Pestana PART V The way forward 175 12 Taking on social challenges, personal growth and keeping momentum as autoethnographic reader and writer 177 Ina Fourie 13 Reflection and concluding remarks 187 All contributing authors Glossary 198 Appendix A: Bibliography of autoethnography in library and information science 204 Appendix B: Addresses for websites mentioned in the chapters 208 Appendix C: Further reading from related fields 210 Index 212 LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS Editor: Dr Ina Fourie Department of Information Science, University of Pretoria (South Africa) [email protected] Ina Fourie is a full professor and Head of Department of Information Science, University of Pretoria. She is a rated South African researcher. Her main research focus is on information behaviour, current awareness services, information lit- eracy and autoethnography with special reference to cancer and palliative care and other existential contexts. She is a regular speaker and author in national and international contexts ranging from library and information science and education to healthcare. Ina serves on the editorial advisory boards of Library Hi Tech, Online Information Review, Information Research and The Bottom Up. She was guest editor with Dr Heidi Julien of an Aslib Journal of Information Management special issue on Innovative Methods in Health Information Behaviour Research (vol. 71 [6]: 693–702). Ina is currently Vice Chair of the ISIC (Information Seeking in Context) Steering Committee and part of the ASIS&T (Association of Information Science and Technology) Executive Board as Treasurer. She has published more than 130 published articles, books and conference papers and has presented in more than 16 countries. Fiona Blackburn Senior Archivist, Print and Manuscript Collections Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Studies, Canberra (Australia) [email protected] Fiona Blackburn, Collections Manager, Manuscripts, at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), is an Australian with viii List of contributors English and European heritage. She has worked in libraries and archives for thirteen years, beginning at Alice Springs Public Library as Special Collections Manager. This is where she started thinking about the cross-cultural provi- sion, completing a Masters degree in Information Management which included research into cultural competence and libraries. At AIATSIS, she advocated for the endorsement and implementation of the International Council on Archives Tandanya-Adelaide Declaration about decolonising archives, and investigated how to facilitate the right of reply to records. She acknowledges that the will- ingness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to engage with libraries and archives enabled her to do her job. Dr Arthur (Art) Bochner Distinguished Professor Emerita, Department of Communication, University of South Florida University of South Florida [email protected] Art Bochner is a Distinguished University Professor Emeritus at the University of South Florida. He has published more than 100 articles and book chapters as well as two award winning books, Coming to Narrative: A Personal History of Paradigm Change in the Human Sciences (AltaMira Press, 2014) and (with Carolyn Ellis) Evocative Autoethnography: Writing Lives and Telling Stories (Routledge, 2016). He is a Distinguished Scholar of the National Communication Association (NCA) and served as President of NCA in 2007. He has received lifetime achievement awards from the International Association of Qualitative Inquiry and the Ethnography Division of NCA. His endowed awards for his scholarship and teaching include NCA’s Charles Woolbert Award, Bernard J. Brommel Award for pioneering research in family communication, the Samuel Becker Distinguished Service Award, the McKnight Foundation’s William R. Jones Most Valuable Doctoral Mentor Award for mentoring minority students, and the Goodall and Trujillo Award for Narrative Ethnography. Anne-Marie Deitering Interim University Librarian and Franklin A. McEdward Professor, Oregon State University Libraries and Press, USA [email protected] Anne-Marie Deitering is the Interim University Librarian and the Franklin A. McEdward Professor for Undergraduate Learning Initiatives at Oregon State University Libraries and Press. She thinks broadly about the library’s role as a centre for learning and engagement on campus, and she thinks her best work hap- pens when she collaborates with others. In her research and practice she exam- ines the intersections between curiosity, affect and information literacy and how these intersections affect the choices we make as teachers and learners. She brings List of contributors ix these interests to her work as part of the Association of College and Research Libraries’ Immersion Program facilitation team. She is also deeply interested in the connections between reflective practice and professional knowledge. She facilitated a learning community about autoethnography and library practice, which resulted in the 2017 book The Self as Subject: Autoethnographic Research into Identity, Culture and Academic Librarianship. She has an MLS from Emporia State University and an M.A. in History from Syracuse University. Dr Carolyn Ellis Distinguished Professor Emerita, Department of Communication, University of South Florida University of South Florida [email protected] Carolyn Ellis is Distinguished University Professor Emerita at the University of South Florida. She has established an international reputation for her contributions to autoethnography and the narrative study of human life. Dr. Ellis has published eight monographs, six edited books, and more than 150 articles, chapters, and essays. She has edited two book series and presented keynote addresses and workshops in sixteen countries. Her most recent books are Final Negotiations: A Story of Love, Loss, and Chronic Illness Expanded and Revised Edition and Revision: Autoethnographic Reflections on Life and Work, Revised Classic Edition. Her awards include the Charles H. Woolbert Research Award and the Distinguished Scholar Award, both from the National Communication Association (NCA), The Legacy Lifetime Award and best book and article awards from NCA’s Ethnography Division, a Lifetime Achievement Award in Qualitative Inquiry, two best book awards from the International Center for Qualitative Inquiry at the University of Illinois, and the Goodall and Trujillo Award for Narrative Ethnography. Dr Tim Gorichanaz Assistant Teaching Professor College of Computing & Informatics, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA) [email protected] Tim Gorichanaz is Assistant Teaching Professor at the Drexel University College of Computing & Informatics, where he received his PhD. Before that, he received his Bachelor’s degree from Marquette University and his Master’s degree in Applied Linguistics and Hispanic Cultural Studies from New York University in Madrid, Spain. His research centres on information experience. His book Information Experience in Theory and Design was published by Emerald in 2020.
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