Barriers to information seeking in school libraries: conflicts in perceptions and practice
- Autores: Eric M. Meyers, Lisa P. Nathan, Matthew L. Saxton
- Localización: Information Research, ISSN-e 1368-1613, Vol. 12, Nº. 2, 2006-2007
- Idioma: inglés
- Enlaces
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Resumen
Introduction. This paper investigates barriers to adolescent information seeking in high school libraries within the framework of Kuhlthau's model of intermediation.
Method: In-depth interviews and corroborating observations were conducted at six high schools in the Pacific Northwest over a sixteen-month period.
Analysis. The data suggest inconsistencies between teacher-librarians' self-perceptions of their role and their daily interactions with students. Harris and Dewdney's principles of information seeking are employed as an analytic framework to provide a structure for categorizing and examining these inconsistencies.
Results. The identified barriers to student information seeking include a lack of collaboration, students' lack of autonomy, limited access to resources, devaluation of interpersonal sharing for academic purposes, lack of affective support, and failure to validate students'; previous experience in seeking information.
Conclusions. These findings suggest future direction for pre- and in-service education of teacher-librarians to prepare them to recognize how the unique barriers within school contexts can constrain both their mediational behaviour and students' information seeking opportunities.
