INLS 180: Human Information Interactions

Fall 2003 (Section 001)

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Assignment 1: Understanding the Needs of Users (20 pts)

Due date: BEFORE class on 24 September, via

Objectives

• To define a target user group of interest
• To collect and synthesize a set of literature related to a specific topic (your user group)
• To identify information needs, information behaviors, and barriers to information within a specific population
• To communicate theoretical concepts and research findings in writing

In this assignment, you and a partner will select a user population whose information behavior you wish to study throughout the semester. Assignment 2 and your term paper will build on this work. It may be helpful to think of a population in terms of information problems they may have. Examples of populations:

• Elderly city dwellers who are trying to find a suitable retirement home
• Fifth grade students who are trying to learn about the Dewey decimal system so that they can be library assistants in their schools
• Recent immigrants from Mexico looking for employment opportunities in the Triangle
• Parents of autistic children trying to decide if a pet is appropriate for their children
• Local businesspeople who want to attract tourists to an area

Once you have selected a population, find out as much as you can about the user group. This will require a search and review of the ILS academic literature; you may also include formal or informal observations of your population, and your own thoughts and experiences with the population. For example, you know that bilingual information is helpful for recent immigrants without researching that, but there may be a study that has looked at other obstacles that immigrants face in looking for jobs or in communicating with Southerners that will increase your understanding of the group. You may collaborate and share resources with your partner for the search phase of the assignment. In other words, coordinate your search so as to cover the most ground; make sure your partner has all the resources you find and vice versa.

After gathering your sources, individually write a brief paper (no more than 3 single-spaced pages, not including references) summarizing what is known about the information needs and information seeking behaviors of this user group. Your paper should include scholarly references. In some cases, you may have to make some assumptions about your specific audience from information about a more general group. For example, in the absence of information about 5th graders, you may have to rely on studies of elementary school students. You may not collaborate with your partner for the writing phase of the assignment. Once you have exchanged resources, the analysis and write-up should be your own, and the Open Hands policy is in effect. See me if you have questions!

Evaluation Criteria

This assignment is worth 20 points overall. The criteria for evaluation include:

• the definition of the user group--be focused and specific (2 pts)
• the thoroughness of your search (3 pts)
• the clarity and completeness of the description of your population's information needs (3 pts)
• the clarity and completeness of the description of your population's information behaviors (3 pts)
• the clarity and completeness of the description of barriers to information your population faces (3 pts)
• the depth of your analysis of the relationships among these factors (3 pts)
• the professionalism of your presentation, e.g., proper grammar and spelling, clear formatting (3 pts)
  

Your final summary should be in a form appropriate for presentation in a work setting. In other words, pretend you are an employee in a setting where your population might look for information (e.g., a library, a nonprofit that supports recent immigrants) and write a summary of your population for your manager. A sample outline is described below--this should be used as a guideline, but you are free to vary from the outline if you see fit. Be sure to cite all sources.

An effective report will identify a few key information needs, behaviors, and barriers. Further, it should analyze the relationships among these factors. Do the needs and behaviors described match up, or does the population act on some needs but not others? How severe are the barriers, and how do they affect the search process? Where do the findings disagree? Add your own questions and observations about what you discover.

Sample Outline (may be modified at your discretion)

1. Executive summary (1-2 paragraphs)
2. Description of the population
3. Description of your search
   • Sources consulted (briefly!)--literature, observations, personal experience
   • Obstacles, if any
4. Information needs, behaviors, and barriers of your population
5. Analysis
6. Conclusion (1-2 paragraphs)
7. References (not counted as part of the 3 pages)

The vast majority of your paper should be devoted to items 4 and 5.

Christy Adessa Wilkens