802 Interview an Information Seeker

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RUNNING HEAD: Utilizing Information Communities 1

Utilizing information communities: An interview with S.

Alyssa Vincent

Emporia State University


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Utilizing Information Communities

Utilizing information communities: An interview with S.

While it is possible to identify key steps in the information seeking process, the ways in

which a person attempts to fill their information gaps are as unique as the individual. In regards to

these gaps, Kulhthau (2003) cites Dervins sense-making research and states that a person in a

situation that reveals a gap in the ability to make sense seeks information to fill the gap (p. 4). To

fill these gaps, one person may enjoy researching in online databases and relying on peer-reviewed

journal articles, while another may cringe at the thought of spending time at a computer, and would

rather talk to perceived experts face-to-face. When seeking out information, S. (the information

seeker in this interview) is more likely to converse with trusted people in a self-constructed inner

circle rather than rely on online or print sources. It is the abiding trust that S. has in communities

that makes S.s information seeking style such an interactive one.

Identifying the information need

S. is the owner of a brand-new, donation-based yoga studio in Portland. As a devotee of

yoga for over five years and as a holistic health counselor for two years, S. knew that upon

graduating from Colorado College in June of 2009, moving to Portland, OR with a fellow yogi and

opening up their dream studio was in the cards. It would be staffed with friends, offer personalized

health coaching, and maintain a schedule of donation-based yoga classesmeaning that students

determine how much theyll pay for each class, or if theyll pay at all. While still in Colorado, S.

had rented out space from other studios for donation-based classes and was aware of the potential

financial implications of operating a business that included a charitable component. S. was

knowledgeable about yoga, holistic healing methods, and even building business relationships with

other studios, but S. had no idea how to run a business. As S. says:


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When I was still in Colorado, I rented out space from studios that were doing well

and studios that were on the verge of bankruptcy. I understood that the successful

studios and the failing studios had inherent differences why else would some

being doing better than others? but I couldnt put my finger on what exactly

those differences were.

This uncertainty that S. felt is characteristic of stage one in the information processtask

initiation. During this stage, Kuhlthau (2003) explains that they typically express feelings of

uncertainty and apprehension (p.44). To conquer this apprehension, S. spoke with the studio

owners and realized that a well-informed marketing strategy or lack thereof, had the power to

make or break a studio. Thanks to that conversation, S. was able to proceed to stage two of the

search processtopic selectionand move fluidly through the next two stages of prefocus

exploration and focus formulation (Kuhlthau, 2003). The studio owners acted as S.s

informational mediators (p. 46) and aided in the stage advancement. S. now knew that

developing a marketing plan was crucial for making the studio flourish.

The information search process begins

I cant learn unless Im physically doing somethingIm a very curious person, but also

very impatient, so if I want to know something, Im going to jump in and try to experience it first-

hand rather than read a bunch of research about it. Even if this statement hadnt been made,

conversing with S. illustrates this energy and physical engagement quite well. S. is an animated

speaker and isnt afraid to use objects to make points. As S. started to explain the beginnings of

this search process, it became clear that a kinesthetic learning style with interpersonal tendencies

(LDpride.net, 2010, September 15) colored S.s information-gathering methods. After focusing on


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a specific information needhow to I employ clever marketing strategies?S. started searching

for information on how to do that. By this time, S. had been in Portland for several months

teaching at local studios. A couple of experienced teachers at one studio in particular became very

close with S., and encouraged S.s dream of studio ownership. When S. voiced apprehension over

the marketing aspect of owning a business, both teachers took S. out to breakfast separately and

talked through some ideas. One teacher said I cant help you so much with the business end of

things, but a great friend of mine is a business coach. Give her a call and see if you like her! S.

had been in a mode of gathering information for a little while at this point, and as S. says I knew

that there were a lot of things that I still didnt know, and I knew that I wanted a professional

guiding me through the more difficult parts of this process. S. goes on to explain that because the

referral had come from a trusted friend, S. was far more willing to open up to a relative stranger

and receive guidance from them.

A professional steps in to help

When asked about evaluating information sources, S. stated:

Its interestingsome people really need statistics to back up what they think

might be true, or they feel better if they read it in some kind of official journal. I

think an information source is valuable if I can interact with it and experience it.

S. often consults Yoga Journal, a respected periodical in the yoga community, but says that blogs,

Twitter, and personal contacts provided fantastic information in this specific search process and

beyond. In keeping with S.s preferred information-seeking mode, all of those sources have

something to do with community, whether its people tweeting to one another, commenting on

blogs, or having a chat over a cup of coffee. However, S. spoke of a feeling that something was


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still missing, and headed to a professional. After getting in contact with the recommended business

coach, S. spoke about the huge waves of relief that were felt after each meeting: I felt like I had

someone in my corner advocating for me every step of the way and helping me navigate the

process of developing a marketing plan. After inquiring about S.s experiences with librarians, S.

said that the idea of speaking with a librarian in conjunction with a business coach hadnt been a

consideration. Knowing S.s desire for interpersonal interactions during the information search

process, walking into a library and asking a librarian for recommendations on books about

business ownership may have been a helpful complement to the information received from the

business coach. Also, a librarian would have been an excellent resource to consult when S.

encountered some serious frustrations in the search process.

Roadblocks encountered on the information highway

When S. talked about not knowing thingsinformation gapsS. stated that not

knowing something is terrifying. Especially when its related to my business, which I feel like

everything is, S. goes on to clarify. S. self-describes as a curious person that wants to immediately

know everything about something that sparks that curiosity. Im not a patient person, and I think

thats why Im against the idea of studying facts and figures. I want to do something right away,

and then figure out how to do it well over time. This need to jump into things led S. to come up

against a formidable roadblock in this information pursuit. When S. was searching for information

about the proper kind of license to obtain, S. stated that it was near-impossible to find: I looked at

the Multnomah County Website, and I just couldnt understand where the information wasIm

not a website personI dont understand where exactly to look for things, and that was

definitely a frustrating point to come to.


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While S. later consulted the business coach about the appropriate steps to take to obtain the

necessary license, it would have been equally illuminating to attempt this search on a computer in a

library, and then approach a librarian about the most current licensing standards for Multnomah

County businesses. The business coacharguably, another kind of information professional

obviously had ways to help S. access the information, but it may have been interesting to discover

other ways of finding the information. A business coach and a librarian possess similar goals of

assisting clients or patrons in their information pursuits, but the two professions also have different

agendas that lead to unique approaches to navigating around roadblocks.

Concluding the information search

S. explained that though the desired information was eventually discovered, S. said I

hope I never feel completely finished with this search. I always want to be looking for ways to

better market my business. This statement echoes Cases (2008) reference to the research of

Freud and the pleasure principle: because information seeking implies that people take action in

response to some disquieting internal statethe pleasure principle could be said to apply

universally to information seeking (p. 150). For the purposes of this interview though, S. stated

that once a steady flow of students had started to come into the studio, S. felt like the basic

marketing plan was a success. S. now feels that attention can be turned toward other needs, while

remaining open to discovering new marketing ideas.

Reference List

Case, D.O. (2008).Looking for Information: A Survey of Research on Information Seeking

Needs, and Behavior, Second Edition. United Kingdom: Emerald Group Publishing


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Limited.

Kuhlthau, C. C. (2004). Seeking Meaning: A Process Approach to Library and

Information Science, Second Edition. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.

Learning Styles and Multiple Intelligences. (2010, September 15).Multiple Intelligences

Explained. Retrieved from

http://www.ldpride.net/learningstyles.MI.htm#Multiple%20Intelligences%20Explained.

802 Interview an Information Seeker

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