This is the first study undertaken into the way in which voluntary workers, untrained in information skills and working in community information services, collect, organise and use the information they provide to assist clients needing it for their day-to-day survival. The study is placed in perspective through a survey of the literature relating to community information services. This is supplemented by a study of documents relating to the Pretoria Citizens' Advice Bureau. Data was collected by means of participant observation at the Pretoria Citizens' Advice Bureau and interviews with voluntary workers in the Bureau. Analysis of the data was carried out according to the grounded theory approach. It was found that untrained volunteers creating information storage and retrieval tools for use by their fellow volunteers, work without a knowledge of information storage and retrieval theory. They tend to make ad hoc decisions and create tools that are not as user-friendly as they could be with some background in the theory of information science. On the other hand, volunteers searching for information make the same kind of demands of the information storage and retrieval system they use as do professional and scientific information users, in that they want direct access to as much relevant information as possible in one place. They want the information repackaged in a manner to suit their purpose. When under pressure, they are reluctant to consult multiple information storage and retrieval tools not within easy reach. The study culminates in a number of recommendations for the improvement of the service of the Pretoria Citizens' Advice Bureau in particular. Recommendations are also put forward for a centralised computerised database providing processed information to community information services in South Africa. Some suggestions are made concerning education and training of volunteers and professional information workers with a view to providing a better understanding of community information services. / Information Science / D. Lit. et Phil.

This is the first study undertaken into the way in which voluntary workers, untrained in information skills and working in community information services, collect, organise and use the information they provide to assist clients needing it for their day-to-day survival. The study is placed in perspective through a survey of the literature relating to community information services. This is supplemented by a study of documents relating to the Pretoria Citizens' Advice Bureau. Data was collected by means of participant observation at the Pretoria Citizens' Advice Bureau and interviews with voluntary workers in the Bureau. Analysis of the data was carried out according to the grounded theory approach. It was found that untrained volunteers creating information storage and retrieval tools for use by their fellow volunteers, work without a knowledge of information storage and retrieval theory. They tend to make ad hoc decisions and create tools that are not as user-friendly as they could be with some background in the theory of information science. On the other hand, volunteers searching for information make the same kind of demands of the information storage and retrieval system they use as do professional and scientific information users, in that they want direct access to as much relevant information as possible in one place. They want the information repackaged in a manner to suit their purpose. When under pressure, they are reluctant to consult multiple information storage and retrieval tools not within easy reach. The study culminates in a number of recommendations for the improvement of the service of the Pretoria Citizens' Advice Bureau in particular. Recommendations are also put forward for a centralised computerised database providing processed information to community information services in South Africa. Some suggestions are made concerning education and training of volunteers and professional information workers with a view to providing a better understanding of community information services. / Information Science / D. Lit. et Phil.

This diploma thesis focuses on the problem of information behavior in the process of providing medical and health information. Research focuses on identifying information barriers. Research was implemented in several specialized workplaces: Homolka Hospital Library, National Medical Library, Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine: Scientific Medical Library, Institute for Postgraduate Medical Education: Department of Scientific Information and Bulovka Hospital Library. The following part is my own research listing the reference workstations and utilizing the information about the problem provided by the local employees. The information was gathered during monitored interviews. The thesis also introduces basic theoretical concepts of the area of information behavior, which are related to the topic. The final part is the evaluation of the results from the collection of information. The components are suggestions for changes to improve.

This research aims to understand the value assigned to work by information workers in Turkey. Benefiting from the global literature on the meaning of work (Graeber, 2019), how work affects one’s character (Sennett, 1998), and how postmodern jobs are pushing individuals to a state of pretense (Alvesson & Spicer, 2016), I am trying to understand how the information workers in Turkey are experiencing global trends, what kind of value they assign to work, and what are some of the influences on their understanding of work. There is a growing information sector in Turkey, but very limited resources on their experiences. By utilizing the lens of the Marxist theory of alienation (Marx, 1992), this study explains the experiences of research participants in four categories: Alienation from self, from others, from productive activity, and finally the product. Research findings show that the alienation from self was heavily experienced by the research participants and the situation got severe when there was increased bureaucracy and workplace politics. Due to the increased division of labor and the nature of the information work, increased levels of alienation from productive activity and the product were also shared by participants of the research. The study concludes with my suggestions on potential future research to be conducted in the field to better understand the trends and conditions in Turkey.