This study explores the everyday life information seeking (ELIS) behavior of Catholic clergy in Northern Nigeria and describes their information use environment (IUE). It employed a mixed-method case study using survey and episodic interview techniques of data collection. The ELIS of Savolainen, the IUE of Taylor and the small world of Chatman were theoretical frameworks that guided this study. Findings showed that the IUE of these Catholic clergy is shaped by four elements: (1) geographical location and culture, (2) the celibate clergy, (3) their information needs, and (4) the information sources used to resolve these needs. Three types of information needs were identified: essential needs, circumstantial needs and intermittent needs. There was a high interrelatedness between the effects of culture and celibacy on the information seeking of these clergy. They are not likely to cross boundaries of their world to seek particularly essential information about their ministry or private lives. The findings of this study align with Chatman’s proposition that members who live in the round will not cross the boundaries of their world to seek information. The study found problems with access and availability of information, which included lack of familiarity with electronic/online library databases among the clergy, and the lack of archives and documentation of records and historical materials. It recommended the development of an archiving and documentation plan that digitizes paper documents for electronic management, including policies on data curation for the Catholic religious institutions in Nigeria.

This research investigated how self-managed teams get the information they need to perform their job tasks. Two important factors prompted this study: the growing importance of self-managed teams in the workplace and the impact of the information system on team performance.

This study focuses on the use of information resources and communication technologies, both traditional and electronic, by academic library directors. The purpose is to improve understanding of managerial behavior when using information resources and communication technologies within a shared information environment. Taylor's concept of an information use environment is used to capture the elements associated with information use and communication within the context of decision-making styles, managerial roles, organizational environments, and professional communities. This qualitative study uses interviews, observations, questionnaires, and documents. Library directors participating in the study are from doctoral-degree granting universities in the southwestern United States. Data collection involved on-site observations with a PDA (personal digital assistant), structured interviews with library directors and their administrative assistants, the Decision Style Inventory, and a questionnaire based on Mintzberg's managerial roles. Findings show the existence of a continuum in managerial activities between an Administrator and an Administrator/Academic as critical to understanding information use and communication patterns among library directors. There is a gap between self-perception of managerial activities and actual performance, a finding that would not have surfaced without the use of multiple methods. Other findings include the need for a technical ombudsman, a managerial-level position reporting to the library director; the importance of information management as an administrative responsibility; the importance of trust when evaluating information; and the importance of integrating information and communication across formats, time, and managerial activities.

Social media is today used in Sweden by 88% of the population. On social media platforms discussions of mental health take place, which can be seen as problematic, because of the risk of misinformation being spread. On the other hand these discussions can create connection and provide strategies to individuals struggling. In this study information about depression, on the most used social media platform in Sweden, YouTube, will be explored further. The purpose of the study is to examine what YouTube creators from Sweden express about information sharing and information use, when talking about depression. This has been done by transcribing, thematising and analysing seven YouTube videos. To analyse the videos the theoretical concept cognitive authority has been used. The result of this study shows that information use is expressed in the videos by referring to different sources, presenting factual claims and discussing personal experience. The video creators also explain how information use effects them personally. Information sharing is expressed in the videos by discussing motives and obstacles to sharing information. A conclusion that can be drawn from this study is that prominent patterns can be identified in the videos. These patterns include that the creators mostly discuss their own experiences in their videos, but they also refer to health care professionals regularly. Another pattern identified is that most creators express wanting to share information to create awareness, but they also share information to help others and for the benefit of their own. Further, obstacles for sharing information are discussed in multiple videos, these obstacles are other people and the creators’ emotional reactions. Lastly the study shows that the creators can construct cognitive authorities by using information in a convincing way, by sharing experiences, presenting factual claims, and by referring to different sources. The creators can also construct cognitive authority by sharing information that seems honest and competent, by sharing personal information and explaining how they successfully overcame depression. The cognitive authority can also be constructed by developing personal trust with the viewers, by being personal and showing emotions. / Idag används sociala medier av 88% procent av Sveriges befolkning. På dessa sociala medier diskuteras bland annat psykisk ohälsa, vilket kan problematiseras på grund av risken att desinformation sprids. Å andra sidan kan dessa diskussioner skapa gemenskap och ge strategier till individer som mår dåligt. I denna studie undersöks delande och användning av information om depression på den mest använda sociala medieplattformen i Sverige, Youtube. Syftet med studien är att undersöka vad kreatörer på YouTube uttrycker om informationsanvändning och informationsdelning i videos på svenska som handlar om depression. Detta har gjorts genom att sju YouTube-videos transkriberats, tematiserats och analyserats. För att analysera videorna har det teoretiska begreppet kognitiv auktoritet använts. Undersökningens resultat visar att informationsanvändning uttrycks i videorna genom att kreatörerna refererar till olika källor, genom att presentera faktapåståenden, diskutera personliga erfarenheter och effekter av information. En slutsats som kan dras av undersökningen är att vissa framstående mönster kan identifieras i videorna. Dessa mönster är att de flesta kreatörerna uttrycker en vilja till att dela information för att skapa medvetenhet, med flertalet vill även dela information för att hjälpa andra eller för sin egen skull. Vidare har hinder för informationsdelning identifierats, dessa innefattar andra människor och kreatörernas känslomässiga reaktioner. Slutligen visar undersökningen att kreatörer kan skapa kognitiva auktoriteter genom att de använder information på ett övertygande sätt, delar erfarenheter, faktapåståenden och refererar till olika källor. Kreatörerna kan också skapa kognitiv auktoritet genom att de delar information som verkar ärlig och kompetent och berättar hur de överkommit sin depression. Den kognitiva auktoriteten kan även skapas genom att kreatörerna utvecklar personlig tillit till sin publik, vilket görs genom att kreatörerna visar känslor och är personliga.

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The aim of this thesis is to investigate the use of weather information from an information science perspective. By using Everyday Life Information Seeking theories and a qualitative method this thesis takes a novel approach on how weather information is used and viewed by the everyday users and meteorologists. Thus the material, based on seven interviews with everyday users and two focus group interviews with meteorologists, manages to convey new aspects on how weather information is used in an everyday setting and how meteorologists view their role as information providers. The analysis show that for everyday users there is a difference in how weather information is used depending on age. While apps on mobile phones are used by both younger and older informants, other media types, such as TV and webpages, tend to be used by either older or younger age groups. The results also show that there are non-traditional sources used for weather information among everyday users, such as non-weather web cameras and social media. The results also show that there is a difference in how meteorological forecasters and researchers view different aspects of weather information. Both groups have an understanding of information as being dependent on how it is presented, though forecast meteorologists express a more nuanced view. The results from this study show that information science can be a vital tool for studying weather information habits. It is the firm belief of the author that using information science could gain new insights for the meteorological community in the future. This is a two-year master thesis in Archive, Library and Museum studies. / Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka väderinformation från ett informationsvetenskapligt perspektiv. Genom att använda Everyday Life Information Seeking teorier och en kvalitativ metod ger denna uppsats ett nydanande angreppsätt på hur väderinformation används och ses av vardagsanvändare och meteorologer. Således kan materialet, som baseras på sju intervjuer med vardagsanvändare och två fokusgruppsintervjuer med meteorologer, frambära nya aspekter på hur väderinformation används i vardagen och hur meteorologer ser på sin roll som informationsförmedlare. Analysen visar att det för vardagsanvändare finns en skillnad i hur väderinformation används beroende på åldersgrupp. Medan appar på mobiltelefoner används av både yngre och äldre informanter, så tenderar övriga media typer, som TV och hemsidor, att användas främst av endast en ålderskategori. Vidare visar resultaten på att icketraditionella källor för väderprognoser används av vardaganvändare, så som webkameror och sociala medier. Resultaten visar även på att det finns en skillnad i hur prognosmeteorologer och meteorologiska forskare ser på olika aspekter av väderinformation. Båda grupperna visar på en förståelse för att information är beroende på hur den presenteras, så ger prognosmeteorologer uttryck för en mer nyanserad bild. Resultaten från studien visa på att informationsvetenskap kan vara ett viktigt verktyg för att studera väderinformationsvanor. Författaren menar på att informationsvetenskap skulle kunna ge nya insikter inom det meteorologiska området i framtiden. Detta är en tvåårig masteruppsats inom Arkiv-, Bibliotek- och Museumstudier.

Access and use of information facilitate the improvement of agriculture in rural areas. It is therefore important to ensure that adequate and appropriate information flows to the rural areas, and that farmers are able to utilise it. This study investigated the access and use of poultry management information in three rural districts of Tanzania, namely Iringa Rural, Morogoro Rural and Mvomero. The survey method, supplemented by methodological triangulation, was used to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 360 poultry farmers in the selected rural communities. Sixteen focus group discussions were conducted, in which 160 farmers participated. Twenty-two information providers were interviewed. The SPSS® software was used to analyse quantitative data, while qualitative data was analysed using content analysis. The findings indicated that poultry farmers needed information on poultry disease control, poultry protection, shelter for poultry and poultry production. There was very low identification and prioritisation of farmers’ information needs by the information providers. Farmers accessed information that had a direct impact and was deemed relevant to their farming activities. It was revealed that farmers accessed information mainly from interpersonal sources. Likewise, farmers preferred interpersonal and informal sources to formal sources of information. The extension officers were considered to be the most effective information source, followed by family, friends, and neighbours. Various factors, such as lack of awareness, unavailability of extension officers and poor infrastructure, influenced access and use of poultry management information. It was concluded that most of the information providers were not aware of the farmers’ information needs, and as a result they were not in a position to disseminate relevant information. In addition, farmers were used to an oral culture, which means that they would probably continue to depend on interpersonal sources of information, regardless of the availability of formal channels and modern sources. The study recommended several measures, including the use of multiple sources of information and delivery of information in a variety of formats, in order to accommodate various categories of farmers. The study also suggested some areas for further research. Furthermore, a model for effective dissemination of poultry management information in rural areas was proposed. / Information Science / D. Litt. et Phil. (Information Science)

Depuis quelques années, les statistiques indiquent une croissance exponentielle de l’incidence de certaines infections transmissibles sexuellement chez les jeunes adultes. Certaines enquêtes témoignent en outre des comportements peu responsables en matière de santé sexuelle chez cette population, bien que l’offre d’information sur les conséquences de tels comportements soit importante et diversifiée. Par ailleurs, le comportement informationnel de cette population en matière de santé sexuelle demeure peu documenté. La présente étude porte sur le comportement informationnel de jeunes adultes québécois en matière de santé sexuelle. Plus spécifiquement, elle répond aux quatre questions de recherche suivantes : (1) Quelles sont les situations problématiques auxquelles les jeunes adultes sont confrontés en santé sexuelle?, (2) Quels sont les besoins informationnels exprimés par les jeunes adultes lors de ces situations problématiques?, (3) Quels sont les processus et les sources d’information qui soutiennent la résolution de ces besoins informationnels? et (4) Quelle est l’utilisation de l’information trouvée? Cette recherche descriptive a utilisé une approche qualitative. Le milieu retenu est l’Université de Montréal pour deux raisons : il s’agit d’un milieu cognitivement riche qui fournit un accès sur place à des ressources en santé sexuelle. Les huit jeunes adultes âgés de 18 à 25 ans qui ont pris part à cette étude ont participé à une entrevue en profondeur utilisant la technique de l’incident critique. Chacun d’entre eux a décrit une situation problématique par rapport à sa santé sexuelle et les données recueillies ont été l’objet d’une analyse de contenu basée sur la théorisation ancrée. Les résultats indiquent que les jeunes adultes québécois vivent des situations problématiques relatives à l’aspect physique de leur santé sexuelle qui peuvent être déclenchées par trois types d’éléments : un événement à risques, un symptôme physique subjectif et de l’information acquise passivement. Ces situations problématiques génèrent trois catégories de besoins informationnels : l’état de santé actuel, les conséquences possibles et les remèdes. Pour répondre à ces besoins, les participants se sont tournés en majorité vers des sources professionnelles, personnelles et verbales. La présence de facteurs contextuels, cognitifs et affectifs a particularisé leur processus de recherche d’information en modifiant les combinaisons des quatre activités effectuées, soit débuter, enchaîner, butiner et différencier. L’automotivation et la compréhension du problème représentent les deux principales utilisations de l’information. D’un point de vue théorique, les résultats indiquent que le modèle général de comportement informationnel de Choo (2006), le modèle d’environnement d’utilisation de l’information de Taylor (1986, 1991) et le modèle d’activités de recherche d’information d’Ellis (1989a, 1989b, 2005) peuvent être utilisés dans le contexte personnel de la santé sexuelle. D’un point de vue pratique, cette étude ajoute aux connaissances sur les critères de sélection des sources d’information en matière de santé sexuelle. / Over the pasts few years, statistics have indicated an exponential growth in the incidence of some sexually transmitted diseases among young adults. Certain studies suggest less-than-responsible sexual health behaviours among this population, despite readily available information, from diverse sources, on the consequences of such behaviours. Furthermore, the sexual health information behaviour of this population has not yet been well documented. This study focuses on the sexual health information behaviour of a group of young Quebec adults. More specifically, it answers the following four research questions: (1) What are the problematic situations faced by young adults in matters of sexual health?; (2) What are the information needs arising from these problematic situations?; (3) What are the information search processes and sources used to answer these information needs? and (4) Once found, how was this information used? This descriptive research used a qualitative approach. The Université de Montréal was chosen as the research environment for two reasons: it is a cognitively rich milieu that offers on-site access to sexual health resources. Eight young adults aged from 18 to 25 participated in an in-depth interview using the critical incident technique. Each participant described a problematic situation with respect to their sexual health and the resulting data were analysed using a grounded theory based method. Results indicate that young Quebec adults are faced with problematic situations with respect to physical aspects of their sexual life that can be triggered by three types of elements: a risky event, a subjective physical symptom or passively acquired information. These problematic situations generate three categories of information needs: the actual health state, potential consequences and cures. To answer these needs, a majority of participants turned to professional, personal and verbal sources. Situational, cognitive, and affective factors differentiated their information search process with different combinations of four information search activities: starting, chaining, browsing, and differentiating. Self-motivation and understanding of the problem represent the two main information uses. At a theoretical level, results indicates that the general information model (Choo 2006), the information use environment model (Taylor 1986, 1991) and the information search activities (Ellis 1989a, 1989b, 2005) can be used in the personal context of sexual health. At a practical level, this study enriches the knowledge of the criteria for selecting information sources in the context of sexual health.

Il y a de plus en plus de preuves que les animaux diffèrent de façon constante dans leur tendance à se servir de l’information sociale et de l’information personnelle, et ces différences interindividuelles sont corrélées avec des traits de personnalité tels que l’hardiesse et l’exploration. Le lien entre la personnalité et l’utilisation d’information sociale serait attribué au fait que les performances cognitives des individus affectent non seulement leur personnalité, mais aussi leur habileté à acquérir de l’information personnelle fiable. La présente étude cherchait à déterminer si les femelles diamant mandarin qui ont tendance à se fier à l’information sociale dans des contextes de choix de partenaire et d’alimentation démontrent également un niveau de contrôle de soi plus faible, une mesure que nous avons utilisée pour évaluer leur capacité à discriminer entre deux alternatives. Nous avons observé que les femelles plus impulsives ont une plus grande tendance à se servir de l’information sociale que celles qui démontrent un degré de contrôle de soi plus élevé. Ainsi, nos résultats suggèrent fortement que les différences individuelles dans les capacités cognitives auraient contribué à l'émergence et au maintien des personnalités animales. / There is increasing evidence that animals differ consistently in their tendency to weight social and personal information and these inter-individual differences have been found to correlate with personality traits, such as boldness or exploratory tendency. One reason that could explain the relationship between personality and social information use is that cognitive capacities of individuals affect both their personality and their ability to acquire reliable personal information. Our study aimed to determine if female zebra finches that relied on social information in a mating and a foraging context also demonstrated a low level of self-control, used as a measure of their ability to discriminate accurately among alternatives. Supporting our expectations, we found that the most impulsive females consistently relied on social information to a greater extent than those that demonstrated higher levels of self control. Thus, our findings strongly suggest that individual differences in cognitive abilities have contributed to the emergence and maintenance of animal personalities.

Bien que les apprenants québécois de tous les niveaux d’éducation cherchent majoritairement vers le Web pour trouver de l’information dans le cadre de leur formation, bon nombre d’entre eux présentent des difficultés pour obtenir celle dont ils ont besoin. Face à cette nouvelle réalité, les enseignants actuels et futurs ont certes pour mission de développer les compétences informationnelles des apprenants, à savoir leurs compétences de recherche, d’évaluation et d’utilisation de l’information, mais sont-ils pour autant bien préparés pour le faire? La présente étude vise donc à vérifier si les futurs enseignants québécois possèdent les compétences nécessaires pour chercher, évaluer et utiliser de l’information pour répondre à leurs propres besoins informationnels et s’ils sont adéquatement formés pour enseigner ces compétences à leurs élèves. Afin d’atteindre cet objectif général de recherche, la présente thèse s’appuie sur un cadre conceptuel élaboré autour de trois éléments complémentaires : le concept de compétences informationnelles, le processus de recherche et de traitement de l’information et les méthodes d’enseignement des compétences informationnelles en milieu scolaire. Pour atteindre les objectifs spécifiques de recherche qui ont découlé de la synthèse de ces éléments, cette thèse a eu recours à une méthodologie mixte mariant sondage, entrevues et observations auprès de 353 futurs enseignants d’une université québécoise. Dans un premier temps, nous avons décrit et analysé leurs pratiques déclarées et effectives en recherche et traitement d’information sur le Web. Les principaux résultats concernant la recherche d’information démontrent que la majorité des futurs enseignants font figure de novices alors qu’ils planifient peu ou pas leurs recherches, emploient des stratégies de recherche basiques et diversifient peu les outils de recherche pour arriver à leurs fins, Google dominant largement. Dans un deuxième temps, les principaux résultats au sujet du traitement d’information montrent que la plupart des futurs enseignants évaluent l’information trouvée selon plusieurs critères dont la vérifiabilité de l’information et son utilisation à des fins d’enseignement et d’apprentissage. De plus, on constate que si la majorité d’entre eux sont en mesure de synthétiser l’information trouvée sur le Web, il reste que seule une minorité cite les sources utilisées. Dans un troisième temps, nos résultats dénotent que la formation initiale en compétences informationnelles est nettement insuffisante aux yeux des futurs enseignants, celle-ci étant principalement concentrée en début de baccalauréat sous la forme d’ateliers offerts par la bibliothèque. Parallèlement, les résultats démontrent que la majorité des futurs enseignants mettront davantage l’accent sur l’enseignement de l’évaluation et l’utilisation de l’information que sur sa recherche sur le Web. De fait les élèves seront sensibilisés à évaluer l’information trouvée selon une multitude de critères et à faire attention au plagiat. Dans un dernier temps, les résultats de notre étude sont synthétisés et analysés à la lumière de la littérature et des pistes de recommandations sont proposées dans le but d’améliorer la formation initiale en compétences informationnelles. / While Québec’s students from elementary schools to university now mainly use the Web to find information for their studies. many have difficulties getting the information they need. Faced with this new reality, inservice and preservice teachers must give students the proper information literacy training, that is to learn how to search, evaluate and use information to meet their needs. This study aims to analyze if Québec’s preservice teachers have the information literacy competencies to meet their own needs and if they are adequately trained to teach information literacy. To achieve this goal, this research uses a conceptual framework developed around three complementary elements: the information literacy concept, the information seeking process, and information literacy teaching methods. To meet the specific research objectives that resulted from the synthesis of these elements, a mixed methodology combines data collected from a survey, interviews and observations conducted with 353 preservice teachers of a university in Québec. Results on reported and actual practices of the students’ information seeking process on the Web show, firstly, that a majority of them are novice information searchers, as they plan little or not at all their research on the Web, use basic search strategies, and scarcely diversify their research tools, with Google as their preferred tool by far. Secondly, results show that most preservice teachers evaluate the information they find on the Web according to several criteria, including information verifiability and potential use for teaching and learning. But while a majority of preservice teachers are able to synthesize the information found on the Web, only a minority cites correctly their sources. Thirdly, results indicate that preservice teachers perceive their initial training in information literacy as clearly insufficient, for it has been mainly received at the beginning of their program and in the form of workshops by the university’s librarians. Our results also show that while a majority of preservice teachers plan to teach how to evaluate information found on the Web using many criteria and educate them about plagiarism, they will put less emphasis on teaching how to search for information on the Web. We conclude our study by summarizing and analyzing our results in the light of the existing literature and offering recommandations to improve information literacy teacher training.