The aim of this thesis is to investigate what information needs arise from the interest in music, which sources are preferred, how this information is sought and what part does the public library play in providing music materials. Brenda Dervin`s Sense-Making theory is what serves as a theoretic framework for this study. A qualitative approach was undertaken in the investigation and nine interviews were conducted with people interested in music. Findings indicate that different ways of acquiring information are used depending on the situation in which the information is needed and also what kinds of music people prefer. The main findings of this study suggest that people interested in music are keen to constantly discover new music to perform or listen to. Information seeking seems to be mainly performed by monitoring known dependable sources and information providers used include newspapers, magazines, radio, TV and the Internet. Information to try helping decide whether certain music is worth exploring further is often sought by browsing musicrecordings or taking advice from friends, family and other trusted sources. Very highly appreciated sources overall are family, friends and other persons known to have expertise knowledge. Internet seems to be used both as a news provider and for searching reference information. When needing specialised knowledge or reference information, dictionaries, websites or people with known specialknowledge are often preferred. Barriers experienced are of financial and cognitive nature and also caused by an interest in music of less well-known genres. Libraries seemed to be used mainly for borrowing sheet music or lyrics and not so much for their record collections. / Uppsatsnivå: D

This thesis focuses on information seeking and use by volunteers and employees in women’s organisations helping women who have been subject to violence. These organisations for example provide help and support, legal assistance and temporary shelter. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with five women working in Terrafem, which is a women’s organisation directed towards women with a non-Swedish background. The aim of the study is to create an understanding for the specific information needs that the women working in Terrafem experience and the situations in which these needs are created. The focus has been on needs created in the contact with women seeking support in Terrafem, but also the general need for of keeping up with for example new research in the area of violence against women. My conclusions were that the informants found it important to keep up with areas like new research, feminism and conflicts in the world. They need information mostly in contact with the authorities and regarding questions about asylum seeking and other law related questions. They use mostly oral sources and Internet, but also newspapers, magazines, databases, libraries and their own collections of facts in folders. Lots of information pass between the women orally, between those who have been a long time in the organisation to those who are new, and also between women with special skills.

This is an investigation into the ways in which a group of librarians experience and make use of the intranet in their vocational role. The theoretical frame of reference consists of a model of how professionals seek information, which is based on a role-theory. As a method, I have applied a qualitative case-study. Using semi-structured qualitative interviews I have interviewed five librarians and the webmaster responsible for the intranet in their library. I have investigated how elements such as the age and vocational role of the librarians affect their use of the intranet. The result of the investigation shows that age and vocational role have only a minor effect on the work of these librarians. The degree to which they do use the intranet seems to depend more on their interest than on actual need. The librarians use the intranet both as an information channel and as a tool for work-related tasks. The intranet has altered the support of the librarians by making it possible for everybody to be informed by the information published there. Nobody can say that he has no chance to be informed. The librarians experience that the intranet has increased their responsibility for looking for and finding information on the intranet which corresponds to their needs. The advantage of the intranet is that the librarians can find the information whenever they want it, and no outsider can find it equally easily. The disadvantage is that the librarians experience difficulties in finding the relevant information on the intranet, because the search-engine and navigation-guide do not help sufficiently. Because of the demands from the Head of the Library and from their colleagues some role conflicts have arisen. The librarians experience a need to make use of the intranet to a higher extent than they do at present. They feel that they cannot fulfill the expectations of the Head of the Library and of their colleagues because they do not have enough knowledge to be able to make use of the intranet and thus they do not have easy access to the information published there. However, in spite of their difficulties in searching and finding information, they are satisfied with the contents of the intranet and they do not see any immediate demands for changes.

The aim of this master’s thesis is to examine how exchange students experience looking for information in their new life situation during a semester in Prague. A further purpose is to investigate what barriers they have faced and how this affected their information behavior. Six qualitative interviews of students constitute the empirical foundation for the study. The interviewees are from six different European countries, were all participating in the Erasmus program, and all had social sciences/humanities/art as their main subject. The empirical findings were analyzed with the use of T.D Wilson’s context oriented model of information behavior from the article “Information behavior: an inter-disciplinary perspective”. This includes for example the theory of stress and coping from the psychology. The result shows that exchange students are dealing with a complex of problems, being both a student and a newcomer. A certain level of stress is experienced when it comes to getting informed, especially in the initial part of the exchange. One main barrier is the Czech language, which also functions as a great activating mechanism. By learning this, the exchange students get more independent in their use of information and they also get closer to the Czech society. Other common barriers are related to the bureaucratic system in international student offices, libraries and other places where information is supposed to be accessible. Even if the impressions are split the library is a quite well used source among the students. Socials contacts, such as other students and local people, are also important sources, especially when it comes to overcoming the barriers. / Uppsatsnivå: D

The purpose of this thesis has been to investigate how librarians perceive nurses as a user group and libraries’ function for nurses. In order to achieve the study’s purpose six qualitative interviews with librarians working at medical libraries were conducted. The study has been performed with a phenomenographical methodological approach. Librarians have different perceptions of nurses’ as a user group, however the majority of them experience that nurses’ information needs have been increasing as has their use of medical libraries. The respondents perceive both barriers and facilities for nurses' information practice. The barriers include lack of time, motivation and organizational support. Facilities include education, increased access to information and changing attitudes. The informants perceive that medical libraries are able to support and improve nurses’ information practice through user customized training, target audience-focused information delivery via the web, communication, outreach work, cooperation and collaboration with other actors in hospital environments and good reference service. Three major categories of perceptions have been identified. According to category A medical libraries and librarians already meet nurses’ needs, overcome barriers and reach out nurses. Librarians are teaching nurses tools and techniques to obtain information. Nurses are given access to considerable amount of nursing literature. Libraries have also evolved some e-services with nurses in mind. Librarians are satisfied with their own effort. Within category B medical libraries aren’t able to overcome barriers completely. According to category C medical libraries will be able to do that thanks to nurses’, librarians’ and other actors’ changing attitudes.

The aim of this master’s thesis is to examine the information needs in the character subjects of the students at a vocationally oriented program in the Swedish upper secondary school. I also examine from which sources the students get the information. I want to create a wider understanding of information seeking processes at a vocationally oriented programme. The main focus is the students’ own thoughts and opinions about their information needs and information seeking processes. The results are related to research on information literacy from a sociocultural perspective as represented by Roger Säljö. The literature that has been used consists of material from research concerning information literacy in a learning context. Two group interviews and eight individual qualitative interviews were conducted with students at the Vehicle Mechanics Programme at a Swedish upper secondary school. The results show that most of the students have a high awareness of their information needs and their information sources. It is distinct in my study that the interaction between teacher, students and context is decisive for what information needs they have and what information sources they have access to. Information needs depend on what school they are in and what tasks the students are getting and whether they are at school or are in a work experience period. The study shows that interaction between the vocationally oriented program and working life and also between teacher and students is missing concerning information practices. / Program: Bibliotekarie

The main purpose of this thesis is to contribute to the understanding of information needs of eight vocational studies teachers at the Handicraft Programme at a senior high school. I have analyzed the teachers’ needs of information and the empirical material has been collected through interviews with eight vocational studies teachers. To analyze the interviews I have used Lars Höglund and Olle Persson’s model for information needs and a model for information sources. The major conclusions are that the most important information source is their colleagues, especially the teachers from the Handicraft Programme. They discuss encountered problems with their colleagues, and also exchange information and experiences. Another finding is that digital information is used widely among the teachers. They described that they often use the computer to handle e-mail and also for finding information. Suppliers- and exhibitions homepages are places that can offer a lot of information. Also search engines as google.com is used frequently to find the information they are looking for. The school library and other sources and methods to find information are used rarely or exceptionally. They seldom consult with the school librarian but it seems that the library and the librarian are more used in the education as a resource. Several of the informants told that they visit the school library together with their students to seek for information. / Program: Bibliotekarie

This thesis deals with the information-seeking behaviour of occupational therapists. Focus was on three different aspects of information-seeking behaviour. The purpose was to investigate how occupational therapists conceive of work-related information needs, their choice and use of formal and informal information sources and their use of the hospital library. Twelve interviews with occupational therapists were conducted at a rehabilitation clinic in a hospital. The theoretical frame consists of a general model of the information-seeking of professionals by Leckie, Pettigrew and Sylvain. To characterize the various information sources and information needs, two other models was used as a complement in relation to the general model. The study shows that occupational therapists experience a range of information needs due to different work roles and associated tasks. The information needs were mainly of two different kinds: information needs due to clinical praxis and information needs of a more general character. These information needs were both on an regularly and a temporary basis. To meet the information needs, occupational therapists use a wide range of internal and external, informal and formal information sources. The study also shows that the interviewed occupational therapists gave the hospital library three different roles or functions. / Uppsatsnivå: D

This study illustrates, describes and explains the complexity that is included in the information situation for parents of children with disabilities. The main issues are: What does the parents information seeking processes look like? How do the parents experience their information situation, related to the child? How can the information behaviour and the different experiences be understood, seen from a psychological perspective? The empirical material consists of qualitative interviews with six different sets of parents of children with disabilities. The results show that the information needs often deal with questions about medicine, rights to different aids from the society and information that gives the parents a sort of context in their situation, i.e. politically and in the society overall. The informal sources are very significant for the parents. Several barriers are noted in the information process. One example of this is that the information needed often is so specific that the parent must search in several different sources. Another example is the aspect of power related to the parents’ contacts with persons in authority and persons in the medical attendance. The variation in conceptions of the parents’ information situation, experienced by themselves, is described in four different categories of descriptions, developed out of a phenomenographic approach: 1) engagement that gives the parent insights; 2) anxiety and powerlessness; 3) with acceptance and without dramatization; 4) a never ending struggle. The four conceptions are presented in a model, which in a third analysis is explained from a psychological perspective. / <p>Inscannad 2008-05-09 pga tekniska problem med ursprungsfilen</p><p>Uppsatsnivå: D</p>

This Master’s thesis concerns the information behaviour of pastors in nonconformist churches (especially new evangelical and Baptist church communions) in Sweden in their spiritual service to the local parish. The thesis also looks into how the information flow functions in the pastors’ context and why the information need appears as it does. The theory used in this study is contextual analysis based on Buckland’s, Weber’s and Patrick Wilson’s theories on authority and power structures. Interviews with open-question approach were conducted with 6 pastors. Analysis showed that the pastors use different sources in their effort to intermediate information to their congregation. The most common source is literature, i.e. the Bible or other Christian literature and reference books. The pastors express the importance of meditation and prayer to access divine information, as well as the influence of important cognitive authorities. What the pastors lack is a clear view on how sermons are received, but most importantly a way of accessing information through sources they are unfamiliar with. They tend to walk the same information path as they have before. I propose that national church communions work together in establishing means for pastors to access said information. The literary circulation within the Christian church appears to be strong in the way that they hardly use any non-Christian resources and that the pastors in high regard use the same literature that other pastors do. There is also a need to further study how information flows within the small congregation as well as to study meditative and spiritual information search. / Uppsatsnivå: D