The purpose of this master thesis is to examine some information aspects of decision-making in Swedish municipal committees. Which are the information needs and how do they emerge? How is the needed information sought and received and which are the sources? How do the members of the committees use information when making decisions? To answer these questions qualitative interviews were conducted with four politicians (two chairpersons representing the political majority and two vice-chairpersons representing the opposition) and three officials in a municipality with a population of about 50 000. The politicians were interviewed in capacity of decision-makers, whereas the officials from the local administration are of interest through their decision-supportive role, which includes providing of reports and other information. The examination indicates that even if the conditions to some extent differ between the committees, the administration is highly influential: Notions and proposals about action may come from inhabitants, organizations, politicians etc., but are handled by the administration, which often is the problem formulating actor, through which the informational needs nearly always are canalized. Even though politicians and officials in some extent turn to the same information sources (e.g. local inhabitants or Government offices) the politicians’ information seeking outside the administration is marginal. The primary part of the seeking and receiving of information is managed by the working committees, where officials explain essential parts of a case (the case is treated in a written report) and motivate their standpoints. When using this and other information in decision-making there is often a strong ambition of consensus between the majority and the opposition; an interesting result considering the different political affiliations among the decision-makers. / Uppsatsnivå: D

The main purpose of this master thesis is to examine how high school students think when they independently are evaluating information for a school assignment. We examine what types of sources they use, and what their reasons are. Besides that we also examine what sorts of criteria they use when evaluating if a source is usable, and if there are any other factors that can have an influence for their choice of material. We have done a qualitative study with 23 students, where the students wrote down their answers in a questionnaire containing wide open questions. We have created our own tool for analysing the material by extracting the most general things in our chapter of earlier research, concerning the three questions which our study is based on. The result shows that the students trust literature and primary sources. Our students also make extensive use of the Internet, but they are sceptical of its trustworthiness. They trust sources of authority, and they make independent evaluations concerning the credibility by comparing sources with each other. The students use a great number of criteria when they are evaluating sources, which indicate that they examine their sources very thoroughly. We can also see a number of factors that can have an effect on the students when they are judging a source’s relevance. The result also shows that our students are really good at evaluating sources, and that training in critical thinking improves the students’ source critical consciousness. / Uppsatsnivå: D

The aim of this thesis is to investigate librarians’ experiences and opinions about a system for fiction retrieval based on the subject headings list Att indexera skönlitteratur. I want to know if librarians experience that subject headings searches for fiction literature are a good working tool, if there according to librarians are other resources and means that makes fiction available and searchable, and how they estimate the possibility of non-professionals to use subject headings for fiction retrieval. Six librarians at public libraries in Göteborg where interviewed. The interviews dealt with their work with fiction literature, their experiences of subject headings as a fiction retrieval tool, and with their contacts with patrons. The study revealed a great variation among the six librarians. Some said they used subject headings regularly and found them useful for fiction retrieval, while others said subject headings had a minor role in their work with fiction. As alternatives to subject headings where mentioned handbooks that describe fiction literature, the competence of librarians, shelf classification and exhibitions. Some librarians thought most patrons have limited use of subject headings, while others thought subject headings can be a good help for patrons. It is a common experience among the librarians that students ask for fiction dealing with certain subjects, and a common view that students above others can benefit from subject headings. To improve the retrieval of fiction in public libraries in Göteborg it is suggested that the structure of the subject headings list is exposed to the persons searching. / Uppsatsnivå: D

The purpose of this thesis is to examine how academic librarians seek information for themselves and for others, and what differences exist. The terms self-generated and imposed information seeking is used to describe the two different types of information seeking. Step 2 – define and understand the problem, step 3 – choose a search system and step 4 – formulate a query of Marchionini’s information-seeking model forms the basis of the theoretical framework, which is supplemented with Soergel and Katz. Qualitative interviews with eight academic librarians were conducted and analyzed in order to gather empirical facts. The results show that the greatest differences between self-generated and imposed information seeking lie within the definition and understanding of the information problem. The library user’s information need is specified through the reference interview; a process often seen as somewhat problematic by the librarians because of the difficulties involved in trying to understand another person’s needs. Librarians tend to approach imposed information seeking in a structured and pedagogic manner because of their desire to instruct the library user in the use of various databases and search techniques. The Internet is the most used information source during self-generated information seeking, while the library catalogue is the primary source during imposed information seeking. The results also show that only small differences exist in the way librarians use search strategies and search tactics during the two different types of information seeking. / Uppsatsnivå: D

Education in information seeking is often traditional and focused on technology. When it comes to this sort of education, research proves it is unusual to pay attention to the interaction between students. My intention has been to examine if it is possible to pay attention to the interaction between students, in order to create more and better situations of learning. The issues in this work are about describing the students’ interaction. Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotskij are taking an interest in interaction in situations of learning. In a socio-cultural perspective, the interaction and social community are requirements for learning. I have used three kinds of approaches to peer learning along with definitions of collaborative learning in the analysis of my material. I have also compared my material to formulations in the Lpo 94.Research has been made, proving students often lack the knowledge needed to be able to handle a problem-based method of working. There are also researchers presenting results proving that students with guidance and education have developed knowledge to handle a problem-based method. To find answers to my questions, I have carried out observations of students’ interaction when seeking for and using information by the computer. The results of the observations show that different forms of peer learning can be perceived, along with that the interaction is collaborative. Facts and skills are the forms of knowledge especially dealt with.

With the volume and availability of information increasing as fast as technological development in society a phenomenon called information overload has emerged. The purpose of our thesis was to investigate how university students experience this increase in volume and ease in access to information. In our study we concentrated our focus on the student’s use of electronic resources. So as not to prejudice our study group our questions focused on different aspects of searching for information. To obtain essential data we interviewed six students and applied a phenomenographic approach in our analysis of the material. Two variations of a students experience emerged from our results, A information overload was positive or B the experience was not positive. The main conclusion of our study was that the phenomenon information overload can be experienced in two qualitative different ways. We hoped that our study could provide a deeper understanding for information overload and how we search for information.

The purpose of this thesis is to show students’ information behaviour in everyday life and towards the Student Union of Borås. Methods of active information seeking and more random information encountering as well as information ignorance are of interest. The study focused on three issues; the first was to examine what information behaviour the students presented while acquiring information in their everyday life. The second was to find out what information behaviour the students had to acquire information from the Student Union of Borås. The third was what barriers prevented information from the Student Union of Borås from reaching the students and how the students would prefer to get information. The theoretical framework was a combination of Tom Wilson’s theories of Information Behaviour, Carol C. Kuhlthau’s model of the Information Search Process, Sanda Erdelez’s concept Information Encountering, Donald O. Case’s study of the concept information avoidance, ignorance and filtering and Michael Buckland’s list of information barriers. With a combination of methods, a questionnaire and qualitative interviews with 8 respondents the study was carried through. The analysis of the empirical material was conducted by comparing the respondents’ statements with the combined theoretical framework. The result of the study shows that the students combined methods of active information seeking, random information encountering and information ignorance in their everyday life as well as towards the Student Union of Borås. The study also shows that the most important part in removing information barriers between the Student Union and the students were to make the Student Union an interesting source of information, and that the students wanted the information in the easiest way possible, on their terms. A well functioning and updated webpage was one of the top priorities identified in this study.

The main purpose of this master thesis is to investigate the information seeking of lay politicians, part-time politicians and professional politicians in connection with the possible upcoming fusion of the two administrative regions, Västra Götaland and Värmland. The focus of this study has been to study how politicians use and evaluate information and sources of information, and to investigate if there are any differences in how different categories of politicians seek information. Seven politicians were interviewed using semi-structured questions, and a phenomenographic approach was used to analyze the data. In Sweden there are few available studies of how politician seek information, but some international studies have focused on information needs, information sources, selection and evaluation of information. I have used previous research, and data from respondents to compile and analyze my results in three descriptive categories. The politicians viewed information seeking as:- Being well prepared with up-to-date information- Reaching a comprehensive view using different perspectives- Sorting and evaluating informationThe study identified both similarities and differences in how the regional politicians viewed information seeking as a phenomenon. All of them found it important to view information from different perspectives. The professional politicians have an advantage in access to information, especially if they belonged to the party holding the majority. Both part-time politicians and professional politicians received information through cognitive authorities. Their differences in views were more dependent on the context in which the politicians work, than on their being a lay, part-time or professional politician.

The aim of this master’s thesis is in part to investigate how pupils act and experience their information seeking in connection with a school task, and in part to identify which factors influence the information process. The essay’s theoretical framework is based upon Carol C. Kuhlthau’s model of the process of information seeking where actions, thoughts and feelings are regarded as integrated parts. Over and above these, we add a series of factors which influence pupils’ information seeking to this model. These factors are elucidated on the basis of earlier research, and we emphasize in particular the considerations of Louise Limberg and Mikael Alexandersson since they are contextualised in the school situation. Combined methods have been applied in this investigation. Through observation and interviews we have been able to explore how pupils set about seeking for information, and by interviewing we have reflected upon the pupils’ experiences of information seeking. Through observation and interviews we have even attempted to clarify what affects pupils’ information seeking. Our main result shows that there are variations among pupils’ information seeking and even how they experience this process. The different styles of seeking are mirrored in their actions, thoughts and emotions. One conclusion that can be drawn from our result is that pupils require supervision, support and understanding of the tension that can often occur in relation to seeking information. Another conclusion is that pupils who cooperate with one another experience fewer episodes of tension and that information seeking is perceived to be easier and learning more pleasurable. / Uppsatsnivå: D

The aim of this Master’s thesis is to examine the information needs of gay, lesbian and bisexual adolescents’ when they are coming out. I also examine what kind of information they seek and where they might find this information. The purpose is also to examine what role the public or school library plays. The study is conducted through qualitative interviews with gay, lesbian and bisexual adolescents’. The theoretical framework includes studies about information needs and information use. The results indicate that there is evident information needs at the coming-out-stadium. The information sought is of many different kinds, including gay fiction and also webpage’s containing gay information. Gay fiction is, among other things, used for finding an identity, which can be hard to find in a society where the heterosexual identity is the norm. The questions I am working with are: How do homo- or bisexual adolescents’ information needs look like during the coming-out-process? What information sources have been used and how were they used? What purpose has the public library in seeking for information? and What problems has the informants come across in their seeking for information? The results that were found indicate that there is in evident need for information for the adolescents’, the sources that were used was mostly Internet but also books and the library. Among the problems that the informants came across were the lack of information and also the age of the information. / Uppsatsnivå: D