ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

My graduate school experience and this dissertation were enabled by many people and institutions. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all those who provided assistance.

Foremost, I am thankful to Professor Sanna Talja of the Department of Information Studies at the University of Tampere, Finland. Since I met Sanna at a conference in 2003, she has gracefully worn many hats--as mentor, dissertation committee member, discussion partner, and friend. I will always aspire to the high standards and originality of her work. Sanna’s painstaking comments on my manuscripts and moral support have been critical ingredients in this study.

Three other people deserve special recognition as mentors who supplied inspiration and coaching along the way. I have been indelibly impacted by the farsightedness and imagination of my first advisor at UCLA, Marcia Bates. Long talks with Marcia were highlights of my student experience, and my own understanding of information has grown out of her writings and seminars. Mary Niles Maack, also of UCLA, has been the steadiest counselor for practical matters of my professional development. Mary is always several steps ahead of me, opening doors and pointing the way to interesting opportunities. Robert A. Stebbins, a sociologist and faculty professor at the University of Calgary, Canada, has taught me how to collaborate across disciplines and to design and execute a long-range research agenda. I have benefited just by being near his infectious curiosity, good humor, and integrity.

I am also grateful for having an exceptional doctoral committee. I wish to thank my chair, Greg Leazer, for being a wise, kind, and unflappable guide. The rest of my committee brought diverse talents and perspectives to the table that improved my project. Leah Lievrouw infused theoretical rigor and a sensitivity to social factors. Mary Niles Maack contributed an historian’s humanism and appreciation for colorful details. Sociologist Melvin Pollner taught me ethnographic methods in a manner that sparked both my mind and heart. To my disappointment, in the last week before the final defense, Professor Pollner had to leave the committee. I am thankful that Megan Franke of UCLA’s Department of Education stepped in with enthusiasm and a fresh perspective.

The Department of Information Studies at UCLA provided me with a tremendous graduate education. In particular, I appreciate Jonathan Furner’s rare ability to integrate practice, technology, and history, and for his remarkable lectures and discussions. I am grateful for the Department’s generous financial support and the shepherding of Anne Gilliland, Virginia Walter, Michèle Cloonen, and John Richardson. Susan Abler was an indispensible navigator of university forms and policies, and receptionist Lydia Doplemore always offered a smile. Justin Scott and David Cappoli resolved all my technological questions and problems with patience and skill.

Eighteen months of my doctoral studies were spent as a guest of the Department of Information Studies at the University of Tampere, Finland. My second trip to Finland, on a Fulbright Fellowship, was sponsored by The Fulbright Center in Helsinki, Finland. Executive director Terhi Mölsä and program manager Terhi Topi, along with their wonderful team, served as gracious hosts. I am also thankful to the International Institute of Education, which administrates the Fulbright Program from the United States. The year in Finland was the pinnacle of my student career, and in my lifetime I will never forget the cold lakes, glistening winters, and eerie sunny nights of this beautiful northern country.

At the University of Tampere, Finland, I was fortunate to be amidst some of the field’s leading scholars within my research specialty of Information Seeking and Use. I am indebted to this community for the warm welcome and intellectually stimulating and productive environment. My project always leapt forward after discussions within the Department’s Research Group on Information Seeking (ReGIS). Especially, Reijo Savolainen helped clarify the main concepts in my study and meticulously reviewed early drafts. Reijo’s theoretical articles will remain touchstones and personal favorites. In Tampere I met my most like-minded collaborator, Jarkko Kari. We discovered a shared interest in the informational features of pleasurable and profound life experiences. Over working lunches at the university cafeteria we crafted a research umbrella that grounds and unifies our projects. What is more, Jarkko invited me along for enjoyable outings with his family ~ he is a treasured partner and friend.

Many other people made my tenure overseas wonderful. Administrator Raija Aaltonen helped me settle into a new office, city, and culture. Harri Laitinen, the department’s resident techie, was a guide to local entertainment during off hours. This time abroad was further enriched by the companionship of fellow American visitors Ann Bishop and her daughter Emma, and Bertram (Chip) Bruce, both of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Several academics gave their time and insight to help me develop and advance my ideas. Birger Hjørland, in particular, was a tireless email correspondent and virtual teacher during the formative stages of this dissertation. Birger helped with the metatheoretical framing of the study, and kindly hosted my visit to the Royal School of Librarianship in Copenhagen, Denmark. The following scholars produced work that shaped my thinking, and were willing reviewers or discussants, namely: Christine Borgman, Donald Case, Ron Day, Joan Durrance, Steve Fuller, Francis Miksa, Boyd Rayward, Catherine Ross, Pamela Sandstrom, Olof Sundin, and Howard D. White.

My tenure as a doctoral student would not have been the same without the stimulating exchanges and laughs provided by other UCLA doctoral students of information studies. I have cherished the friendship of Rich Gazan, Yang Lu, Hongyan Ma, Stasa Milojevic, Laura Pasquale, Marisol Ramos, Margie Rauen, Melissa Tatiano, and Jennifer Sweeney. Over the years I came to know and admire other students of information from around the world. I look forward to seeing these peers at conferences and following their discoveries into the future: Frederik Åström, Brad Compton, Tina Finn, Tim Hogan, Birger Larsen, Kate McDowell, Lisa Nathan, Sami Serola, Megumi Sewachi, Sari Suomela, Cameron Tuai, and Weiping Yue.

None of this would be possible without my family. My father extended his own creativity and love of learning to me while I was young, and my mother has been a constant source of support. My energy and spirit were regularly renewed during holidays at home, especially on account of my three effervescent nieces. Thanks Dad, Mom, Erik, Rubina, Hanna, Sara, Erika and Bachi! (And kudos to Hanna for being an excellent junior dissertation assistant.)

Finally, I am indebted to the 20 gourmet cooks from Boston and Los Angeles who opened up their lives, homes, and cupboards to share their passion for the hobby of gourmet cooking.