This workshop draws upon my dissertation research and the paper Pictures Worth a Thousand Words: A Visual Approach to the Study of Libraries in the Home (Hartel, 2006) winner of the 2006 ALISE/Dialog Methodology Competition. Both are centered on the study of information spaces[1] (Lee, 2003; Bruce, 2005) and their information phenomena [2]-- variously called personal information environments (Malone, 1983; Kwasnik, 1991), personal space libraries (Miksa, 1996) or information grounds (Pettigrew, 1999). The session introduces the photographic inventory (Collier & Collier, 1986; Hartel, 2006), an ethnographic data gathering method that employs a still camera and visual analysis process to systematically document and analyze these settings. The workshop is designed for graduate students and scholars interested in novel data-gathering methods for the study of information phenomena in private or public contexts, particularly within everyday life realms. The agenda is outlined below.

1. Background: Trends & Precedents. Two sweeping background trends are noted; related research programs and research precedents are quickly reviewed.

2. Visual Anthropology: The Photographic Inventory. The field of visual anthropology is introduced and a specific technique, the photographic inventory, is described.

3. The Photographic Inventory: Six Stages. The six main elements of the photographic inventory are explained, namely: research design, acquiring and mastering technology, unstructured fieldwork, structured fieldwork, analysis, and communication.

4. Results from a Case Study: The Hobby of Gourmet Cooking. The approach is illustrated in a case study that employs the photographic inventory as a data gathering method to explore information phenomena in the hobby of gourmet cooking.

5. Conclusion: Critique, Comments, & Questions. To conclude, a critical perspective is taken of this method, and outstanding comments and questions can be voiced.

 

Works Cited

Bruce, H. (2005). Personal, anticipated information need. Information Research, 10 (3) paper 232. [Available at http://InformationR.net/ir/10-3/paper232.html ]

Collier, J. & Collier, M. (1986). Visual anthropology: Photography as a research method. Albuquerque : University of New Mexico .

Hartel, J. (2006). Pictures worth a thousand words: A Visual approach to the study of libraries in the home.
Winner of the Dialog/ALISE Methodology Competition, 2006. Unpublished manuscript.

Kwasnik, B. H. (1991). The Importance of factors that are not document attributes in the organization of personal documents. Journal of Documentation, 47 (4), 389-398.

Lee, H. L. (2003). Information spaces and collections: Implications for organization. Library & Information Science Research, 25, 419-436.

Malone, T. (1983). How do people organize their desks? Implications for the design of office information systems. Proceedings of ACM Transactions on Office Information Systems, 1 (1), 99-112.

Miksa, F. (1996). The Cultural legacy of the 'Modern Library' for the future, The Journal of Education for Library and Information Science 37 (2), 100-119.

Pettigrew, K. E. (1999). Waiting for chiropody: Contextual results from an ethnographic study of the information behavior among attendees at community clinics. Information Processing & Management, 35( 6), 801-817.

Notes

[1] Information spaces: Locations that contain a concentration of information resources, both text and digital, which are actively acquired, cultivated, organized, and used over time.

[2] Information phenomena: This omnibus term is a banner for all the entities within the purview of LIS. It includes information behaviors, resources, structures, spaces, systems, and institutions.