The Information Seekers and Their Behavior

Overview

Researchers seeking humanities information can come in all shapes and sizes. Since the humanities consist of a variety of disciplines, including anything from language to music to art, the information seekers are varied. The variation increases when considering different library settings and, therefore, different groups of users. However, as the humanities are very different from the sciences in many aspects, so too are the users. They tend to be less technically-minded and have historically been reluctant to utilize technology while utilizing library facilities (Al-Shboul & Abrizah, 2014, p. 501). This is based on outdated studies before the widespread use of the Internet, but given the general interests of humanities information seekers, they are likely still less oriented around technology. Al-Shboul found in their 2014 study that humanities researchers seek out information when they realize their knowledge is inadequate; rely on print resources more (though this is a disparity between age groups); want to browse for information; and want fuller knowledge on how to use information systems, i.e. they don't just want the answer, they want to know how to find the answer (pp. 505-506).

Collins and Jubb collaboration among humanities scholars is relatively common, though often informal, i.e. through phone calls and email. They seek print resources out of habit, but are open to adopting new technologies. They also tend to share their findings through social media more than publishing official papers (Collins & Jubb, 2012, pp. 184-185).

This mainly applies to scholars in an academic setting; however, humanities information seekers can also be younger students looking for sheet music, older people in the community attempting to learn a new language at their local public library, or children wanting resources on making papier-mâché crafts.

Al-Shboul, M. K., & Abrizah A. (2014). Information Needs: Developing Personas of Humanities Scholars. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 40, 500-509. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2014.05.016

Collins, E., & Jubb M. (2012). How do Researchers in the Humanities Use Information Resources? Liber Quarterly, 21(2), 176-187.

Personas

Persona 1 - Min
- Min is a 58-year-old professor of linguistics, focusing on the Korean language and other Asian languages.
- Her current research focuses on the Korean language and culture as a recent pop culture phenomenon around the world. This research overlaps with the social sciences and anthropology.
- Min is fluent in Korean, Mandarin, Japanese, Tagalog, and English, though she learned the latter after immigrating to the United States 20 years ago.
- She teaches courses in Korean and Japanese, so she assists students with accessing the language-learning program, Mango, available through the university library.
- Because she wants to learn as much as possible about current Korean pop culture and how it has taken root all around the world, Min uses the Internet extensively. She does not use many of the print materials in the library; instead, she keeps up with online journals and periodicals.
- Min is not extremely tech savvy, but she has started a blog about modern Korean pop culture. In this way, and through a lot of social media browsing, she considers herself above average with computers (especially when compared to other people her age).
- While working in her office, Min frequently listens to K-Pop, both to learn about modern Korean culture and because she enjoys it; her favorite groups are BLACKPINK and BTS.
Persona 2 - Amanda
- Amanda is a 25-year-old graduate student of linguistics, focusing on dead languages. She is preparing for her dissertation and, as such, is spending much of her time in the library. She is keeping abreast of current research and examining authoritative texts.
- Amanda monitors a handful of specific journals for current research, but she mostly references primary texts that have the translations available.
- She is proficient in reading and understanding Latin and Ancient Greek, but she is seeking to learn more about others like Linear B and Sumerian.
- Amanda works mostly independently, though she is in periodic contact with a few peers and professors.
- Amanda makes great use of her library's interlibrary loan system to explore primary texts held by bigger universities.
- Amanda uses the Humanities subject guide, as there is not one for linguistics at her university yet, but the research tips have proven useful regardless.
Persona 3 - Zachary
- Zachary is a 12-year-old boy preparing for his bar mitzvah.
- At his synagogue, he is learning to read part of the Torah in Hebrew so that he may lead the prayer service at his bar mitzvah once he is 13.
- There will be opportunities later in his life to learn more Hebrew, but Zachary is eager to learn as much as possible now. He is even thinking about becoming a rabbi some day.
- Zachary frequents his local public library and asks the librarians if there is a language section. There is, but there is nothing about learning Hebrew. The only copy of the Torah is translated into English, and his family already owns a copy of the Torah in Hebrew.
- He looks to learning online or through a computer program like Duolingo or Mango. One of the librarians suggests he look online for a Hebrew tutor, or to ask at his synagogue if he could receive more in-depth tutoring.
- While he is focused on his studies, Zachary also often checks out books on spiders and insects. He is endlessly fascinated by them, and is also considering becoming an entomologist.

Cornell University. (2007). The Cornell University Library Personas.

HathiTrust UX Advisory Group. (2011). Personas. HathiTrust Digital Library. Retrieved from https://www.hathitrust.org/documents/HathiTrust_Personas.pdf

Implications

As we move further into the technological age, and as we rely more and more on the Internet, online resources are always going to be a necessity. Print materials are sought out far less; while some information is only present in primary texts and not current research, those materials are being digitized more and more frequently. Even a discipline like linguistics can be present in historical study, modern anthropological research, or even personal advancement. More and more people are striving to learn more languages as an attempt to strengthen the connection that the Internet has forged across this planet. Both public and academic libraries would be wise to consider providing language-learning programs like Mango or Rosetta Stone. Other options might be to have more materials in other languages and even to ensure translation and accessibility on their computers and other devices.