Kendra S. Albright

A practical framework for social justice research in the information professions

This paper proposes a practical framework for social justice research in the information professions by sharing examples from three qualitative studies, each of which represents an information service and/or application of social justice ideals for meeting the needs of a particular underserved population. In order to develop the framework and to encourage consideration of the social justice angle within mainstream LIS discourse and practice, the three studies are examined in light of social justice elements and principles. What is common to these studies is an underlying need to bring about a change in existing power dynamics between who we as information professionals consider central and who we consider peripheral in our teaching, research, and service missions.

An inquiry-based approach to teaching research methods in Information Studies

This paper presents the results of a project that aimed at restructuring the delivery of research methods training at the Information School at the University of Sheffield, UK, based on an Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) approach. The purpose of this research was to implement inquiry-based learning that would allow customization of research methods when applied to individual and small group learning and address the challenges of teaching in a large, diverse classroom. Discussion triads, inquiry-based seminars, and a poster session were integrated with traditional teaching methods to facilitate the development of student dissertation proposals as the module outcome. This paper presents the context and rationale for the project, the nature of inquiry-based learning, the context and changes introduced in the course module, teaching techniques and the evaluation of the project and outlines the lessons learned through the project. These include: the need to address a perceived disjunction between self-directed inquiry based activities and the classical mode of lecture delivery, requiring reviewing student experiences from an information consumption frame to a knowledge discovery frame; this, in turn, requires the development of evaluation frames that are devolved to students and differ from ‘customer feedback’ approaches that tend to be adopted in centrally devised questionnaires at many Universities.

Health Information Services Available for People Living With HIV/AIDS: Perspectives of Library and Information Professionals

There is an urgent need for availability of life-saving health information services as well as adequate marketing, advertising, and dissemination strategies to people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs), and to the broader public at large, especially in the context of a recent UNAIDS estimation that the number of people living with HIV in the United States, at the end of 2003, exceeded one million for the first time. This study explores the HIV/AIDS health information services that are available within the local community of Knoxville, Tennessee, and presents focus group perspectives of nine library and information professionals about awareness and use of these services by PLWHAs. The study forms part of a larger plan to apply a community informatics (CI) approach to examine the provision of health information services for PLWHAs in terms of how PLWHAs and other stakeholders including health care service providers, academic community at the University of Tennessee, community leaders and activists, and faith-based organizations, use and apply information and communication technologies (ICTs) to empower and enable PLWHAs to meet their information needs, goals, and aspirations. Here we report findings from the project’s first phase of documenting perspectives of library and information professionals about existing HIV/AIDS information services, users of these services, barriers and challenges to effective use, and the role of health information professionals in the context of developing ideal information support services for PLWHAs.

Libraries and AIDS in sub-saharan Africa: Realities of culture and curriculum

The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) defines a library as “any organized collection of printed books and periodicals or of any other graphic or audio-visual materials, and the services of a staff to provide and facilitate the use of such materials as are required to meet the informational, research, educational or recreational needs of its users” (1970). Libraries, by UNESCO definition, are few in SSA, although there are many relevant information related activities. Historically, library and information professionals (LIS) in SSA suffer from the perception that libraries are not necessary. They face obstacles including illiteracy, oral tradition, and a limited awareness of the need for libraries. Despite the perception that libraries are unnecessary in SSA, there are record numbers of professionals graduating from LIS programs and engaged in productive information-related work. A particular example is the need for information in the fight against AIDS. Information must be organized, managed, and disseminated to help combat the spread of the disease, offering a particular challenge for libraries. This paper presents the preliminary findings of a literature review and survey of library and information professionals in Sub-Saharan Africa who are involved with HIV/AIDS information dissemination. AIDS information activities are reported, identifying challenges for LIS professionals in Sub-Saharan Africa and the opportunity for libraries is presented. Implications for LIS education are discussed. Through examination of current information activities related to AIDS, libraries can take an important and more active role while facilitating the identity and reputation of the profession. LIS curriculum could be adjusted to address the unique information needs of Sub-Saharan societies.