Information Seeker Interview

Running heading: INFORMATION SEEKER INTERVIEW 1

Information Seeker Interview

Betsy Summers

Emporia State University

INFORMATION SEEKER INTERVIEW 2

Information Seeker Interview

Alex Weaver is a professional employed at Caterpillar, Inc. An avid reader,

he is currently working in the Portland area, and enjoys using Multnomah County’s

libraries during his work stays in the area. “Portland has a wonderful library

system. I sure hope you all appreciate it” (A. Weaver, personal communication,

September 22, 2010). Recently, Mr. Weaver underwent an information search on

the subject of trains, railroads, and train stations. Trains have been a passion of Mr.

Weaver’s for many years, most likely beginning when he was an eight-year-old boy

growing up in Missouri and he received his first train set for Christmas.

Mr. Weaver, 60, was very interested in finding out more about the structures

of the train stations themselves. He is dabbling with the idea of sketching out, and

then building, an exact scale model replica of what the historic Springfield, Missouri,

railroad station would have looked like. His search would include finding local

maps and photographs to help him render an accurate depiction of the building.

On a recently trip back to Springfield to visit family, he thought it would be

the perfect time to begin his exploration for information. Initially, Mr. Weaver

invested a few hours exploring websites, which included a virtual visit to the History

Museum for Springfield-Greene County and Springfield-Greene County Library

District. While surfing the library’s website, he discovered that the downtown

Library Center was a new, state-of-the-art facility, which housed major print and

electronic resources, specializing in local history and genealogy.


“I thought right then that I’d hit the jackpot” (A. Weaver, personal

communication, September 22, 2010). But as Mr. Weaver began exploring the

online local history page, he soon realized that he’d be unable to pull up the actual

maps that showed the railroad station, its location, or physical structure; instead he

would have to go to the physical library. “The search tool referred me to the

reference section of the library and a specific location where the maps were stored”

(personal communication, September 22, 2010).

Excited by the prospect of learning more about the location of Springfield’s

railroad tracks and train station, Mr. Weaver drove to the Library Center, walked

directly to the reference desk, and told librarian that his online search for historic

maps had brought him here. He already knew, from prior knowledge through years

of interest on the subject, specifically what he was looking for: The Sanford Fire

Insurance maps, which are prized by historians and genealogical seekers for their

historical accuracy and wealth of information on a building’s location, size, and type

of construction materials. Used by insurance companies to assess the liability of a

structure, the Stanford Fire Insurance maps are treasured for the vast amount of

information they hold.

When asked if he could describe his feelings during this process of

information gathering, Mr. Weaver responded, “This type of search is fun for me.

So, excitement, anticipation, and enjoyment. There is pleasure in the process as well

as the result” (A. Weaver, personal communication, September 22, 2010). His

statement echoes the construction theories of Dewey, Kelly, and Bruner, where ones


thoughts lead to reflection, reflections then to prediction, and predictions becomes

the anticipation of a positive outcome (Kuhlthau, 2004, p. 25-26).

It seemed as through Mr. Weaver’s search had already begun at Kuhlthau’s

(2004) Stage 5: Collection. Rubin (2010) describes this stage perfectly:

The focus is now clear, and the seeker collects only information related to

the defined topic. The seeker can articulate clearly the type of information

needed; the search process becomes more effective, uncertainty is reduced,

and the seeker’s confidence is increased further. (Rubin, 2010, p. 278)

Because of Mr. Weaver’s prior knowledge of the existence of the Stanford Fire

Insurance maps, he was able to jump right to Kuhlthau’s (2004) stage 5 with a

certain amount of sureness and confidence in the search process.

The reference desk librarian quickly discovered Mr. Weaver’s prior

knowledge of Stanford Fire Maps, and proceeded to show him how to locate and use

these types of records. “The reference librarian, I don’t recall her name, was very

helpful and engaged in my search. She shared my enthusiasm for the hunt and the

result” (A. Weaver, personal communication, September 22, 2010). Mr. Weaver

said the assistance lasted for well over an hour, and he remarked more than once

how amazed he was by the interest and personal attention given by the librarian

(personal communication, September 22, 2010).

Clearly, this librarian’s level of mediation was that of counselor, Kuhlthau’s

(2004) highest level of intervention:


The underlying assumption is that the user is learning from the

information in a constructive process as the information search proceeds.

There is no one right answer and no fixed sequence for all. The person’s

problem determines the intervention. The holistic experience is understood,

acknowledged, and articulated as an important aspect of mediation. The

user and the mediator enter into a dialogue regarding the user’s problem

over time. (Kuhlthau, 2004, p. 119)

Zipf’s Principle of Least Effort (Case, 2008, p. 151-154) certainly does not

apply in regards to either Mr. Weaver’s nor the reference librarian’s behavior. The

extensive time the librarian spent with Mr. Weaver is, in itself, unusual; and very

likely, the reason why the details of his August visit to Springfield’s Library Center

remain so vivid.

When asked about learning styles, his personality type, and whether the

librarian was able to assess those, Mr. Weaver stated that as a business professional,

he had been asked to take and had also administered a test call Employee

Personality Profile, or EPP. “It measures things like motivation, assertiveness, your

level of extroversion and patience; it gives you an overall impression of an

employee’s personality characteristics, so you can then figure out where they would

best fit into the organization’s structure” (A. Weaver, personal communication,

September 22, 2010). He wasn’t sure if that would indicate his preferred learning

style, but believes he tends to lean toward introversion, scores heavy on working


with others and consensus building, and “I’m pretty sure I’m a visual learner. She

[the librarian] helped me with maps, which is definitely a visual tool” (personal

communication, September 22, 2010).

When asked if he encountered any set backs or difficulties in his search, Mr.

Weaver indicated that there was some initial confusion over the use of the filing

system to locate the specific maps he was after. But, “the degree of help from the

staff really surprised me” (A. Weaver, personal communication, September 22,

2010). If there was one thing he could change that day, as far as the help he

received or the final result of the search, Mr. Weaver replied, “Nothing. My

experience was near perfect” (personal communication, September 22, 2010).

In Whitlatch’s (2003) article Reference Futures: Outsourcing, the Web, or

Knowledge Counseling, she sites Mann (1998) who distinguished a reference

question from a research question:

Research questions generally take more time than reference questions.

Librarians cannot do all the research for all outside inquirers and fax them

the results. Readers themselves must still conduct most of the research into

records of our civilization within the walls of real libraries. (Whitlatch, 2003,

p. 27)

Whitlatch (2003) suggests that there will always be a need for people to have the

ability to access physical records in physical libraries, most likely, while needing

physical help in doing so. Mr. Weaver’s experience with a reference librarian in

Missouri on a late summer’s day reaffirms this premise.


References

Case, D. O. (2008). Looking for information: A survey of research on information

seeking, needs, and behavior. (2nd ed.). United Kingdom: Emerald.

Kuhlthau, C. C. (2004). Seeking meaning: A process approach to library and

information services. (2nd ed.). Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.

Rubin, R. E. (2010). Foundation of library and information science. (3rd ed.). New

York, NY: Neal-Schuman Publishers.

Whitlatch, J. B. (2003). Reference futures: outsourcing, the web, or knowledge

counseling. Reference Services Review, 31(1), 26-30.

Documents

Information Seeker Interview