tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561369698387264915.comments2023-09-06T11:23:51.992-04:00the Anthropologist in the StacksDonna Lancloshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05808845005669459897noreply@blogger.comBlogger155125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561369698387264915.post-26559409382073973752014-09-27T16:34:09.744-04:002014-09-27T16:34:09.744-04:00See you on the other side! Also, I switched from B...See you on the other side! Also, I switched from Blogger to Wordpress a while back and have only good things to say about it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561369698387264915.post-81825345932671112552014-04-22T08:17:55.515-04:002014-04-22T08:17:55.515-04:00Phil, sometimes they do draw in computers, and we ...Phil, sometimes they do draw in computers, and we have maps where (as I noted above) they mention the importance of Evernote, or Dropbox. I think you're right, it's difficult to visualize "the digital" in the same way, but it's representable (I think that might be a word)--as evidenced with the Visitors and Residents mapping exercises, where all they are mapping is the digital. I think it would be very interesting (if time consuming) to ask people to map themselves in terms of their digital practices and their physical practices all at the same time--some of the work-flow mapping that has taken place in other projects (like Lesley Gourlay and Martin Oliver's work) gets at this relatively effectively. <br /><br />For me, it's the combination of the physical mapping exercises with the content of the interviews (which asks about digital engagement, among other things) that makes me think about the cognitive maps as post-digital. But I do think that's mostly a descriptive term--it's possible something like Actor Network Theory will get me closer to effectively thinking about why things look the way they do.Donna Lancloshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05808845005669459897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561369698387264915.post-52410843906251877662014-04-22T06:42:14.236-04:002014-04-22T06:42:14.236-04:00Interesting post Donna. I wonder about our associ...Interesting post Donna. I wonder about our association of maps with physical buildings and places. We know how to draw a cafe and a library (although the words would be enough), but what those drawings/words represent may have changed. Do we know how to draw the digital in the same way?<br /><br />Phil SAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561369698387264915.post-5930319372785188432013-12-02T10:37:58.766-05:002013-12-02T10:37:58.766-05:00Brilliant. I think this is the first time this bl...Brilliant. I think this is the first time this blog has been used for professional networking by people who work in the same system. ;) Please report back, Stephen and Maura. Donna Lancloshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05808845005669459897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561369698387264915.post-13322230118604670682013-12-02T10:36:52.364-05:002013-12-02T10:36:52.364-05:00Maura, I'll be at the conference both days. If...Maura, I'll be at the conference both days. If you and Marianna have some time to meet up for coffee then, that would be great!Stephen Francoeurhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00209647273501419193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561369698387264915.post-81559645660728224192013-12-02T10:34:39.301-05:002013-12-02T10:34:39.301-05:00Aww, Donna, we're blushing! I've been savi...Aww, Donna, we're blushing! I've been saving this in my feedreader until I had time to really look at it thoroughly -- how did I miss these in the ERIAL toolkit? These are great, I totally need to find the time to do them at City Tech, esp. as we are planning some small renovations over the next couple of years.<br /><br />Stephen, Mariana and I are happy to talk (at probably too great length) about our project at any time! We're talking about technology specifically at the IT Conference this Thursday, and hoping to have more results published in some way soon. But happy for coffee and conversation too! And at some point we need to share our giant references list, there might be some stuff in there that you'd find useful (maybe I can make that a winter break project).Maura Smalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05036474907206804913noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561369698387264915.post-79107523826042322992013-12-02T09:46:34.442-05:002013-12-02T09:46:34.442-05:00Maura and Mariana are fantastic colleagues and res...Maura and Mariana are fantastic colleagues and resources to have, that would be the first thing I would do, is sit down with them! <br />And yes, dive in. I think that library-land folks are skittish about qual methods and results because the numbers seem so low, and you are socialized to think that quant methods with huge sample sizes are the only legit ways to know things. But, interpretation of data (qual and quant) is always risky. It's a good thing to try solutions based on the research you've done, and also leave yourself room to fail. And try again. Donna Lancloshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05808845005669459897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561369698387264915.post-91769913673661085882013-12-02T09:43:21.646-05:002013-12-02T09:43:21.646-05:00Donna, thanks for your response. I guess the main ...Donna, thanks for your response. I guess the main reason why I am asking is that I wish I could feel more confident in my usability work where I think I've identified patterns but am not quite sure how actionable they are (i.e., will each one help me make any design decisions). I think that adding more research informed by ethnographic methods will round out the insights I think I've been amassing over the past few years. I should mention that I kind of asked Nancy Fried Foster from Ithaka S+K the same question at a presentation she gave recently here at CUNY. Her response was somewhat along the same lines as yours. I guess it's just time for me to buckle down and do some reading that's long been on my to-read list: the ERIAL project report and Nancy Fried Foster and Susan Gibbons book. I hadn't heard about the work at the University of London but will look into it. And one of these days, I really need to sit down with my colleagues in CUNY that I think you know, Mariana Regalado and Maura Smale, and learn a thing or two.Stephen Francoeurhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00209647273501419193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561369698387264915.post-48498784643110845372013-11-30T10:29:04.362-05:002013-11-30T10:29:04.362-05:00Well I am looking less for generalizability and mo...Well I am looking less for generalizability and more for insights. That said, I am not the only one doing this kind of work--The ERIAL project engaged in cognitive mapping exercises, for example, and Lesley Gourlay at the University of London's IOE has had post-graduates doing them as well. The similarities in the maps are striking, and lead me to believe that interpreting the maps with the assumption that they are representative of larger patterns is legitimate.<br /><br />So far I've done 10 mapping exercises from undergraduates, and about 7 from graduate students. The saturation level in terms of themes is also fairly striking. Patterns show up early and often, even with small sample sizes. It feels a lot like usability testing in this respect--the important patterns that you want to pay attention to show up fairly quickly, and don't require huge sample sizes. If you are thinking about doing these sorts of exercises, Stephen, I would say just go for it, and see what happens. I'd love to hear about the results.Donna Lancloshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05808845005669459897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561369698387264915.post-38551263044244820212013-11-26T00:53:16.082-05:002013-11-26T00:53:16.082-05:00omg thanks for the kind shoutout(s)! It was a fun ...omg thanks for the kind shoutout(s)! It was a fun panel and it's so important for us to keep pushing these convos forward. Thanks again!!!! Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07288377100846034047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561369698387264915.post-72154498294743658882013-11-20T09:32:06.610-05:002013-11-20T09:32:06.610-05:00When you do this kind of work, how do you know tha...When you do this kind of work, how do you know that you've got generalizable findings? How do address the questions over how representative your participants are? I realize these are thorny questions, but as someone just mulling over how I can do research like this in my library (and as someone who hasn't yet done the necessary work of background reading on ethnographic methodology), I am asking out of genuine ignorance and curiousity.Stephen Francoeurhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00209647273501419193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561369698387264915.post-23013277709905311122013-11-09T05:13:49.869-05:002013-11-09T05:13:49.869-05:00Nice blog. I like this blog.... Nice blog. I like this blog.... Tristan Weekshttp://www.zirconinteriors.com.aunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561369698387264915.post-84628320965692397672013-08-28T18:02:51.006-04:002013-08-28T18:02:51.006-04:00Dave! Thanks! It would be great to see you--my o...Dave! Thanks! It would be great to see you--my office is in the same place, too. :)Donna Lancloshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05808845005669459897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561369698387264915.post-71277725918940527772013-08-28T17:22:49.936-04:002013-08-28T17:22:49.936-04:00Great to see that you're still here and great ...Great to see that you're still here and great work in the library. I'll have to stop by and check it out! - Dave GrayAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561369698387264915.post-26150398375413467882013-08-26T02:20:58.683-04:002013-08-26T02:20:58.683-04:00Awesome!Awesome!Charlinehttp://bestrowingmachinereviews.us/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561369698387264915.post-23722951223855646922013-07-15T13:07:44.434-04:002013-07-15T13:07:44.434-04:00Interesting... here at the University of Guelph (O...Interesting... here at the University of Guelph (Ontario, Canada) we also have an AskUs Desk that everyone must pass by and that serves as a multi-service point (essentially connected to every service we offer ... and the entire campus). I'm finding it spooky how many are calling these things "AskUs" since most seem to have come up with the name independently. Fact is, though, when we tested the area with students, nobody had difficulty understanding the idea of "AskUs" and people definitely do ask us ... (at a rate many times that of the former Reference Desk). Doughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00512242590548369673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561369698387264915.post-32567840738154555742013-07-10T22:24:00.810-04:002013-07-10T22:24:00.810-04:00Celia and Jonas, anyone who wants to bring me over...Celia and Jonas, anyone who wants to bring me over to help facilitate discussion is more than welcome to do so. ;) And, in the absence of that, I'd love to hear how it all goes.<br />Donna Lancloshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05808845005669459897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561369698387264915.post-22127665754724404272013-07-08T21:28:06.978-04:002013-07-08T21:28:06.978-04:00Jonas, I wonder if there's a space within the ...Jonas, I wonder if there's a space within the anthrolib discussion board to begin drawing together stray students to discuss ideas and share materials and perspectives with more experienced anthrolibs. Who knows - could be a lot of fun to draw together an informal online seminar! Celiahttp://www.dumplingcart.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561369698387264915.post-29372971776915104352013-07-08T07:28:31.547-04:002013-07-08T07:28:31.547-04:00Jonas, thanks for your interest! Please keep in t...Jonas, thanks for your interest! Please keep in touch, I think there is so much fun and interesting qualitative work to do within and around libraries (and academia).<br />Donna Lancloshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05808845005669459897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561369698387264915.post-72048949220146626472013-07-08T06:10:15.566-04:002013-07-08T06:10:15.566-04:00I'm really glad I came across a link to this o...I'm really glad I came across a link to this on twitter. I did my undergraduate in Anthropology, and I am now doing a masters in LIS while working as a public library manager in the UK, and I’m constantly amazed at how little anthropological work I can find about libraries.<br /><br />I would be very interested seeing how a collaborative project would work and develop and even taking part in one if possible. I would also support what Celia said about the need for peers to help encourage those interested in this sort of work.<br /><br />I will be keeping an eye on this site now I have found it, and look forward to seeing what develops. <br />Jonashttp://www.inkedpages.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561369698387264915.post-9691806835971271432013-07-07T23:12:42.424-04:002013-07-07T23:12:42.424-04:00Celia, thanks! I know there is comparative work o...Celia, thanks! I know there is comparative work out there, and I understand how hard it can be without a substantial peer group. I would encourage you to do the work anyway--it's so worthwhile. And, interesting!<br />Donna Lancloshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05808845005669459897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561369698387264915.post-51606884422605285732013-07-06T20:40:03.591-04:002013-07-06T20:40:03.591-04:00Donna, I love that you posted about this, as I was...Donna, I love that you posted about this, as I was just at this session as well! I have an anthro MA and am working internationally as I study for the MLS.<br /><br />I'd love to be working on something comparative across library cultures -- but it's frankly lonely and challenging to navigate without peers. I think it would be incredibly powerful if an LIS or anthro grad program could gather a set of students to fan out and study library/information cultures around the world. As you say, that wide/deep comparative aspect would be so powerful, and I think that's part of what we're missing in anthrolib research today. Celiahttp://www.dumplingcart.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561369698387264915.post-42324319854546621802013-06-03T22:08:59.591-04:002013-06-03T22:08:59.591-04:00Fantastic post, Donna, and I couldn't agree mo...Fantastic post, Donna, and I couldn't agree more. My colleagues and I are busy doing things, sometimes in the library but often outside the library's walls on other parts of the campus. We have a window on the academic life of the college that's unique, and I find myself taking every opportunity I can to share that out to the campus community. When every seat in the library is taken (and not only during finals), how can we think of ourselves as marginal?Maura Smalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05036474907206804913noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561369698387264915.post-18651893244545113872013-06-03T11:32:12.856-04:002013-06-03T11:32:12.856-04:00Thanks, Jim, I agree that this is part of the larg...Thanks, Jim, I agree that this is part of the larger conversation about how academia engages with the rest of the world. It's not enough to sit around and wait for it to happen, and then get bent out of shape when it doesn't.<br />Donna Lancloshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05808845005669459897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561369698387264915.post-45886220868846709892013-06-03T10:54:10.186-04:002013-06-03T10:54:10.186-04:00Great blog. It seems to me that, in the largest se...Great blog. It seems to me that, in the largest sense, you are talking about the research library being an engaged institution rather than a passive one. I feel much the same way about the popular academic concept that the research we do here at the university should just exist and if the broader world is smart, it will find out about it and pay attention. The knowledge being generated at research universities, whether the research is basic or applied, matters and needs to be actively communicated with the outside world. It needs to try to "engage" (as we are saying a lot lately) with the world.James Hathawayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11296720304198719066noreply@blogger.com