REMEMBER: No one approach to information works for every search task. The goal here is to identify your current strengths and weaknesses in terms of locating information. You may have seen this form before and filled it out for other class sessions but take a few minutes to clear you head and consider your situation anew.
Information needs change as we learn and as information sources and tools change. Consider your information seeking profile in terms of this class and the particular assignment that relates to the library information workshop session.
Two extremes are detailed below. As in most things in life, the extremes rarely tell us much about an actual circumstance or idea. Your information seeking style is somewhere in between the two extremes. After reading the two extremes ( + and - points follow the description to help provide dimension to the profiles) locate yourself on the Serendipity and Strategy lines.
Everyone needs to develop both approaches within their information skill bag. Seeking information is as much an art as it is a science. Both flexibility and adaptability are required on the part of the information seeker when presented with specific search goals.
PART I -- Along this scale, where do you see yourself in terms of the serendipitous searcher profile. Read the description first, consider the pro's and con's of the serendipity searching style and decide your position on the scale. (0 means that you rarely if ever just let loose and try this and that while 10 indicates that you rarely take a deliberate approach to looking for what you need in terms of information.
Serendipitous Searching (surfing) Some people are most comfortable seeking information in what seems to be a haphazard way. Time is not a factor so they "take a stab" at finding what they need here and there hoping what they need pops up on the screen. They will try one approach then another, jump from a commercial database like Google to a proprietary subscription database, dump it all to visit a web directory. They guess at words that are associated with the idea of what they are looking for and se them as keywords or include them in phrases using luck as their guiding force.
The Down Side of Serendipitous Searching Often time-consuming producing a bank of results consisting of low quality of material is sometimes difficult to verify and defend in terms of credibility and relevance to stated search goals. Serendipitous searchers who report an inordinate amount of false starts, dead ends, and questionable quality content often experience high frustration levels.
PART II -- Mark along this scale where you see yourself in terms of the strategic searcher profile. Read the description first, consider the pro's and con's of the strategy searching style and make your mark. (0 means that you rarely plan ahead or use a search tool guide and 10 indicates that you almost always take a deliberate approach to planning and structuring your approach to looking for what you need in terms of information.
Strategic Searching (controlled methodology) Many prefer a checklist approach to information seeking. These people often believe that there is one definitive result and it is their job to find it. They are in a hurry and interested in avoiding expending energy without a measurable result that is easily reported back to others.
Focused and more interested in the end than in the journey, strategic searchers plan ahead, consider their options, devise a roadmap to guide their way and establish parameters as the guardrails for their journey so they never stray too far from their preliminary intentions.
The Plus Side of Serendipitous Searching Too much planning and rigidly controlled searching misses a lot. The serendipitous approach often uncovers trace ideas and gives rise to creative patterns of thought that lead to unique and interesting perspectives that might otherwise be overlooked.
The Down Side of Strategic Searching What the searcher knows at the outset of the journey for new knowledge strongly controls what is perceived and understood along the way. Recognition of acceptable (matches the checklist) predictable facts and ideas usually takes precedence over discovery and appreciation of new content. In the world of information, the information seeker often doesn't realize what is not seen. The small monitor screen of a computer flashes one piece of content after another, most taken out of context. The challenge to the information seeker is to realize what isn't seen as well as appreciate what is in focus.
NOTE: In a information workshop session you will be asked to consider what you personally need to learn and practice in terms of techniques and methods that could help you to increase the quality of handling information. You will be introduced to a range of information handling tools and approaches (some familiar and some new) but it is up to you to know what matches your needs best at this stage of your specific information seeking project and your overall college and life experiences.
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