IntroductionThis study investigates the role of online searching in everyday life. Online searchingtypically understood as the use of general purpose search engines -has developed into a close to naturalised part of most peoples' lives and the dominant search engine Google has gained a prominent status in contemporary culture (Hillis et al., 2013). Google has turned into a commonly used verb and 'to google' is now almost synonymous with 'finding out about things'. Studies have shown how search engines in many areas are identified as the premium tool for finding information (e.g. Jamali and Asadi, 2010;Rowlands et al., 2008). Within information science, online searching has been extensively investigated within information retrieval (IR) as well as in experimental laboratory studies on search behaviour (Jansen and Rieh, 2010). However, the knowledge gained from information science has only in exceptional cases been used for enabling an understanding of the role of online searching on the web in and for everyday life (Schroeder, 2015). At the same time, studies on information seeking in everyday life have rarely considered online searching. Thus, as a discipline, information Postprint of article appearing in Journal of Documentation Vol. 73 No 2, Please cite the published version of the article.2 science needs to develop an in-depth understanding of online searching in and for everyday life.We approach online searching as an activity central to many of today's social practices.More specifically, we study how people experience and reflect on online searching -i.e.the use of general purpose search engines -in relation to different parts of their lives and which pivotal issues emerge as shaping the understanding and meaning of search and search engines in contemporary culture. The aim of the study is thus to elucidate how meaning is assigned to online searching by viewing it as a mundane, yet often invisible, activity of everyday life and an integrated part of various social practices. We have carried out 21 focus groups with 127 people in order for them to discuss and reflect on a subject that is often not thought of and even less often communicated in research.When studying peoples' information seeking the dominant theoretical lenses have been person-in-situation theory and task theory (Talja and Nyce, 2015). In either case, the starting point is a cognitive problem that demands information as well as information processing in order to be solved (e.g. Johnson et al., 2015). In contrast, here, we start from an understanding of information searching as entangled across practices and material arrangements (Orlikowski and Scott, 2008;Orlikowski, 2007) Taraborelli (2008, p. 196) distinguishes between evaluative judgements (content) and predictive judgements of reliability, i.e. judgement made "prior to its actual inspection", and claims that the latter is important when understanding how we trust web information. Hargittai et al. (2010) show that young adults, rather than evaluating a content's credibility, tend to rely...
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to sketch out the general tendencies, gaps and opportunities within the body of research studying the social web as a new facet of public librarianship in order to delineate the findings so far and suggest directions for future research. Design/methodology/approach – Literature searches were conducted through the Library, Information Science and Technology Abstract database, The ISI Web of Science database and the Directory of Open Access Journals. A selection process in two steps resulted in 44 articles that were subjected to a two-stage analysis and coding process: a coding analysis based on the stated aims or research questions of each article and analysis of the articles as clusters around a shared theme. Findings – The articles, exhibiting a richness and diversity in research directions, are dispersed in a wide range of journals and the topics addressed cover a variety of segments within Library and Information Science. Despite this diversity, research exploring the consequences of the social web for public libraries in situ and considerations of research on the broader political economic conditions of the public library institution in late modernity is largely lacking. Furthermore, the status of librarianship and the professional expertise of librarians, in light of the social web, need to be further addressed. Originality/value – The rising interest and investment of library professionals into the practices, principles and technologies of the social web calls for further studies into the consequences of this ongoing development for public library services. This paper gives a preliminary overview of the research done 2006-2012 and identifies gaps in the literature that may serve as a point of departure for future research.
This literature review seeks to map the state of research on the effects of digitization on personal financial behavior and management through a bibliometric analysis and a systematic literature review. The findings indicate that current knowledge is primarily based on perspectives of actors in commerce and systems development. More research is needed on how personal financial behavior change in relation to digital technology, the vulnerability of children and adolescents, and the links between changes in credit behavior and indebtedness. Financial counseling could benefit from an awareness of young adults vulnerability as digital consumers and an extended perception of financial literacy that encompasses requirements of digital society. Policymakers need to be aware of the consequences of digital measurability.
PurposeThis paper analyses how neighbourhood governance of social care affects the scope for frontline workers to address health inequities of older ethnic minorities. We critically discuss how an area-based, generic approach to service provision limits and enables frontline workers' efforts to reach out to ethnic minority elders, using a relational approach to place. This approach emphasises social and cultural distances to social care and understands efforts to bridge these distances as “relational work”.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a two-year multiple case study of the cities of Nijmegen and The Hague, the Netherlands, following the development of policies and practices relevant to ethnic minority elders. They conducted 44 semi-structured interviews with managers, policy officers and frontline workers as well as 295 h of participant observation at network events and meeting activities.FindingsRelational work was open-ended and consisted of a continuous reorientation of goals and means. In some cases, frontline workers spanned neighbourhood boundaries to connect with professional networks, key figures and places meaningful to ethnic minority elders. While neighbourhood governance is attuned to equality, relational work practice fosters possibilities for achieving equity.Research limitations/implicationsFurther research on achieving equity in relational work practice and more explicit policy support of relational work is needed.Originality/valueThe paper contributes empirical knowledge about how neighbourhood governance of social care affects ethnic minority elders. It translates a relational view of place into a “situational” social justice approach.
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