Boundary objects in information science

Huvila, Isto; Anderson, Theresa Dirndorfer; Jansen, Eva Hourihan; McKenzie, Pamela J.; Worrall, Adam

doi:10.1002/asi.23817

Cited by 49 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 139 publications

(306 reference statements)

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“…Other boundary spanning individuals and activities were identified besides LibraryThing and Goodreads, as perhaps expected given the deep literature on boundaries (Hara & Fichman, 2014;Huvila et al, 2017). Other boundary spanning individuals and activities were identified besides LibraryThing and Goodreads, as perhaps expected given the deep literature on boundaries (Hara & Fichman, 2014;Huvila et al, 2017).…”

Section: Research and Theory Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 76%

“…Further implications exist for research on and theorizing of boundary spanning and boundary objects as part of the sociotechnical infrastructure surrounding information-centric communities. Other boundary spanning individuals and activities were identified besides LibraryThing and Goodreads, as perhaps expected given the deep literature on boundaries (Hara & Fichman, 2014;Huvila et al, 2017). Hara and Fichman's (2014) review classifies boundary types from an organizational perspective.…”

Section: Research and Theory Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 79%

“…These interfaces impact and are impacted by communities and their characteristics, including those in Strauss's (1978) social worlds perspective and Jaeger and Burnett's (2010) theory of information worlds. (See also Huvila, Anderson, Jansen, McKenzie, & Worrall, 2017. ) A significant research gap exists in our understanding of the systems, environments, and contexts at play around a social digital library as a boundary object, and of the types and nature of boundary objects within the contexts of social digital libraries and information-centric online communities.…”

Section: Boundaries and Boundary Objectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This study alone cannot fully extend or clarify the potential types of boundaries and boundary objects. 3 Instead, remaining pluralistic and flexible with the scope, scale, and units of analysis is necessary inconsidering boundary objects and boundary spanning, and as we reason about sociotechnical infrastructures and their design, development, use, and study (see also Huvila et al, 2017). In doing so, I believe working across the streams (Worrall, 2015b) and being familiar with the research and practice lessons from social informatics and sociotechnical systems, online communities, information behavior, and digital libraries, combined with bridging and spanning of boundaries, will help connect what are sometimes disparate literatures and studies together.…”

Section: Research and Theory Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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“Connections above and beyond”: Information, translation, and community boundaries in LibraryThing and Goodreads

Worrall

2019

Asso for Info Science & Tech

Self Cite

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The connections and contexts surrounding information shared in social settings must be accounted for, and this is particularly true for online communities that are information-centric. This article presents a mixedmethods study of LibraryThing and Goodreads, which have characteristics of information-centric online communities and social digital libraries, with attention to their roles as boundary objects, users' information values, and information behavior, and other boundaries and boundary objects at play. Content analysis of messages, a survey of users, and qualitative interviews show LibraryThing and Goodreads help establish community and organizational structure; support sharing of information values; and facilitate the building and maintenance of social ties. Translation of meanings and understandings within and between communities is a key activity in these roles. Online communities and social digital libraries should highlight translation processes and resources; provide user profiles and offtopic spaces and encourage their use; take a sociotechnical approach to tailor technology and community features to the right audiences; and facilitate the establishment of shared structure, values, and ties and the work of boundary spanners. Further implications exist for research on and theorizing of information-centric online communities, boundaries, and boundary objects as part of the sociotechnical infrastructure surrounding online information sharing.

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Section: Research and Theory Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 76%

Section: Research and Theory Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 79%

Section: Boundaries and Boundary Objectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Research and Theory Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

“Connections above and beyond”: Information, translation, and community boundaries in LibraryThing and Goodreads

Worrall

2019

Asso for Info Science & Tech

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The notion has been widely applied later in information systems (Huvila, Anderson, Jansen, McKenzie, & Worrall, 2016), computer-supported collaborative work (CSCW) and many other fields. It can also be linked to different communities of practice (Wenger, 1998) working in a common task (as it occurs in the case of LA adoption).…”

Section: Understanding La Adoption: An Activity Theory Viewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Orchestrating learning analytics (OrLA): Supporting inter-stakeholder communication about adoption of learning analytics at the classroom

Prieto¹,

Rodríguez‐Triana²,

Martínez-Maldonado³

et al. 2018

Preprint

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Despite the recent surge of research in learning analytics (LA), its adoption still is a slow and complex process. Previous research has identified the knowledge gaps and communication among different stakeholders (especially, at the practitioner level) as critical factors for successful adoption of LA innovations. This paper aims to address these issues through the recognition that limited adoption at the practitioner level is not particular to LA technology. Under the label "orchestration", educational technology researchers have tried to refocus their work to emphasize the classroom-level constraints faced in everyday educational activities, in order to favor adoption. In this paper, we review both the learning analytics and orchestration literature to elicit the main aspects to consider in interstakeholder communication about the adoption of LA at the practitioner level. As a result of this review, we propose conceptual frameworks organizing these issues, and tools to support inter-stakeholder communication about LA adoption. We also provide examples that illustrate how researchers and practitioners are using these frameworks and tools to focus communication and decision-making during the adoption of LA innovations in Australia, Spain and Estonia.

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Materiality in information environments: Objects, spaces, and bodies in three outpatient hemodialysis facilities

Veinot

Pierce

2019

Asso for Info Science & Tech

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The materiality of information environments, and its role in information behavior, has received little attention. We present an ethnographic study involving 156 hours of observation and 28 patient interviews in outpatient hemodialysis facilities. Using an extended "Semiotic Framework for Information Systems Research," the findings show that objects, spaces, and bodies were integral to 6 sociomaterial layers of facility information environments: the physical, empiric, syntactic, semantic, pragmatic, and social world. Objects of importance in the information environments included dialysis machines, instruments, records, paper documents, televisions, furniture, thermostats, lighting, and personal possessions. Spatial features, including compartmentalization, displays, distance, proximity, and spatially-grounded routines, also constituted information environments. The information environments were also shaped by patient immobility, bodily discomforts, and orientation to bodily states. Each sociomaterial layer introduced enablers and constraints to information access, flow, and acceptance; these combined to construct patients primarily as passive recipients of information rather than active seekers and producers of information. A sociomaterial perspective and related focus on objects, spaces, and bodies offers a lens for professional information practice. We contribute information environment design guidance to facilitate such practice and stress that the value of certain sources and types of information can be materially encoded in an environment.

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Boundary objects in information science

Cited by 49 publications

References 139 publications

“Connections above and beyond”: Information, translation, and community boundaries in LibraryThing and Goodreads

“Connections above and beyond”: Information, translation, and community boundaries in LibraryThing and Goodreads

Orchestrating learning analytics (OrLA): Supporting inter-stakeholder communication about adoption of learning analytics at the classroom

Materiality in information environments: Objects, spaces, and bodies in three outpatient hemodialysis facilities

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