Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 3-10-2015 12:00 AM Words to Live By: How Experience Shapes our Information World at Work, Play and in Everyday Life Angela Pollak The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Dr. Lynne (E. F.) McKechnie The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in Library & Information Science A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Doctor of Philosophy © Angela Pollak 2015 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Leisure Studies Commons, and the Library and Information Science Commons Recommended Citation Pollak, Angela, "Words to Live By: How Experience Shapes our Information World at Work, Play and in Everyday Life" (2015). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 2722. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/2722 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. WORDS TO LIVE BY: HOW EXPERIENCE SHAPES OUR INFORMATION WORLD AT WORK, PLAY, AND IN EVERYDAY LIFE (Thesis format: Monograph) by Angela Dawn Michel Pollak Graduate Program in Library and Information Science A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies The University of Western Ontario London, Ontario, Canada © Angela Pollak 2015 Abstract Background: A considerable amount of effort has been spent studying information behaviours and practices associated with formal, professional contexts and documentary, tangible sources of information. Comparatively, relatively little is known about non– documentary and experience-based information found in informal, nonformal, blue collar and rural contexts. Experiences of everyday life are often neglected from a research standpoint because they are seen as common, familiar, and unremarkable. Research Question: By exploring familiar experiences of everyday life in one specific, marginalized context, my goals were to contribute to the body of interdisciplinary literature describing non–problem–based phenomena and non–documentary, experience-based sources of information; to extend our understanding of work, leisure and everyday life information practices in informal and non-professional contexts; and to elevate these less frequently studied experiences and information sources above the trivial theoretically. To address this gap, the present study asks, what is the nature of experience in the remote, rural village of Whitney, Ontario, Canada across the domains of work, leisure and maintenance activities? Method: I interviewed 24 adult residents of the village ranging in age from their early twenties to their late eighties using a semi–structured interview protocol. I also gathered data through several photo–methodologies including documentary photography, photo– voice, and photo–elicitation. Printed documentary evidence reflecting experiences in the village were obtained through environmental scanning. I analyzed data using qualitative thematic coding methods from the perspective of everyday life information seeking theories, drawing support from serious leisure, lifelong learning, and experiential education theories where appropriate. Discussion: Reinforcing previous Information Behaviour theory, results ii show that informal information channels and interpersonal sources are frequently preferred over formal ones, and that contextual factors continue to influence information seeking and use across the domains of work, play and everyday life. More study is required to explain the characteristics and qualities that insulate small worlds like this from information poverty, as well as the effects of interruptions in the network of interpersonal sources relied on heavily in this context. This research also highlights how the social characteristics of information seeking and use add depth to discussions of leisure experiences. A working definition of experiential information is provided. Keywords: Experiential Information, Everyday Life Information Seeking (ELIS), Informal Information Behaviours, Information Poverty, Information Seeking Behaviours, Information Seeking and Use (ISU), Rural Information Seeking, Tacit Knowledge, Leisure Experience, Everyday Life Experience iii Acknowledgments In a seven year long process of building up, tearing down and building up again, I have grown in ways I could not have imagined were possible when I took my first steps toward this goal. And while I may have spent many hours working in isolation, I recognize now more than ever that this finished product is the result of collective effort. With deep gratitude, I acknowledge the following gifts. For the gift of intellectual support: To my supervisor, and academic mother, Dr. Lynne McKechnie. Everyone should experience the joy of walking behind someone who knows exactly what’s necessary before they even know they’re in need. You were omnipresent, yet never imposing, and always ready with exactly the right advice at exactly the right time. If your confidence faltered, I never knew it. Your steadfast vision helped me see, and believe, through the fog. To my supervisor, Carole Farber. I am so grateful for your steady hand always nudging me in the right direction while I drifted in a sea of choices. Though at times I could barely perceive the features in front of me, you helped me distinguish the opportunities with pinpoint accuracy and recognize their value. To you I owe my greatest professional joy: introducing photo methods changed this project, and my experience, in profound and wonderful ways. To my colleagues in Information Behaviour studies who received my ideas warmly, critiqued them kindly, and showed me how to become a better observer, writer, researcher and thinker. Special thanks to Jen Pecoskie and Heidi Julien, who went out of their way to encourage me, and to the many seasoned researchers who shared ideas and feedback with iv me at my poster sessions and presentations at CAIS, ALISE, the iConference, and at the Canadian Conference on Leisure Research. To the faculty of Information and Media Studies at Western, for the generous financial support through teaching assignments and awards. And to my teachers: the hearty, resourceful and resilient residents of Whitney past and present, who so generously welcomed me into your homes and histories and offered me the greatest gift of all. In hearing your stories, I discovered my own. I hope I haven’t disappointed you: Charlene Alexander Marcia Jermol Kylie (1939-2012) Emil Michel Sr Joseph Avery Edward Lentz Monda Michel Reverend James Beanish Josephine Lentz Theresa Milner (1927-1991) Ann Boldt Peter J. Mask (1895-1972) Clifford Olmstead Irene Boldt Jacqueline Mask Clover Palbiski Sarah Darraugh Hazel Mask (1904-1962) Gordon Palbiski Jane Dumas James R. Mask Peter Palbiski Alexander (Sandy) Dumas Roger Mask (1931-2009) Floella Putterill (1937-2013) Kelly Fuller Monique Mason Richard Shalla Larry Fuller Barbara Mastine Hazel Switzer Tania Jermol Edward McGuey Frank Van Baal Anna Belle Jocko Andrew Michel Fred Kmith Emil Michel Jr Thank you especially to Tania Jermol, Jacqueline Mask, Jamie Mask, Monique Mason, Emil Michel Jr., and Monda Michel, who allowed the voices of generations past to speak for themselves by sharing personal correspondence, photos and records, and to Kelly Fuller for her help introducing me to potential participants. Also a special thanks to Robert Montpetit of the Toronto Postcard Club for introducing me to the hobby of deltiology, and for generously sharing his postcard collection of historic images of Whitney. What an unexpected delight, to be transported back to the beginning at the end of a long journey! v For the gift of moments that influenced the trajectory of my education Though there have been many, I’m thinking in particular of Ms. Verna Woods (1936-2008), my elementary school librarian who asked me to sort books at lunch time in grade eight. It was a great job, and the first time I thought about librarianship as a career. She didn’t miss a beat when I said to her one day in 1985, “You mean you had to go to school to learn to do this job?” Little did I know then, how long it is possible to spend in library school learning to do this job! For the gift of family and friends Anyone who has undertaken advanced studies with the responsibilities of a family understands the juggling required to achieve the goal. The path is bumpy, crooked, expensive and exhausting. I think I did most of the work in fifteen minute increments squeezed in between nap times, diapers, doctors appointments, elementary school homework and play dates. When my contributions at home fell short, John, you made up the difference every single time with a happy heart… the laundry, cooking, cleaning, and parenting. You’re a fantastic dad, butler, and chauffeur, and a better mom than I am. And even though it’s my name on the diploma, there is no doubt in my mind that this is our degree. To my parents, Emil and Monda Michel, you taught me about the importance of place, hard work, and education. I love libraries, learning and small towns because of you. I hope you see yourselves inside these pages. This is probably also a good time to apologize: Sorry mom. I’m certain this isn’t what you had in mind when you said you wanted me to be a doctor. Or to write a book about Whitney. But I hope you approve anyway. vi To my uncle, Adolf Michel, a man not inclined toward gambling but who nevertheless delights in taking a chance now and again. In your garden between the neat rows of potatoes and tomatoes, I saw you sow the seeds of possibility. When you thought no one was looking, I watched the example you set, and I wanted to be like you. The time you have shared with me has been a gift without measure. To friends who have shared this journey with me in ways small and great.