THE TRANSFORMATIVE LIBRARY: A NARRATIVE INQUIRY INTO THE OUTCOMES OF INFORMATION USE Brian Kenney, A.B, M.S.L.S. Dissertation Prepared for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS December 2008 APPROVED: Elizabeth Figa, Committee Chair Brian O‘Connor, Committee Member Lisa Henry, Committee Member Linda Schamber, Program Coordinator Herman L. Totten, Dean of the College of Information, Library Science, and Technologies Sandra L. Terrell, Dean of the Robert B. Toulouse School of Graduate Studies Kenney, Brian. The transformative library: A narrative inquiry into the outcomes of information use. Doctor of Philosophy (Information Science), December, 2008, 371 pp., 3 tables, 1 figure, references, 136 titles. This qualitative study uses narrative analysis to explore the outcomes of information seeking and use among public library users. Twelve women between the ages of 51 and 72, all residents of Fayetteville, Arkansas who self-identified as regular library users, were interviewed to gather their life stories and their experiences using the public library. The participants in this study used information to enable learning and, often, a change in their affective state. The participants used the new information they encountered constructively, to engage with the knowledge and experience they possessed; this use of information always involved reflection, dialogue, or both. The outcomes from these actions are the creation of new knowledge, a change in the participants’ meaning schemes, and/or an affective change. In addition, the narratives strongly suggest that information seeking and use by adults in public libraries can sometimes facilitate or, on its own, precipitate a perspective transformation and the adoption of new meanings. Overall, the findings support Mezirow’s theory of transformative learning as a model for understanding information use and outcomes among users of the public library. The major implications of this study are two-fold. One, it introduces to information science Mezirow’s theory of transformative learning which could provide greater understanding of how adults use information, and the outcomes that arise from this use. Two, it provides library professionals with information about the library in the lives of their users and concrete information about how libraries can enable transformative learning. Copyright 2008 by Brian Kenney ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, I would like to thank the twelve women of Fayetteville, Arkansas who were my participants in this study. They were generous in their time, but even more generous in sharing so much of their lives with me. I wish to thank Dr. Elizabeth Figa, my committee chair, for her wise counsel and guidance throughout this process, as well as the other members of my committee: Dr. Brian O‘Connor, whose courses did so much to expand and challenge my understanding of information science, and Dr. Lisa Henry, who introduced me to qualitative research. I was fortunate to be part of the second doctoral cohort supported by a grant from the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), and my thanks goes to the IMLS for this opportunity. Being a member of this cohort was an extraordinary experience, and much of what I learned over the past several years was because of the generosity of my colleagues, a unique and talented group of individuals. I thank each one of them. The Fayetteville Public Library welcomed me and graciously provided me with the space to conduct my research. Thank you Louise Schaper, executive director; Shawna Thorup, director, operations; and Michele Raine, manager, reference and adult services. Finally, I would like to acknowledge my husband Osbely Arturo Tala. Without him none of this would have been possible. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS........................................................................................................... iii LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES.............................................................................................. vi Chapters 1. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................1 Background of Study Research Goals Significance of the Study Research Questions Definitions 2. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK ..........................................................................12 Information Behavior Library Research Reading Research Summary of Outcomes of Information Use Adult Learning Concept of Andragogy Self-Directed Learning Transformative Learning 3. METHODOLOGY AND STUDY DESIGN.........................................................47 Narrative Analysis Narrative, a Brief History General Characteristics of Narrative Analysis Strategies of Inquiry Research Methods Ethical Issues Site Selection Sample Size, Selection, Demographics Data Collection and Management Data Analysis iv Limitations, Validity, and Trust 4. FINDINGS.............................................................................................................65 General Findings Browsing as a Dominant Behavior Knowledge is Exclusively Communicative Learning as an Outcome Outcomes Narratives from the Case Studies Katherine: Information and Transformation Doris: Race and Transformation Mary: Information and Meaning Schemes Madeline: Incremental Transformation Jane: Information and Discourse Carol: Information and Reflection 5. CONCLUSIONS AND DISCUSSIONS .............................................................100 Conclusions Caveats of the Study Implications of the Study Future Research Appendices A. PILOT STUDY....................................................................................................114 B. COPY OF IRB LETTER .....................................................................................120 C. TRANSCRIPTS OF KATHERINE‘S INTERVIEWS........................................122 D. TRANSCRIPTS OF DORIS’ INTERVIEWS.....................................................165 E. TRANSCRIPTS OF MARY’S INTERVIEWS...................................................218 F. TRANSCRIPTS OF MADELINE’S INTERVIEWS..........................................260 G. TRANSCRIPTS OF JANE’S INTERVIEWS.....................................................313 H. TRANSCRIPTS OF CAROL’S INTERVIEWS .................................................344 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................362 v LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Page Tables 1. Studies Reporting on Outcomes of Information ................................................................40 2. Demographic Profile of Participants..................................................................................62 3. Cross-Narrative Analysis.................................................................................................108 Figures 1. Structures of information seeking narratives ...................................................................112 vi CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION This research is motivated by several simple questions: what happens after people find or encounter information? How do they use this information? What outcomes, if any, do people report as resulting from these information experiences? Does the information they locate or encounter enable them to get on with their lives? If one restricts these questions to information activities (seeking, finding, encountering) situated in the context of the public library, then what claims can then be made about the library as agency in people‘s lives? This chapter introduces the issues and their background as well as research goals, significance, research questions, and definitions. The second chapter provides the context for the research: what is it that we already know, and how these particular questions relate to what we already know. The third chapter outlines the research design, the theoretical framework, methods for data collection and analysis, limitations of the study, and issues of validity. The fourth chapter reports on the findings, while the fifth chapter provides discussions of the findings, implications for information and library research, and suggestions for further study. Before proceeding, there are five facts about this research it is important to note. One, this is a qualitative study that assumes an interpretive, naturalistic approach. My questions seemed best addressed by qualitative research because the topic is, to some degree, new; existing empirical evidence is sparse; and theory is underdeveloped or not developed at all (Creswell, 2003). Furthermore, this study, which attempts to create a ―complex, holistic picture‖ (Creswell, 1998, p. 15) of the outcomes of information, is exploratory; there is little research and no existing theory to explain outcomes of information. 1 Two, this research is infused with a constructivist approach, the belief that ―the knowable world is that of the meaning attributed by individuals‖ (Corbetta, 20003, p. 24). Constructivist learning, defined at the end of this chapter, is a complex theory about human knowledge that ranges from the epistemology of Immanuel Kant to contemporary feminist critics (Phillips, 1995; Alcoff & Potter, 1993), and in chapter three I discuss further my meaning of the term constructivism. While this inquiry moves among information theory and research, research into library usage, and educational theory and research, it does so along the axis of constructivism. The works of John Dewey, Jerome Bruner,