Wouldn't it be great if you could search loads of great libraries simultaneously...?
Well, you can.
Take a look at the presentation below introducing Search25 and Copac - two great union catalogues.
Thursday, 24 January 2013
Thursday, 17 January 2013
Information seeking behaviour in The Big Lebowski
What can you learn about ‘information skills’ from watching the Coen brothers’ 1998 film, The Big Lebowski? This is the question addressed in an article submitted to The Journal of Popular Culture (Dill and Janke, 2011).
The authors discuss the information seeking behaviour of four of its central characters - Donny, Walter, 'The Dude', and Maude - relating them to some interesting research into information seeking behaviour.
I summarise below how each of the characters shape up, and there are some illustrative clips from the film drawn from Box of Broadcasts.
NB: Box of Broadcasts requires Adobe Flash Player, and is therefore not viewable on an iPad. You may also need to login first, and then refresh this page. For University of Westminster students, go to the BoB National Site, and enter 'University of Westminster' into the 'Where are you from?' box; then refresh this page.
Donny has low-level information seeking skills. He uses inappropriate information sources (i.e. Walter and The Dude), who are not authoritative nor courteous or inclusive. They do nothing to help establish the self-confidence he needs to develop a more active information seeking strategy. He therefore is in a cycle of not knowing.
'So you have no frame of reference here, Donny'
This recording is to be used only for non-commercial educational purposes under the terms of an ERA Licence. For terms of use and to find and record more programmes please visit BoB National.
Walter seems to formulate a goal-oriented plan. However, he makes a number of false assumptions and mistakes. In the terms of 'personal construct theory' he has an 'indicative' attitude - he depends too heavily on the construct he currently holds, and rejects new information that conflicts with that view. As Dill and Janke suggest, "If one of Donny's failures is poor self-esteem, then one of Walter's is hubris."
His overconfidence is an indicator of incompetence - "he repeatedly dooms his searches to failure with quick assumptions and a lack of self-assessment." The clip below is just one of many instances of this (he happens to be right here, but more often he gets it wrong).
'Forget about the toe!'
This recording is to be used only for non-commercial educational purposes under the terms of an ERA Licence. For terms of use and to find and record more programmes please visit BoB National.
And here's Walter getting it wrong...
'This guy's a fake'
This recording is to be used only for non-commercial educational purposes under the terms of an ERA Licence. For terms of use and to find and record more programmes please visit BoB National.
The Dude's information seeking behaviours are ultimately successful. Although, he is not a proactive information seeker, he has a 'invitational' attitude, which contrasts to Walter's 'indicative' attitude - he is receptive to "new shit." He also assimilates information from a variety of sources.
The Dude also exemplifies how a positive attitude can benefit an information search, enabling him to incorporate dissonant (conflicting) information.
'New shit has come to light'
This recording is to be used only for non-commercial educational purposes under the terms of an ERA Licence. For terms of use and to find and record more programmes please visit BoB National.
Maude exhibits the most successful information seeking behaviours. She has good self-esteem, clear goals, an 'invitational' attitude, and uses a variety of information sources. She also proactively seeks information to close her knowledge gaps - for example by obtaining the Logjammin' tape as shown in the clip below.
'Take a look at this, sir'
This recording is to be used only for non-commercial educational purposes under the terms of an ERA Licence. For terms of use and to find and record more programmes please visit BoB National.
So, what do we learn? What are some of the aspects of more successful information behaviours? Having read the article a few times, and having watched the movie again to compile this post, here is what I think will improve your information behaviour:
'Oh man, my thinking about this case has become so uptight'
This recording is to be used only for non-commercial educational purposes under the terms of an ERA Licence. For terms of use and to find and record more programmes please visit BoB National.
References
Dill, E. and Janke, K. (2011). “New Shit Has Come to Light": Information Seeking Behaviour in The Big Lebowski. The Journal of Popular Culture. Preprint, submitted September 21, 2011. [online] Available from: http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1111/j.1540-5931.2011.00874.x [Accessed 17/01/2013].
The full movie is available here:
This recording is to be used only for non-commercial educational purposes under the terms of an ERA Licence. For terms of use and to find and record more programmes please visit BoB National.
The authors discuss the information seeking behaviour of four of its central characters - Donny, Walter, 'The Dude', and Maude - relating them to some interesting research into information seeking behaviour.
I summarise below how each of the characters shape up, and there are some illustrative clips from the film drawn from Box of Broadcasts.
NB: Box of Broadcasts requires Adobe Flash Player, and is therefore not viewable on an iPad. You may also need to login first, and then refresh this page. For University of Westminster students, go to the BoB National Site, and enter 'University of Westminster' into the 'Where are you from?' box; then refresh this page.
Donny
Donny has low-level information seeking skills. He uses inappropriate information sources (i.e. Walter and The Dude), who are not authoritative nor courteous or inclusive. They do nothing to help establish the self-confidence he needs to develop a more active information seeking strategy. He therefore is in a cycle of not knowing.
'So you have no frame of reference here, Donny'
This recording is to be used only for non-commercial educational purposes under the terms of an ERA Licence. For terms of use and to find and record more programmes please visit BoB National.
Walter
Walter seems to formulate a goal-oriented plan. However, he makes a number of false assumptions and mistakes. In the terms of 'personal construct theory' he has an 'indicative' attitude - he depends too heavily on the construct he currently holds, and rejects new information that conflicts with that view. As Dill and Janke suggest, "If one of Donny's failures is poor self-esteem, then one of Walter's is hubris."
His overconfidence is an indicator of incompetence - "he repeatedly dooms his searches to failure with quick assumptions and a lack of self-assessment." The clip below is just one of many instances of this (he happens to be right here, but more often he gets it wrong).
'Forget about the toe!'
This recording is to be used only for non-commercial educational purposes under the terms of an ERA Licence. For terms of use and to find and record more programmes please visit BoB National.
And here's Walter getting it wrong...
'This guy's a fake'
This recording is to be used only for non-commercial educational purposes under the terms of an ERA Licence. For terms of use and to find and record more programmes please visit BoB National.
The Dude
The Dude's information seeking behaviours are ultimately successful. Although, he is not a proactive information seeker, he has a 'invitational' attitude, which contrasts to Walter's 'indicative' attitude - he is receptive to "new shit." He also assimilates information from a variety of sources.
The Dude also exemplifies how a positive attitude can benefit an information search, enabling him to incorporate dissonant (conflicting) information.
'New shit has come to light'
This recording is to be used only for non-commercial educational purposes under the terms of an ERA Licence. For terms of use and to find and record more programmes please visit BoB National.
Maude
Maude exhibits the most successful information seeking behaviours. She has good self-esteem, clear goals, an 'invitational' attitude, and uses a variety of information sources. She also proactively seeks information to close her knowledge gaps - for example by obtaining the Logjammin' tape as shown in the clip below.
'Take a look at this, sir'
This recording is to be used only for non-commercial educational purposes under the terms of an ERA Licence. For terms of use and to find and record more programmes please visit BoB National.
So, what do we learn?
So, what do we learn? What are some of the aspects of more successful information behaviours? Having read the article a few times, and having watched the movie again to compile this post, here is what I think will improve your information behaviour:
Good self-esteem and a positive attitudeFrom my perspective, what is most interesting is that effective information behaviours seem not just to be about cognitive ability or knowledge, they are also attitudnal. Dill and Janke comment on this, suggesting that poor mood leads to poor information behaviour. They also suggest that it is the mood-enriching experience of coitus that helps 'The Dude' finally understand what is going on. Now, there's a suggestion for your essay schedule!
Choosing appropriately accessible and authoritative sources
Using a range of sources
Not being overconfident (not having a ‘indicative’ attitude - looking for information that supports your thesis, and dismissing information that doesn’t)
Being open to 'new shit' (i.e. having an 'invitational attitude')
Having clear goals
Being proactive
Being in a good mood
'Oh man, my thinking about this case has become so uptight'
This recording is to be used only for non-commercial educational purposes under the terms of an ERA Licence. For terms of use and to find and record more programmes please visit BoB National.
References
Dill, E. and Janke, K. (2011). “New Shit Has Come to Light": Information Seeking Behaviour in The Big Lebowski. The Journal of Popular Culture. Preprint, submitted September 21, 2011. [online] Available from: http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1111/j.1540-5931.2011.00874.x [Accessed 17/01/2013].
The full movie is available here:
This recording is to be used only for non-commercial educational purposes under the terms of an ERA Licence. For terms of use and to find and record more programmes please visit BoB National.
Thursday, 3 January 2013
Some suggestions for guided independent study week...
If you are new to the university and looking for inspiration as to how to spend the next week, here are a few suggestions drawn from Safari Books Online - accessible via Library Search.
Don't be be fooled by the name of this resource, it also includes videos!
Get to grip with a Mac - video
Need to get to grips with the Mac OS fast? Try this thorough video.
Learn Your Mac: Mac Video Training
Adobe Creative Suite - videos
New to Adobe Creative Suite? Learn by video with these great videos.
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Learn by Video
Adobe Photoshop CS6 Learn by Video Core Training in Visual Communication
Camera guides
Have you spent a small fortune on your DSLR? Or are you borrowing some superior kit? Get the best out of it with these guides. Search Safari Books for other models.
Nikon® D700 Digital Field Guide
Mastering the Nikon D700
David Busch’s Nikon® D700 Guide to Digital SLR Photography
Browse the library
Take Steve Simon's advice in The Passionate Photographer: Ten Steps Toward Becoming Great - also available on Safari Books Online.
Don't be be fooled by the name of this resource, it also includes videos!
Get to grip with a Mac - video
Need to get to grips with the Mac OS fast? Try this thorough video.
Learn Your Mac: Mac Video Training
Adobe Creative Suite - videos
New to Adobe Creative Suite? Learn by video with these great videos.
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Learn by Video
Adobe Photoshop CS6 Learn by Video Core Training in Visual Communication
Camera guides
Have you spent a small fortune on your DSLR? Or are you borrowing some superior kit? Get the best out of it with these guides. Search Safari Books for other models.
Nikon® D700 Digital Field Guide
Mastering the Nikon D700
David Busch’s Nikon® D700 Guide to Digital SLR Photography
Browse the library
Take Steve Simon's advice in The Passionate Photographer: Ten Steps Toward Becoming Great - also available on Safari Books Online.
Whenever I’m looking for ideas and inspiration, I love going to my library, grabbing a book, and finding inspiration between the covers. Nothing to plug in or charge, the sweet aroma of ink on paper, it’s an intimate experience that lets me get inside the head of the photographer who created it.
Thursday, 20 December 2012
Edmund de Waal on tact *Christmas Special*
This post is a Christmas special, designed to give you something to think about at this time of year, when you meet up with friends and family and remember those who are no longer with us. As the title has already announced, it is Edmund de Waal's talk on tact: as important at Christmas as mince pies, wine, and wrapping skills.
This talk was given as part of the School of Life's Sunday Sermons earlier this year, and was one of the most engaging of these sermons I have attended. I heartily recommend finding somewhere quiet, without other distractions, and watching.
Edmund de Waal On Tact from The School of Life on Vimeo.
Further Reading
de Waal, E. (2010). The hare with amber eyes; a hidden inheritance. Chatto & Windus.
In Memory of W. B. Yeats (1940) from Another Time by W. H. Auden, published by Random House.
Thursday, 22 November 2012
The story of LIFE magazine...
...is another programme I have found on BOB. Photographer Rankin profiles, "the treasured photographic magazine that chronicled the 20th Century" here (or embedded below).
Incidentally, Life is now available online courtesy of Google Books. You will find every issue from 1936, when the magazine was first issued, until 1972. It's fantastic!
This recording is to be used only for non-commercial educational purposes under the terms of an ERA Licence. For terms of use and to find and record more programmes please visit BoB National.
Incidentally, Life is now available online courtesy of Google Books. You will find every issue from 1936, when the magazine was first issued, until 1972. It's fantastic!
This recording is to be used only for non-commercial educational purposes under the terms of an ERA Licence. For terms of use and to find and record more programmes please visit BoB National.
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