Heidi JulienUniversity at Buffalo, The State University of New York and University of Pretoria
Heidi Julien
PhD
About
162
Publications
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3,301
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Introduction
Additional affiliations
August 2011 - August 2013
July 2001 - July 2011
July 1998 - June 2001
Publications
Publications (162)
This panel explores the integration of theory into the master’s curriculum for library and information studies. Balancing theoretical focus with more practical emphasis can be a challenge, and engaging students in theory by tying it to practice can be complicated. The panel will provide opportunities to explore these challenges in the specific cont...
The role of academic librarians in supporting people to navigate the changing information environment is fundamental to librarianship and is critical in the current information environment. This poster focuses on the implications for educating pre-service librarians about the realities and challenges associated with that role, drawn from a national...
Curriculum for master’s level education in library and information science is an historically popular subject of discussion in the disciplinary literature. Specific topic areas are interrogated (Saunders & Bajjaly, 2022), opinions are solicited about courses or topics which ought to be required of all students (Saunders, 2019) or required of studen...
This study uses the concepts of information practices and care as theoretical lenses to explore the information practices of casual academic staff, who experience complex information contexts. Semi‐structured online interviews followed by thematic qualitative data analysis revealed that, while these academics care deeply about their contributions t...
An increasing number of academics working in higher education in Canada work on short-term contracts. The casualization of university work and the insecure nature of these contracts increases the difficulty that contract academic staff (CAS) experience, including often not receiving the information they need to carry out their work. While research...
Introduction. Universities rely increasingly on contract academic staff for teaching and research activities; yet, working in precarious conditions, these staff face significant challenges in finding relevant workplace information, in engaging with colleagues, and in building their careers. This study examines contract academic staff perceptions of...
This study investigates a community partnership approach between public libraries and seniors’ organizations for older adult digital literacy training. The paper showcases a partnership between a volunteer seniors' organization, two public libraries, and a seniors' centre. Semi-structured interviews with administrators, instructors, and students we...
This paper presents the results from a survey of administrators and instructors at public libraries across Canada investigating the delivery of digital literacy training led by public libraries. The goal of the survey was to capture a snapshot of the Canadian public library-led digital literacy training landscape and to explore differences in perce...
This article reports on the third phase of a project studying the integration of information behavior theories and concepts into professional education for reference and information service (RIS). It also provides a synthesis of the results of all studies in the project, including a syllabus study, an interview study, and the survey. Results of the...
There is increasing recognition of the challenges academics working on short‐term contracts experience, as well as universities' increasing reliance on their labor. While discussions of these issues have expanded, there is a lack of empirical research around the information experiences of contract academic staff. This poster reports on initial find...
Failure in research is an underexplored topic in the information science literature. Many instances of research failure go unreported due to the success‐oriented nature of academic culture, and academic publishing in particular. In not discussing, or failing to enable the discussion and reporting of research failures, important learning opportuniti...
The roles and values of theory, theoretical frameworks, and theory building in library and information science (LIS) research have been the focus of attention of many scholars for decades. However, current practices in scholarly publishing have undermined these roles and values, creating a paradox in scholarly publishing and raising questions regar...
In the sociology of professions, expertise, or a specialized area of knowledge, is considered a core attribute (Abbott, 1988). Typically, when the expertise of a particular profession is examined, it is examined as it relates to the interests and actions of a profession (Brady, 2018). This means that the way professional expertise shapes and is sha...
This paper summarizes the history and contributions of information behaviour scholars in North America. Scholars who made foundational contributions to the field, as well as newer scholars, are highlighted. The paper also notes the roles played by North American scholars in important venues for information behaviour research, such as SIG USE in the...
Teaching is a core role for librarians in academic contexts, although most librarians are not formally prepared to teach and encounter significant challenges in the role, including complex relationships with campus colleagues. The purpose of this research was to explore how community college librarians, an understudied population, understand their...
Librarianship has struggled with professional identity and power relations, both within the profession, such as between librarians who serve customers face-to-face and those who create and maintain library systems (Harris, 1992), and outside the profession (e.g., on academic campuses, where librarians have maintained a subservient relationship with...
Employers in the field of library and information science seek a range of “soft” or generic skills, such as flexibility and interpersonal skills, along with domain-specific knowledge and skills. Certain skills, including writing skills, time management, conflict resolution and skills associated with job-hunting such as resume-writing and interviewi...
In the first phase of a larger research project exploring the information practices of contract academic staff, a review of the wider literature around academic casualization was conducted. This research begins to address the need for greater understanding of the experiences of these workers in the information‐intensive environments of higher educa...
Information science is increasingly focused on giving voice to marginalized communities, improving their daily lives, and contributing to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). However, challenges facing marginalized communities in the Global South are less frequently investigated, yet of great importance....
This poster describes an interview study with librarians representing a broad range of demographics, career stages, and professional roles. The goal of the study is to explore librarians' perceptions of their own professional expertise, and to analyze those perceptions through an intersectional lens. Intersectionality refers to a theoretical perspe...
Community colleges offer a unique context in higher education and yet specific guidance on implementing the ACRL Framework in community colleges is lacking. Semi-structured interviews with 30 community college librarians who had instruction duties explored the state of the implementation of the Framework in community colleges and the effect of the...
An exploratory study investigated the factors affecting digital literacy training offered by local community organizations, such as public libraries. Theory based on the educational assessment and information literacy instruction literatures, community informatics, and situated learning theory served as a lens of investigation. Case studies of two...
Measuring the use of theory that informs empirical research demonstrates the rigour of research in a discipline. It also identifies key theories and connections to other disciplines. This study focuses on use of theory, broadly defined, in information behaviour. Full-length empirical papers from ISIC conference proceedings were analysed. Kumasi et...
The practice of reference and information service (RIS) should be based on an understanding of how users seek information to fill information needs and of what they do with that information once they have found it. RIS professional education, therefore, should provide students with a strong grounding in information behavior. This study explores if...
Information behavior is an important area of conceptual knowledge for reference service providers, as it provides structure for understanding users’ information seeking and use. This study explores the extent to which information behavior theories, models, and concepts have been integrated into professional education for reference and information s...
In the first of two articles, interviews with administrators of digital literacy programs in Canadian public libraries and other community organizations revealed a sector working to address the digital divide, focusing on marginalized people. Programs narrowly defined digital literacy as skillful use of a range of basic and more advanced technologi...
This poster will present the results of an online survey of instructors of reference and information services courses in North American programs preparing information service professionals for practice. The survey explores instructors' decisions about incorporating information behavior theories, models, and concepts into their courses, as well as t...
North–South scholarly collaboration and academic exchange programs help to address the challenges experienced by developing countries in Africa and elsewhere, and provide unique benefits to scholars in developed countries. Many academics in the global north, however, have limited, or no, information about opportunities to visit academics and instit...
This study explores the experiences of community college librarians in the United States with instructional responsibility, as they negotiate professional guidelines that challenge their existing practices. Community college environments, students, and programs differ significantly from those typically explored in information literacy research. Thu...
This article explores the experiences of older adults attending digital literacy training sessions offered by the public library system in one city in Ontario. Semi-structured interviews with 12 older adults (age 60+) demonstrated the significance of societal and internalized ageism in shaping the experiences of participants, as well as the constru...
Introduction. This paper reports on part of a larger study, specifically on the information behaviour theories used in foundational reference and information services courses in North America. Method. Content analysis of syllabi, reading lists and textbooks from foundational reference courses was conducted. Analysis. Qualitative and quantitative an...
An online survey in Florida and New York of community college librarians with responsibility for information literacy instruction provides a snapshot of instructional objectives and practices, including librarians’ beliefs about students’ information literacy needs, strengths, and weaknesses. Survey results point to the influence of the Association...
Information behaviour theory, models, and concepts (IB TMCs) are foundational for effective reference and information services (RIS) and yet they are not widely addressed in basic RIS courses. This study explores how librarianship students are being educated in IB TMCs. Course syllabi and assigned textbooks of RIS courses were analyzed for integrat...
This paper reports progress of a SSHRC-funded research investigation that studies the factors affecting the success of digital literacy skills training offered by community-led organizations, such as public libraries, across Canada. The goal of the study is to identify best practices. The study also seeks to contribute to the theoretical understand...
This paper reports the results of a small-scale study of the information practices of contract academic staff in the United Kingdom, which is being used as the basis for a broader study in the Canadian context. Neoliberal approaches to the management of higher education across the globe, including Canada, are contributing to a highly challenging en...
Preparing future information professionals includes educating them about relevant theories and models. This study explores the extent to which education for information services draws on information behavior theories, models, and concepts, particularly how instructors' choices influence the integration of information behavior into their basic refer...
A study of information literacy instruction (ILI) practices in community college libraries in the United States has included a survey of instructional librarians and interviews with students. The goals of the study were to examine how librarians’ ILI is being impacted by the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy in the community college context;...
This paper describes an in‐progress research study investigating the factors affecting the success of digital literacy training initiatives led by local community organizations, including public libraries. Data were collected from two public libraries and five community organizations in two cities in Canada. Data collection comprised interviews wit...
This paper reports a study of information literacy instructional practices in Israeli academic libraries, conducted to understand the methods and approaches used by academic librarians in their instructional work, and to explore whether their practices have been influenced by the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. The stu...
The panel/round‐table will explore the status of the education of information professionals internationally, with a focus on a review of the status of Library and Information Studies, Information Science, and Information Professional education programs in the U.S., Canada and Australia. Similarities and differences between programs in each country...
This paper describes an in‐progress research study investigating the efficacy of digital literacy training initiatives led by local community organizations, including public libraries. The goal is to generate a theoretical model of factors affecting the efficacy of digital literacy training opportunities led by local community organizations, and to...
This panel presentation will provide a brief overview of the Framework, followed by four presentations that explore theoretical and practical concerns that will be of interest to LIS educators. These presentations will serve as a foundation for a large group discussion of the implications of the Framework for LIS programs and the pedagogical challe...
This paper reports preliminary results of a study analyzing transfer of information literacy skills learned in a compulsory undergraduate course at the University of Pretoria. Twenty-three alumni with a range of disciplinary backgrounds, and currently working in a diversity of workplaces, participated in critical incident interviews which explored...
The concept of digital literacy must be understood in the context of “literacies” writ broadly. Contemporary understandings of literacy have expanded the traditional definition that includes reading and writing (possibly also including numeracy and oralcy) to include interpretive and creative abilities or competencies across a range of texts in wri...
Findings from in-depth interviews with academic librarians reveal initial perceptions of the value of the new Association of College and Research Libraries' Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education and information about individual experiences in implementing the framework into information literacy skills instruction. Fifteen academic...
This paper examines the implications of findings from a recent survey of academic librarians with teaching responsibilities in U.S. academic libraries, for what they can suggest to library and information science scholars in terms of research questions, and for how they can inform our preparation of future librarians.
Helping students learn how to navigate information—and misinformation—is asimportant as ever. The Canadian information literacy (IL) landscape continues to evolvealong with rhetorical, theoretical, and contextual developments, such as the newFramework for Information Literacy for Higher Education and the critical librarypedagogy movement. However,...
his paper presents results of a content analysis of the Canadian Journal of Information and Library Science/ La Revue canadienne des sciences de l’information et de bibliothéconomie. All articles published since 1986 were analyzed for language of publication, number of authors, authors’ geographic location, article subject matter, and research meth...
This paper examines issues associated with secondary analysis of qualitative data and their implications for information behaviour scholarship. Secondary data analysis poses a range of potential challenges for data creators, but also opportunities, including the ability to expand theory to a wider context, strengthen the reliability and validity of...
An online survey sent to the community of professional librarians in the United States who provide information literacy instruction in academic libraries provided insights into their practices and the challenges they face. Data include current pedagogical methods, client groups of focus, assessment and evaluation, marketing, instructional objective...
This panel will explore how information associations can maintain engagement and relevance at a time when academic disciplines are evolving, when institutional and personal budgets face increasing pressures, and as we strive to connect across a broad global footprint. The panel brings together the leaders of three information science associations –...
Targeted online harassment of academics has been on the rise in the US and internationally. Such harassment ranges from online threats and hacking to doxxing and organized campaigns to discredit one's work. It has now become an often‐unrecognized part of the job for academics—particularly socially marginalized academics and those who study controve...
This panel continues an interactive discussion begun at the ALISE 2018 conference. Designed primarily to benefit new tenure track faculty, doctoral students, and academic librarians, the session looks to attract attendees seeking advice and those with expertise to share. Using the World Café Discussion format, the goals for the session are to devel...
A survey of iSchool and Library and Information Science American Library Association accredited school heads explored their use and opinions about academic social media platforms. Results show that ResearchGate is the venue of choice, although respondents do not believe maintaining a profile on academic social media platforms influences academic ca...
There is minimal, mainly anecdotal, evidence of discourse about the professional development of information science (IS) academics. In an effort to initiate discussion on professional development and encourage information sharing among IS faculty and administrators, we organized a panel at the 2016 Annual Meeting of ASIS&T (Lopatovska et al., 2016)...
Recently, in the election that took place in the United States, we have heard a lot about “fake news” and its influence. The discourse regarding “fake news” and “alternative facts” points to the importance of information literacy, a set of skills that enables people to seek, evaluate and use information in an effective way. The objective of this pa...
Fake news has itself become a prominent news topic in recent years. This ASIST President's Invited Panel will focus on the need for and roles filled by information professionals in preparing the public to become more critical consumers of information products and services, as well as discuss research around the development of tools and algorithmic...
Family digital literacy is discussed in the context of a Community of Practice. Informed by the literature, a study investigating existing family digital practices and the use of the participatory design methodology of Bonded Design and digital badges to encourage and enhance family digital literacy is proposed. Cette affiche s’intéresse à la compé...
This paper presents results of a survey to ascertain the value of the Canadian Association for Information Science (CAIS), its annual conference, and its journal. Data suggest that CAIS fulfills some of its stakeholder’s expectations, but improvements are recommended particularly for the structure of the conference. Cet article présente les résulta...
Altmetrics, or non-traditional methods of measuringscholarly impact, are increasingly relevant across arange of disciplines. This paper reports results of anonline survey of faculty and higher-educationadministrators in many disciplines about their use ofacademic social media and their attitudes towardsaltmetrics.L’alternative en métrique (Altmetri...
A quantitative content analysis of recently published research in information behavior is compared with previous analyses to create a 30-year profile of work in the field. Variables of particular interest include research methods employed, user groups studied, relative interdisciplinarity, theoretical frameworks applied, attention to affect, and at...
Welcome from the CAIS/ACSI & LRI/IRB Conference Co-Chairs
This poster reports the results of four focus groups held with high school math and science teachers and school and public librarians to explore how teachers and librarians can collaborate most effectively to help students develop 21st Century Skills in order to prepare them for STEM-related jobs.Cette affiche présente les résultats de quatre group...
Information literacy, as a concept, has suffered from terminological confusion and has been burdened with untenable expectations. In addition, insufficient attention has been given to the place of information with the context of information behavior or information practices generally. Significant challenges remain to developing information literacy...
Altmetrics, or non-traditional methods of measuring scholarly impact, are increasingly relevant across a range of disciplines. This paper reports results of an online survey of faculty and higher-education administrators in many disciplines about their use of academic social media and their attitudes towards altmetrics.
Information seeking and use are critically important for people living with HIV/AIDS and for those who care for people with HIV/AIDS. In addition, the HIV/AIDS context is characterized by significant affective or emotional aspects including stigma, fear, and coping. Thus, studies of information behavior in this context should be expected to take ac...
When we went to school our reading of information was quite different from that of students today. Information we had access to was limited in range and predominantly in print form and there was an implied perception of trust in the information due to the accountability that was attached to print forms. Today we live in a 'digital universe' where i...
This case study examined student preference for delivery mode of online courses in
two graduate degree programs in Library and Information Science. Within-group
and between-groups comparisons indicated a distinct preference across the
institutions. Findings from focus groups conducted with two cohorts of students
enrolled in a federally funded proj...
A quantitative content analysis of recently published research in information behaviour is compared with previous analyses to create a 30-year profile of work in the field. Variables of particular interest include research methods employed, user groups studied, relative interdisciplinarity, theoretical frameworks applied, attention to affect, and a...
Purpose
– A previous contribution argues in favour of a balance in emphasis between information communication technology (ICT); information retrieval systems (IRS) such as databases, library catalogues, repositories, Google Scholar, digital libraries, portals, search engines; and the users of these systems. This contribution aims to pursue the need...
This investigation used content analysis to examine the information needs and uses literature published 1990-1994. Analyses measured degree of interdisciplinarity evident in references cited, determined whether this literature was concerned with users' cognitive processes and with systems design and use, and identified research methods used. Second...
This study of library staff explores their experiences about their teaching roles in the context of information literacy instruction. The specific research question is: how do library staff with instructional roles experience and relate to those roles and what might be the implications of those self-understandings for instructional outcomes?Cette é...
This paper reports results of a longitudinal survey of information literacy instruction practices in Canadian academic libraries. Comparisons are made with Canadian data collected over the past 15 years, as well as with international data. The research has practical value to establish benchmarks and to identify opportunities for service improvement...
An analytic lens focused on “affect” was used to examine the experience of librarians doing instructional work in Canadian libraries. As part of larger project, 14 librarians agreed to participate in a process of self-reflection about their instructional experiences, recorded as diary entries over a period of several months.Une étude axée sur l’ana...
A significant challenge facing Canadian business schools is how best to work with librarians to incorporate information literacy instruction in curriculum and program designs. This study addresses the question: what is the interplay between factors of the learning environment and information literacy program components on business student learning...
Fifty-six semi-structured interviews were conducted in academic and public libraries across Canada in a study examining librarians’ experience of the teaching role. This paper focuses on participants’ revelations about the complex relationship between instructional librarians and teaching faculty. These relationships are examined through role theor...
This paper reports a study of information literacy practices in Canadian public libraries. The project explored the actual and potential role of public libraries in developing the public’s information literacy skills, and included a national survey of instruction and visits to public libraries where staff and library customers were interviewed.Cet...
This paper reports results from a national online survey exploring librarians’ experiences of their teaching roles. Triangulated with interview and diary data from earlier phases of this research, the paper highlights the joys and challenges experienced by library staff as they negotiate new expectations in a rapidly changing work environment.Cet a...
Cyberspace offers a glimpse of librarians' unscripted ideas on how best to work with faculty in designing and implementing information literacy opportunities. Information literacy listservs, in particular, provide librarians opportunities to discuss teaching styles, technology, classroom management, and other topics, in the context of their relatio...
This project examines students’ experiences as they complete high school, to assess information literacy preparation for further study in post-secondary environments. This presentation examines results from the first phase of a longitudinal project (i.e., information literacy skills tests with 103 grade 12 students and a sample of individual interv...
This paper explores an apparent conceptual gap between pragmatic, instrumental understandings of information literacy (IL), and critical conceptions that view IL as a social information practice. These critical stances reject the notion of IL as a set of generic, uncontextualized skills, such as those articulated in several international IL standar...
The traditional academic library is changing rapidly. The widespread use of electronic technologies has had a tremendous impact upon information retrieval within the library. As well, there is increasing awareness of the need to develop information literacy skills in graduates. This research was undertaken to determine how library user education in...
With sweeping changes in the way Canadians seek and use information in recent years, public libraries have been on a quest to stake a claim in the information society. In addition, Industry Canada has named public libraries as vehicles for its 'Connecting Canadians' initiative. This paper reports the results of an analysis of public libraries' resp...
This study reports a survey of information literacy instruction practices in Canadian academic libraries. Results indicate that formal instruction is offered by 89% of respondents, a minority of which articulate formal instructional objectives or work in libraries with full-time instructional librarians. Evaluation is mostly informal. Teaching stud...