lis_608 biographers

Biographers

Fall 2010LIS 608 Human Information Seeking Behavior

Lauren OrsoEmily FaireyCaitlin Arndt

People Seeking People

Defining Biography

Biography

as

History

Biography

as

Popular Literature

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Our Research Question

When scholarly biographers research their topics,

are they searching in the same ways and using the same resources

as their more popular counterparts?

Biographers

Literature Review

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Tibbo (2003)

The study focuses on U.S. History scholars

and their access to primary source materials

According to Tibbo’s breakdown, it’s clear that biographical historians make use of a

wide variety of resources

(digital, print or otherwise).

Tibbo suggests that history scholars actually want digital resources, not necessarily technophobes.

BiographersTibbo, H.R. (2003). Primarily history in America: How U.S. historians search for primary materials at the dawn of the digital age. American Archivist 66(1), 9-50.

Tibbo (2003)

What needs to be done?

More directed study of biographical historians

How can archives better serve the biographer’s need for primary source material?

Biographers

Dalton & Charnigo (2004)

A study of historians that analyzes:

andexamines the use of electronic

materials.

“…which materials historians consider to be the most important and how they discover them.” (p.400)

BiographersDalton, M. S., & Charnigo, L. (2004). Historians and their information sources. College & Research Libraries, 65(5), 400-25.

Dalton & Charnigo (2004)

When historians were asked to name their most important primary and

secondary sources a few stood out:

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Top Primary Sources:1.Archives2.Manuscripts3.Books4.Newspapers

Top Secondary Sources:1.Books2.Journal Articles3.Dissertations4.Websites

Seven of the historians surveyed listed websites as an important primary source!

Dalton & Charnigo (2004)

They also assert that historians are lone wolves.

Why?

Because they rarely co-author publications…

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Dalton & Charnigo (2004)

What needs to be done?

Are historians really anti-social?

With such a wide range of desired materials,

how can librarians and archivists provide for them?

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Historian / Biographer

Miller (2005) doesn’t view their methods as notably different

Lee (2009) suggests that the methods of popular

biographers are much more akin to investigative journalism.

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Lee, H. (2009). Biography: A very short introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Miller, R. (2005). Biographical research methods. London: Sage.

Identifying key concepts

Technology Use

Import of Personal Contacts

Use of Archival Collections

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Is there a methodological divide?

Our Study

Methodology• IRB•Surveys with Survey Monkey

•Getting the survey to reflect the research question •paring it down to 10-15 minutes•striking a balance between open ended and "option-selecting" questions. •Allowing the possibility for future contact

•Interviews•Creating questions that complement and parallel the survey.•Future Suggestion: Group Interview

•Coding of participants•Record Keeping with recorder and with transcriptions •Modifying Questions to fit group context

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Data Collection

• Pilot• Invitation letter– Identity, Incentive, Confidentiality

• Contacting participants: Methods:– List-serves– Facebook– Direct Emails– Personal Acquaintances– Journals of Biography– Societies of Biography

• Survey Monkey Automatic Collection• Telephone Interview transcription

Survey Results

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In addition to the 85 % who plan to publish in book form,

there are also several different modes used by a 1/7 minority,

such as journal articles, theses, instruction, and even

websites.

Goal of Research

Academics

Size of circles relate number of responses to number of respondents

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Survey Results

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Conversely, popular biographers think primarily of book publication,

with a small percentage (28%) aiming to publish in

magazines.

The overall majority of book publication

is significant.

Goal of Research

Popular

Size of circles relate number of responses to number of respondents

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Survey Results

Surprise! Scholars like to talk with one another!

Survey Results

3 respondents added comments emphasizing the importance of interviews

Interview Analysis• Development of looser question approach • “Inner voice” of subject : The search modes• Diversity in Academic publication formats • Existing publications vs. primary sources• Searching before and after internet: a history• “Internal” vs. External resources • Problems: Archival, digitial and human failure

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Interview Models: “Wider and wider concentric circles of searching” and “Putting out the fishing

line and seeing what you get—where does that lead you next?”

Limitations

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Practical Implications

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Biographers need most...

• a strong personal network• a reliable Internet connection • unlimited time, money and

access. 

Some Quick Demographics 

57% female

(8 respondents)

43% male

(6 respondents)

average age: 52youngest: 27

oldest: 75

Tech Habits:

• 42% check e-mail "constantly," or 16+ times per day

• 14% (2 respondents) check e-mail 3 times or less per day. 

Most have been writing professionally:

• mean=14 years• mode=10 years

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Conclusions

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Motivated to PUBLISH! 

Goals of Research(combined)

Publication (book) (58%)Publication (periodical) (15%)Instruction (11%)Thesis/Dissertation (11%)Personal Website (5%)

Future WorkBiographers outside the conventional realm

of written histories may benefit most

from new research regarding their habits. These include:

• children's nonfiction writers• documentary filmmakers 

• students

Reliability and Usability of:

• personal sources• Internet information Biographers

Questions?