Second Life Librarians.doc

‘Second Life Librarians’: a study of the everyday life
information seeking behaviours of information professionals
within an online social network.
Paula Barbato
A dissertation submitted to the University of Wales in partial fulfilment of the
requirements for the degree of Magister in Scientia Economica (MSc) under
Alternative Regulations.
Department of Information Studies
University of Wales
Aberystwyth
September
2010

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Abstract
This study investigates the concept of Reijo Savolainen’s everyday life seeking information behaviours
(ELIS), introduced in the mid-nineties to describe the way in which individuals’ information needs are
met within a non-work context. Alongside the study of ELIS, information grounds are also explored as
they highlight social settings where the seeking of information takes place. The purpose of the research
is to determine to what extent ELIS studies tell us about the different types of information professionals
that exist within an online social network called Second Life Librarians. The study, in particular,
considers whether or not information professionals conform to type when interacting online; if members
talk solely about issues relating to Second Life and whether the extent of information flow, which passes
from one online social network to another, can be measured. A combination of qualitative research
methods are used such as the collection of ethnographic data to observe online interaction between
members and snowball sampling to gather information rich case members. To further support the use of
online observation, asynchronous interviews are also distributed to individual members within Second
Life Librarians. Results from the study show that members are predominantly from the United States
and Canada and are employed in senior positions within the information profession. Female members
outweigh male members and only a small minority of members interact with each other within the
discussion forum. Conversation online is mostly restricted to Second Life but findings from the
asynchronous interviews also reveal that members socialise outside Second Life Librarians. URL links
to personal and professional websites of individual members’ profiles also show the extent of
information flow that passes between social networks. Further research needs to be made over a longer
period in order to ascertain the extent of interaction between members who may be communicating with
each other via private email. In order to do this, a higher response rate of respondents to the
asynchronous interviews is required.
13,380 words

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Acknowledgments
I would like to express my appreciation to the respondents who kindly gave up their
time to contribute to the study.
I would like to thank my family and friends for all their support.
This study is dedicated to the memory of my grandmother Stella Toscano.

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DECLARATION
This work has not previously been accepted in substance for any degree and is not
being concurrently submitted in candidature for any degree.
Signed ................................................................ (candidate)
Date ....................................................................
STATEMENT 1
This work is the result of my own investigations, except where otherwise stated.
Where correction services have been used, the extent and nature of the correction is
clearly marked in a footnote(s).
Other sources are acknowledged by footnotes and/or an appropriate citation method
giving explicit references. A bibliography is appended.
Date ....................................................................
STATEMENT 2
I hereby give consent for my work, if accepted, to be available for photocopying and
for inter-library loan, and for the title and summary to be made available to outside
organisations.
Date ....................................................................

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CONTENTS
Page No.
Abstract..................................................................................................................... 2
Acknowledgments.................................................................................................... 3
Declaration………………………………………………………………………… 4
Chapter 1 – Information Seeking........................................................................... 7
Chapter 2 – A ‘Way of Life’
2.1 Introduction.............................................................................................. 14
2.2 ELIS studies on the Internet..................................................................... 16
2.3 The Digital Divide................................................................................... 19
Chapter 3 - Methodology
3.1 Introduction.............................................................................................. 23
3.2 Population and Sampling......................................................................... 23
3.3 Data Collection........................................................................................ 25
3.4 Ethnographic Research............................................................................ 26
3.5 Asynchronous Interviews........................................................................ 27
3.6 NVivo...................................................................................................... 28
3.6.1 Case Studies............................................................................ 28
3.6.2 Queries..................................................................................... 29
Chapter 4 – Results and Analysis
4.1 Introduction.............................................................................................. 31
4.2 Online observation................................................................................... 33
4.2.1 Discussion Forum..................................................................... 33
4.2.2 Case Studies.............................................................................. 37
4.3 Interviews................................................................................................. 42
4.3.1 Asynchronous interviews.......................................................... 43
4.4 Other Information sources........................................................................47
Chapter 5 – Summary and Conclusions................................................................ 49
Bibliography............................................................................................................. 53
Works Consulted...................................................................................................... 56

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Appendices
Appendix 1 – Letter of introduction.......................................................................... 58
Appendix 2 – Online consent statement and asynchronous interview question........ 59
Appendix 3 - Letter of introduction posted within the general Discussion
Forum with online consent statements and asynchronous
interview questions............................................................................ 62
List of illustrations
Bar Chart 1 – Information given within the discussion forum…………………….. 33
Bar Chart 2 – Requests for information within the discussion forum……………... 34
Bar Chart 3 - Information received within the discussion forum………………….. 35
Pie Chart 1 – Occupation of members: cases by attribute value…………………... 37
Pie Chart 2 – Country of origin: cases by attribute value…………………………. .38
Pie Chart 3 – Gender of members: cases by attribute value……………………….. 39
Pie Chart 4 – Friends of members: cases by attribute value ………………………. 40
Pie Chart 5 - URL link to professional and social network site:
cases by attribute value ……………………………………………... 41

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Chapter 1: Information Seeking
My main area of research stems from Reijo Savolainen’s studies of how people look
for information in the context of everyday life. Savolainen’s Everyday Life
Information Seeking studies (ELIS) are a concept that was introduced in the mid-
nineties. ELIS studies focus on the way in which people actively seek out information
they require in their everyday life. Savolainen (1995) broadly defines the concept of
ELIS as “…the acquisition of various informational elements which people employ in
daily life or to solve problems not directly connected with the performance of
occupational tasks” (p.267). ELIS studies concentrate on the way in which individuals
seek and acquire information, looking particularly at why certain individuals may
choose to opt for an information source over another. As Savolainen (1995) states,
“The ways in which individuals seek information to solve specific problems are
determined by values, attitudes and interests characteristic of their way of life” (p.267).
It is through these values, attitudes and interests that ELIS receives its meaning.
Alongside the study of ELIS, I will also explore the concept of an information ground
where the seeking of information takes place. It was during the late 1990’s that Fisher
et al (2005) proposed the term “...‘information grounds’ to describe social settings in
which people share everyday information while attending to a focal activity” (p.1).
From a previous study of attendees at a foot clinic, Fisher et al identify several key
concepts when considering the term ‘information grounds’:
 Information grounds can occur anywhere;
 People gather at information grounds for a primary purpose other than
information sharing;
 Information grounds are attended by different social types who all play
different roles when it comes to looking at how the flow of information is
contributed and distributed;
 Social interaction is a primary activity of information grounds such that
information flow is a by-product;
 People engage in formal and informal information sharing, and information
flow occurs in different directions;

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 People use information obtained at information grounds in alternative ways.
(p.2)
To date, there have been many case studies, which have concentrated on the everyday
life information seeking behaviours of groups of people in various work-related
studies. However, more recently Savolainen (2008) has put forward the following
view, “The construction of information grounds is particularly relevant for the study of
information sharing, since these grounds stand for the everyday contexts for this
activity” (p.187). An information ground can also be one where an individual’s
everyday habits and rituals, such as going to the supermarket each morning, allow for
the serendipitous discovery of information. Fisher et al (2005) proposed that “...
information grounds might occur in such settings as barber shops, playgrounds and bus
stops” (p.2).
Studies on information grounds are diverse and have been carried out in a variety of
diverse places. One study in particular, by Pettigrew et al (2002), examines “...how the
public use networked community information systems and the Internet for daily
problem solving” (p.894). The study is one where both a physical and online
information ground is being used, as members of the public enter into a physical
information ground, such as the public library, and then proceed to seek out
information within an online information ground, such as the Internet. In this respect,
the members of the public have access to two information sources; the trained library
staff and the Internet. Fisher et al (2005) contend that “...information grounds hold
likely regional and global impact in that they occur across all levels of all societies
especially as people create and utilise information grounds as they perform tasks in the
course of their daily life” (p.1).
Soo Young Rieh’s study (2004) explores the everyday life information seeking
behaviour of individuals within the home. He purports that the “...home not only
provided an information use environment but also offered the most conventional
context of everyday life information seeking (ELIS)”. He also identifies how people
searching for information within the home is one of many “...contextual entities
interplaying with other social, cultural, situational, and individual factors that variously
constrain and motivate information seeking” (p.751). The study, which Rieh

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undertook, has contributed greatly to research areas into the situation and context of
information seeking ELIS behaviour and the use of the Internet at home. Rieh has
managed to study all of the above components and has established that the information
ground, in this case the home environment, is an important part of ELIS studies. His
study stands out as it is the only one of its kind which has looked at groups of family
members as a whole compared “...thus far, to other ELIS studies, which have focused
on individual users’ information seeking and especially on information channels and
access issues” (p.752).
My main area of research will, therefore, focus on the everyday life seeking
information behaviour between groups of people that work within the information
profession within an online information ground, which in this instance is a social
networking site. Few studies have been carried out on the everyday user needs of
information professionals that comprise mainly of individuals in information and
library related jobs. Kazmer (2005) highlights the fact that, “Some research
systematically examines information seeking behaviours of librarians on the job and
some research looks at librarians seeking work-related information” (p.1). It was only
during the late nineties that research was carried out on the information seeking
behaviours of librarians’ activities on the Internet.
Harry Bruce, in his book The User’s View of the Internet (2002), states unequivocally
that that the Internet has, in fact, transformed librarianship and libraries. There are a
number of factors as to why library professionals feel the need to use the Internet. As
stated by Bruce, “Knowledge about the Internet may be the single most important
factor affecting Internet use by librarians” (p.90). Librarians that work within the
educational sector have an advantage over other professions where the Internet is seen
as an integral part in the delivery of service provision. This allows for continuous
professional staff development which is vital to ensure that all librarians meet users’
expectations. The Internet is therefore an integral part of their professional working life
Librarians see the Internet as a vehicle for facilitating their professional network.
They seek professional affiliation and affirmation through their communication
behaviours on the Internet. Opportunities for personal growth through electronic
social networking are second only to sharing information as the major benefit that
librarians see deriving from their Internet use. (Bruce, 2002, pp. 91-92)

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Bruce confines the role of the librarian to one of primarily using the Internet for job-
related tasks only. According to Bruce, social networking only comes second to
supporting and sharing information for library users. He does not differentiate
between work and non-work related tasks carried out online but implies that when it
comes to social networking, the librarian’s sole concern is to benefit the needs of
others.
This paper, therefore, sets out to describe a study of the everyday life information
seeking behaviours of information professionals within an online social network called
Second Life Librarians. The central aim is to explore to what extent ELIS tells us
about the different types of Information professionals who are on an online social
network. Researching the information needs of information professionals within a
social networking website is something which has never been carried out before.
Kazmer (2005) asks the questions: “What do librarians do when they need information
for themselves, in particular when it is unrelated to their professional activities? How
do librarians interact with information when they are ‘off duty’?” (p.1). In the past,
studies have concentrated on researching this particular group of people within a
professional capacity, looking specifically at how they help and support academic and
students’ information needs. A novel concept, therefore, would be to look at how a
group of people who are very proficient when carrying out information needs for
others can be as equally as successful when looking for information for their own
purposes.
The following objectives will be used to help identify the different types of
information professionals within an online social network.
 Do information professionals conform to type when interacting with other
members within the social network?
 Are members’ everyday information needs restricted to the topic of Second
Life within Second Life Librarians?
 How do information professionals in an online information ground contribute
to and enable information flow?

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The study of the above objectives is important in elaborating the construct of
information grounds, not merely as physical places but also as temporarily sensitive,
virtual and social spaces that enable information encountering, seeking, and sharing.
Fisher & Naumer (2005) state that people gather in information grounds to “...follow
habitual patterns in seeking information and that information grounds may be an
important aspect to people’s information seeking habits” (p.106). Particular
characteristics of an information ground will determine whether someone will keep
attending the same information ground. Individuals may feel comfortable around a
small ground where they know other individuals and feel safe regardless of whether
they do not necessarily speak to anyone else there.
Prior information may have been given to an individual whilst attending an
information ground and as a result, a person will habitually frequent the same place
regardless of other information grounds. Individuals within information grounds, in
this respect, may follow the same characteristics when it comes to seeking out
information on the Internet. The only variation is that the concept of information flow
is more accessible. People can enter and leave different social networks and interact
with a variety of people within a matter of a few minutes. “The better we understand
where information grounds are situated the better we can design ways of facilitating
information flow therein” (Fisher & Naumer, 2005, p.106).
Assistant Professor Michelle Kazmer (2000) suggests that “Rather than examining
information professionals activities at work, or focusing on their information seeking
behaviours in specific arenas, proposes a holistic examination of the everyday life
information behaviours of librarians” (p.1). Therefore, this study proposes to examine
how information professionals actively seek out information for themselves within an
online social network. Social networking enables the information professional to go
online to share and seek out ideas with like-minded individuals.
Users can create accounts with the library network, see what other users have in
common to their information needs, recommend resources to one another, and the
network recommends resources to users, based on similar profiles, demographics,
previously accessed sources, and a host of data that users provide.
(Maness, 2006, p.8)

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The online platform which I have chosen in order to address my research question and
relevant objectives is Ning, an online platform that was first set up in 2005 and, as
described in Wikipedia, one which “...appeals to people who want to create their own
social networks around specific interests with their own visual design, choice of
features and member data” (p.1). The Ning social network that I have chosen to study
is called Second Life Librarians. Some social network sites such as Ning connect
people because of a common interest or specific interest. In this case individuals are
mainly interested in discussing Second Life, a virtual environment that allows
individuals to create their own avatar and carry out a variety of activities that could
otherwise be carried out in real life, such as shopping, eating out and meeting up with
friends.
What makes social networks unique are the patterns of interaction that take place
between members who have the “...potential to fundamentally change the character of
our social lives” (Ellison et al, 2009, p.6). Ellison comments that strangers who may
not interact with each other in everyday life are able to connect online as a result of
information given within individual profiles which allow members within that social
network to “...lower the barriers to social interaction and therefore enable connections
between individuals that might not otherwise take place. People also come together
for a common interest or a concern but differ on other dimensions”.
Online interactions between strangers therefore “...have the potential to have positive
effects on society at large because they encourage disparate individuals to connect,
communicate, and take action” (Ellison et al, 2009, p.6). Social networks, such as
Second Life Librarians, exist to bring information professionals together by sharing a
common interest. However, is this interest in Second Life enough to sustain and create
long term friendship and interaction between members who may not otherwise
communicate in their everyday lives?
This introduction highlights the main components that form the basis of the study.
Information grounds play an integral part of the research as they exist in order for
individuals to actively seek out information. The basic functionalities of various
information grounds are considered in conjunction with ELIS studies.

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Information professionals are the main group of individuals whom have been selected
with the focus on their information seeking behaviours within a social networking site.
Chapter two explores the past and present ELIS studies and considers the different
ways in which individuals search for information on the Internet.

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Chapter 2: A ‘Way of Life’
2.1: Introduction
The purpose of this review is to examine recent studies carried out within online
information grounds. Reijo Savolainen’s concept of ELIS studies is a relatively new
area of research, first introduced in the mid-nineties, that concentrates on non-work
information seeking. Early ELIS studies focus on the information needs of individuals
within the health and leisure industry set within a physical information ground such as
a doctor’s surgery or a community centre. Recent studies, however, have explored in
more detail the idea of information seeking on the Internet. Savolainen’s studies
throughout the mid-nineties explored individuals’ information needs and highlighted
the emergence of the Internet as an information source alongside the more traditional
means of information sources such as newspapers, books, television and friends.
The literature surrounding ELIS studies and online information grounds is very
specific and, therefore, there is a great deal of research available. The literature
researched consists of scholarly journals on ELIS studies and online reports that
explore how the Internet has slowly integrated into the everyday lives of people. This
literature review traces ELIS studies back to non-work information seeking from the
early seventies and eighties when it was first introduced in the United States. This
chapter also gives a picture of the phenomenon of the Internet as an online information
ground and considers the “...integration of the Internet into our daily lives and how
even in this short period, Internet experience and time online changes behaviour”
(Wellman & Haythornwaite, 2005, p.31).
Examples of how the Internet as a potential information source has slowly integrated
into the everyday life of people have been reviewed through a series of past and
present studies. Reijo Savolainen’s (1995) empirical study examined the extent of
how social and cultural influences affect two groups of people with distinct social class
backgrounds. Salovainen and Kari (20004) undertook a similar empirical study that
focused on Information seeking on the Internet. Wilson (1983) put forward the view
that the construct of ‘cognitive worlds’ affects the way individuals are socially
conditioned to automatically retrieve information from specific information sources

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which they perceive, according to the environment they live in, to be knowledgeable
and reliable sources of information.
The ‘Digital Divide’, when considering Internet use, has also been addressed within
this review as the meaning has a different significance for various types of users.
Wyatt et al (2000) stated that, “...collecting and interpreting data about Internet use is
not straightforward. Defining a host, ascertaining its location, identifying users and
their demographic characteristics are all fraught with difficulty” (p.27). They not
only hold the opinion that it is necessary to highlight access issues and barriers to
information that individuals may encounter when being online but to also recognise
that, “...the divide is not one line splitting people into two distinct groups.
Marginalized community members, whether marginalized by income, gender, race or
sexual orientation, have different needs with respect to the Internet” (p.16).
The widespread use of the Internet in various different settings has highlighted
significant changes and has attempted to look at individuals’ online activities to
discover who is online and more importantly, what they are doing online. The
breakdown of online activities deserves attention because it is important to pinpoint
and establish the different types of individuals that are online and what their everyday
life seeking information needs are. “At present, we are see all types of use; time spent
online, and connectivity to others all increase with the amount of time people have had
access to and used Internet applications” (Wellman & Haythornwaite, 2005, p.31).
Restricted access in many countries where political content is heavily censored is
another factor that needs to be taken into consideration when looking at the global
demographics of Internet use. Many people have access to the Internet but are
restricted in what they can and cannot do online, especially in countries where political
regimes may even resort to barring total control over Internet-connected computers
such as in North Korea. The ‘Digital Divide’ not only encompasses issues such as
Internet service provision but also is a “...matter of who is going to be using the
Internet, for what purposes, under what circumstances, and how this use affects social
and economic activities” (Wellman & Haythornwaite, 2005, p.78).

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2.2: ELIS studies on the Internet
During the 1970’s the first ever studies of non-work information seeking were
conducted in the United States. Numerous studies were undertaken to investigate
users’ information needs both within the context of the workplace and in their
everyday lives. Wilson, in his book Second-Hand Knowledge, discusses work and non-
work related ways of information seeking and how, at times, these distinctions can
sometimes blur as there is always confusion as to when work and leisure time begins
and ends. Wilson (1983) states, particularly in the case of professionals and managers,
that, “...it is difficult to say when work time stops and elective times start; most of
one’s activities are related in some way to one’s work” (p.141). Chen and Hernon
(1982) also define “...information needs arising in all aspects of everyday life: the
home, the office, in relations with family and friends, out of idle curiosity, or as a
requirement of work” (p.5).
Reijo Savolainen’s study in the mid-nineties of information seeking in the context of a
way of life (ELIS) was carried out primarily to establish and elaborate on social and
cultural factors that drive people to opt for one information source over another.
Savolainen (1995) hypothesises that even though “...individuals select and use various
information sources in their everyday life, the source preferences and use preferences
are ultimately socially conditioned” (p.143). For example, the way in which
individuals actively seek out information depends, largely, on the environment in
which they live. Wilson (1983) argues that, “Wide knowledge of interest in world
events and world politics is not expected and not particularly admired by a majority of
working-class people but is respected by the upper classes”. He continues to suggest
that, “...to be well informed is a virtue among all the classes, but what constitutes being
well informed varies with social location” (p.149). Another important factor appears
to be how and why the individual chooses specific information sources over others and
whether or not they are successful in their information seeking ventures. Wilson
describes individuals who live in ‘cognitive worlds’ where their information needs
vary according to their information world constructs.
The study involved carrying out theme interviews “...comparing two groups whose
way of life were assumed to differ markedly based on social class” (p.269). Eleven
teachers and eleven industrial workers where chosen to talk about their preferred

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means of accessing information via multiple sources such as TV, printed journals, etc.
The individuals were also asked about the different types of information sought. The
study revealed that both social classes had in common the amount of time spent
watching television and activities outside the workplace involving physical exercise.
However, there were distinct differences in regards to the nature of hobbies that each
social class pursued, in that teachers tended to spend more on consumer purchases
such as books, magazines, and newspapers. Later studies undertaken by Savolainen
would place much less emphasis on the traditional information sources which were
still very prevalent during the mid-nineties to concentrate primarily on ELIS studies on
the Internet.
A continuation of the research project discussed above was carried out a year later by
Savolainen (1996), which, “attempts to analyse how citizens utilise electronic
networks, for non-work purposes” (p.356). Research methodologies employed
consisted of “...keeping in contact with others, monitoring daily events and seeking
information for everyday problems not directly associated with work” (p.357).
However, Savolainen emphasises that non-work and work related tasks should not
necessarily be seen as separate entities as both processes, to a certain extent,
compliment each other. His study of non-work use on the Internet involved carrying
out a nationwide questionnaire followed by interviewing twenty-three people, both
male and female between the ages of 17-62 years. The interviews lasted about two
hours where the main themes dealt with the motives of starting network use, current
patterns of service utilization in job-related and non-work contexts, major problems of
use and the place of network services among the media concerning the future role of
the internet in society. Results from the study were reminiscent of future studies in
regards to popular activities where the Internet and e-mail are placed as the most
popular information source for non-work use. Savolainen’s (1996) research findings
concluded that, “Even though the Internet is growing all the time, only a minor part of
citizens, predominantly belonging to the group of ‘early adopters’ are using it” (p.367).
It is also these ‘early adopters’ that have embraced the “Internet as a part of their
everyday life: the enchantment which was associated with the networked services a
couple of years ago seems to be fading out as it is seen as an everyday tool of
communication and information” (p.367).

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Since 2000, Savolainen has concentrated on broader issues relating to the ways in
which people look for information in the context of everyday life. He introduced the
concept of Social Phenomenology which “...also helps us to understand people’s
habitual activities and routines that are central to the constitution of everyday
practices” (2008, p.5). He recognises that the researcher may encounter problems
when studying everyday practices by either showing the everyday life practices of
people to too simplistic or too complex.
This approach means belaboring the obvious and describing just the surface of
everyday phenomena as they appear to the researcher when collecting details of
what people do in their everyday lives, on the other hand, there is also a risk of
imbuing mundane practices with inappropriate complexity and/or significance.
(Savolainen, 2008, p.5)
Savolainen emphasises the fact that we should not simply look at what individuals’
information seeking behaviours are, but rather discover how to employ the appropriate
research methodologies in order to successfully “...find out the ways in which people
who accomplish everyday information practices construct them as meaningful” (p.5).
The idea behind social phenomenology is to determine if the Internet has surpassed
other more traditional means of information sources such as television and books.
Studies, which were carried out by Savolainen in the mid-nineties strove to understand
the reasoning behind why individuals choose particular information sources over
others. “Social phenomenology provides an appropriate methodological perspective
that respects the individual viewpoint, that is, the ways in which the individual posits
his or her preferences of seeking, using, and sharing information” (p.5).
Savolainen and Kari (2004) carried out an empirical study which drew on eighteen
semi-structured themed interviews carried out in Tampere between 2001 and 2002.
They considered how the study of ELIS could also be explored when looking at how
people search for information on the Internet. Savolainen (2008) stated that,
The question of how people prioritise information sources was perceived to be
central as there were a growing number of sources and channels competing for the
attention in the everyday world. In the analysis of source preferences, accessibility
and quality were seen as relevant criteria (p.87).

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Savolainen and Kari’s (2004) study focused on two groups of people; environmental
activists and the unemployed. They were asked “...to specify the reasons for the
source preferences, more specifically, the criteria by which diverse sources and
channels were preferred or seen as peripheral in seeking information” (p.88). The
study revealed that the most preferred information sources were printed media
(newspapers) and broadcast media (television) followed by the Internet and lastly
human sources. Between the two groups, there were slight variations between the
different types of information sources being consulted, with environmental activists
choosing information sources such as printed media and networked sources while the
unemployed preferring broadcast and printed media.
Although the study produced a small sample it would appear that, “...levels of
education and income are major factors ...where environmental activists had ...better
economic resources to subscribe to newspapers and network connections to the home,
while the unemployed could primarily afford television and radio” (p.112). The study
went on to highlight the popularity of the Internet as a routinely used information
source. The main goal of the study was to achieve a more detailed picture of how
people position the Internet as an information source compared to other information
channels such as the television, and newspapers. The study also gives an indication of
the ways in which Internet users prioritise information sources in everyday contexts.
Savolainen and Kari (2004) highlight the need for further research in the field of
“...‘Information source phenomenology’ to obtain a more elaborate picture of the ways
in which people perceive their information environments and how they select sources
and channels as a constitutive part of the practice of everyday life information seeking”
(p. 432)
2.3: The Digital Divide
It is important to examine how the increasing presence and importance of the
Internet in the everyday lives of those with access separates others from the ongoing
social, economic, and commercial activity the Internet supports and creates or
perpetuates social divide.
(Haythornwaite, 2001, p.365)

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Internet studies have in one way or another attempted to seek out the different kinds of
online populations and the way in which these people strive to interact with each other
in any one social network. Haythornwaite (2001), in her article Introduction: the
Internet in Everyday Life, seeks to find out “...who is online, who is coming online,
and who has not yet come online, and what these studies tell us what they are doing
online” (p.365). One of the largest and most significant differences in access and use
are related to years of experience. Those individuals with the least trouble in ease of
access to the Internet were prone to spending longer hours online each day. Katz et al’s
(2001) study on Internet usage found that, taken as a whole, access in terms of
“...gender, age, household income, education and race, is shrinking but that ...there is
still a long way to go before the digital divide disappears” (p. 415). Whereas Nie and
Exbring’s (2000) study “...confirmed the findings of previous studies in that those
without access are above all, less educated, and, to a lesser extent, more likely to be
African, Americans or Hispanics” (p.24).
Haythornthwaite (2001) suggests that, “...as statistics on access show a shrinking
digital divide, usage differences become more important for understanding overall
Internet activity” (p.367). The article by Howard et el (2001) discusses the outcomes
from surveys which were carried out by The Pew Internet and American Life Project
in 2000 whereby “...there has been a sharp increase of access to the Internet among
those with less than college education, those from households with middle and
working-class and especially among African Americans and Hispanics” (p384). They
contend that,
...the next wave of those getting access to the Internet will contain proportionally
more minorities, more of those with lower income, and more of those with lesser
education. The remaining demographic gaps in access will be defined by income
differences and age differences – the poor, especially in rural areas; will continue to
lag behind others in getting access, as will the elderly (p.384).
While Haythornwaite cites in her article Introduction: the Internet in Everyday Life
(2001) that according to the UCLA Community Policy Report (2000) it is contended
that, “...although access as a single measure suggests greater numbers of younger
people online, older users are online for more hours”(p.367).

21
Meanwhile Anderson and Tracy’s study (2001) points to the different types of Internet
activities, which particular users gravitate towards. Younger users, for example, tend to
spend more time on the web while older users, aged 55 years plus, spend more time
using e-mail. “People are not simply Internet users. Different kinds of people make
differing uses of the range of applications and services that the Internet supports for
differing reasons” (p.462). While Nie and Erbring (2000) state that, “...once people
have access to the Internet, there are similarities rather than differences in terms of
how much they use it and the activities they use it for” (p.24).
In the context of ELIS studies, users carry out a multitude of Internet activities, which
may, to some extent, shed some light on the different types of people who use the
Internet, characterised by factors such as age, gender and education. Katz et al (2001)
state that the biggest change in Internet access over time is observed in the previously
under-represented groups such as women over forty, lower income earners, and non-
college graduates.
In a report carried out by the UCLA Centre for Community Policy (2000) the top ten
most popular Internet activities were: web browsing (at 81.7 per cent); followed
closely by email (at 81.6 per cent). Other activities listed were: finding medical
information (at 45.8 per cent) and playing online computer games (at 33.0 per cent).
Although the study revealed the ten most popular Internet activities most commonly
carried out by users, it is still difficult to decipher whether 81.7 per cent of people who
browse the Internet are young, old, working or middle class, male or female. Nie and
Exbring (2000) also carried out a study in which they identified what users do on the
Internet. Again, email usage and general information browsing were cited as being the
most popular Internet activities.
In Katz and Aspen’s, article entitled A Nation of Strangers (1997) online activities are
not the main area of focus so much as “Internet skills, which appear to be the most
important determinant of friendship formation, eclipsing personality characteristics
such as sociability, extroversion, and a willingness to take risks” (p.85). Katz and
Aspen also identify the number of friendships formed online. Long-time users of the
Internet have a higher number of friends compared to those who spend irregular times
online. There is also an estimated “...two million new face-to-face meetings, which

22
have taken place due to participation on the Internet” (p.86). Katz and Apen, however
fail to mention why particular individuals spend irregular times online. One
explanation for why individuals may be spending less time online might have
something to do with an inability to work out how to use the Internet efficiently. Reijo
Savolainen (2002) recognises the need to bridge the gap between the information rich
and the information poor by improving and developing existing Internet skills.
The networked information environment epitomised by the Internet places new
demands on people’s competences in everyday information seeking with concerns
about the “digital divide” between information rich and information poor has led to
new questions about developing citizens’ competences in the information society
(p.211).
Evidence from the literature review suggests that the ‘Digital Divide’ is shrinking.
There is certainly an assumption that the Internet is accessible to virtually everyone.
Wellman & Haythornwaite (2005), however, state the opposite where
...most Internet content targets well-off, well-educated, English speaking users. An
estimated 78% percent of all websites are in the English language, even though just
over 50% of Internet users are native English speakers, and only 10% of the world
population speak English as a first language (p.79).
Studies undertaken within the literature review give an overall picture of how the
Internet has slowly emerged into the everyday lives of individuals and how particular
groups of people prefer certain online activities over others. In chapter three of this
study, research methodologies undertaken will be discussed and analysed for
appropriateness of use when looking at ELIS studies within a social network.

23
Chapter 3: Methodology
3.1: Introduction
On reviewing the literature, it became apparent that in order to answer my research
question and relevant objectives, an appropriate methodology was required; a
methodology that allowed for some flexibility when looking at the everyday life
seeking behaviours and habits of information professionals within a social network.
The best way to do this was by means of observing a group of individuals who had all
been brought together by a common interest. The most appropriate research
methodology was to use an online ethnographic research approach which “...may
extend for up to a period of days, weeks, or even months” (Berg, 2009, p.227).
Online ethnographic research is also a convenient way of studying the everyday life
information seeking needs of individuals as research can be carried out at any time.
This is especially beneficial for observing online communities where members come
from different demographics and various lifestyles.
Pickard (2007) states that ethnography as “...social science research has increasingly
adopted this method, which focuses on interpretations of behaviour or specific events
in the everyday lives of individuals” (p.111). He goes on to state that in terms of
looking at human behaviour ethnographic research is also relevant because “...the
primary data collection technique is participant observation” and that ethnography is
“...concerned with people and their everyday lives” (p.117). To support the analysis of
participant observation online, semi-structured asynchronous interviews have also been
carried out which will allow for a more in-depth look at gaining an insight into whom
and why these information professionals are online and how actively involved they are
with other members within the social network.
3.2: Population and Sampling
The research population targeted consisted of three hundred and eighty six members
within Second Life Librarians, being the total membership size at the time the data was
collected. However, the sample size collected was two hundred. This number was
arrived at by dividing the total membership, one hundred and ninety three members,
and then rounding it up to make two hundred members in total. Snowball sampling

24
was carried out because this particular method allows for a certain amount of
flexibility over other research methods. For instance, probability, random or quota
sampling requires the researcher to set out conditions from the onset of the study
whereas snowball sampling allows the researcher to observe and collect samples as
theories start to emerge.
Snowball sampling is a technique that is most commonly used to identify a
hypothetical approach. The first and original method of this type of snowball
sampling is to make initial contact with key informants who, in turn, point to
information rich cases.
(Pickard, 2007, p.65)
This process was achieved as and when initial contact with members was made
through the distribution of asynchronous interviews.
Packard points to another component to snowball sampling consisting of “...identifying
an initial participant who through the process of interview and observation, will point
out several characteristics and issues that need further enquiry. These characteristics
form the criteria used to identify subsequent cases in order to provide a suitable
sample” (p.65). Alan Bryman in his book Social Research Methods highlights the
potential drawback when using snowball sampling as a quantitative research method
but overall states that it is
...unlikely that the sample will be representative of the whole population but that on
the whole the very notion of a population may be problematic in some
circumstances. Concerns about validity and the ability to generalize do not loom as
large within a qualitative research strategy as they do in a quantitative one.
(Bryman, 2001, p.99)
Hogan (2008) also discusses the use of whole populations as being too problematic
and that when using snowball sampling as a research tool, it would not be
representative of the whole population but as part of a partial network.
Partial networks are essentially the application of snowball sampling to relational
data. These networks represent a compromise between the desire to capture a single,
large network and the fact that some networks are too massive to interpret
meaningfully. (Hogan, 2008, p.145)

25
Within the Sage Handbook of Online Social Research Methods (2008), Rothenberg
puts forward his reservations about snowball sampling in social network analysis
stipulating that, “The absence of a probability sample, the statistical superstructure
collapses and in principle, desired statistical properties are not available to the
investigator”. However, he contends that snowball sampling “...does not inhibit
descriptive analysis and inferences from this sample” (p.145).
Therefore snowball sampling is perhaps more appropriate when considering carrying
out qualitative research as it allows “...the researcher to focus upon or reflect
relationships between people, tracing connections through snowballing sampling may
be a better approach than conventional probability sampling” (Bryman: 2001, p.99).
3.3: Data Collection
Communication was established between members by sending a private email to their
private inbox and providing them with a brief summary of what the research project
entailed (see Appendix 1). Once members had agreed to participate in the study,
another email would then be generated with an online statement consent form and the
interview questions (see Appendix 2). After the initial contacts were made, I then
proceeded to branch out by emailing a diverse group of members, based on factors
considered fundamental to my research question. Factors such as demographics,
gender, occupation, and individual profiles that were considered to being information
rich were chosen as an initial starting point. Once the number of friend requests,
which stood at one hundred, had been exceeded, further contact with members was
made by posting a brief summary of the research project with an online consent
statement form and the interview questions within the general discussion forum (see
Appendix 3). Twenty-five members completed the online interviews and emailed back
the questions within a week. However, the whole process of emailing individuals was
quite time consuming and several attempts were made to remind particular members
about the interview questions that they had promised to fill out.

26
3.4: Ethnographic Research
In Mapping Social Networks, Spatial Data, and Hidden Populations, Schensul et al
(1999) identify different approaches to studying social networks. One of the research
methods carried out is the study of full relational social networks which allow the
“...researcher to identify a naturally occurring social network and to explore key
relationships among between all members of the network” (p.6). The methodologies
employed are usually observation of groups of people as well as interviewing
techniques. The intention of the research is to identify any sort of “...reciprocal actions
that potentially take place between each member of the network and each other” (p.7.)
When interviewing members within any social network one can adopt a qualitative
approach to interviewing techniques by posing questions, which are usually open
ended or semi-structured thus allowing the interviewee a certain degree of flexibility in
their responses. Typical questions, which could be asked, can centre on the following
themes, which allow the researcher to explore how individuals relate with other
individuals within social networks:
 Explore the actual and potential connections between people in the network.
 Describe the primary sources of power, influence, and communication in a
network
 Find subgroups within the network
 Identify common or unusual social roles and positions in the networks
 Find bridges between networks and portions of networks
 Identify and compare the overall structure of one social network with others
(p.7).
In particular, online ethnographic research may answer these questions by looking at
“...information that can be gleamed from a variety of sources, including blogs, diaries,
digital photographs, stories, poems and informal interviews” (Berg, 2009, p.227).
Bearing in mind that when looking at online ethnographic research, the
...researcher can reach diverse populations all involved in similar types of groups
but in distinct locations across the country or globe unlike traditional ethnography
where the researcher is pretty much limited to the on-site location where he or she
gathers the data.
(Berg, 2009, pp.227-228)

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3.5: Asynchronous interviews
Pickard (2007) describes asynchronous or non real time interviewing as involving
“...the use of email and sometimes discussion threads within a designated area.
Questions are sent or posted into the designated space and respondents can add their
reply at any time” (p.179). O’Conner et al (2008) highlight the benefits of
asynchronous interviews:
1. Interviewees can answer the questions at their own convenience
2. There are no time restrictions (particularly useful when participants are located
in different time zones)
3. Lack of temporal restrictions (allowing the interviewer and interviewee to
spend time considering their questions and answers) (p. 273).
In Bruce Berg’s Qualitative Research Methods (2009), Bampton and Cowton describe
one of the major benefits of the email interview between the researcher and his
subjects as being one where they need not agree on a mutually convenient time in
order to meet up and where distance between researcher and subject, in this instance, is
irrelevant. The subject can complete the interview at their own pace which allows for
the “...communication having the dialogic or conversational characteristics of a good
interview” (p.126). Berg also cites Lindlof and Taylor who “...suggest that fatigue can
be a problem in lengthy interviews, and this too is eliminated in the e-interview”
(p.127).
Although there are many advantages to the asynchronous interview there are also some
drawbacks, as described by Berg (2009), including the
...loss of visual cues occurring between researcher and the subject as part of the
conversational flow of the interview and also lacking is the spontaneity of probing
and chasing down interesting topics that inadvertently arise in the course of the
interview (p.127).
Perhaps what is more important than any other factor, for the researcher to take into
consideration when carrying out qualitative research, is that “...interview subjects are
limited to those who have access to both a computer and a e-mail account, as well as to
those who are literate enough to express themselves in an e-mail format” (p.127).

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3.6: NVivo
NVivo is a software package, which supports qualitative analysis and allows one to
develop initial concepts at the start of any project. The software package include tools
for viewing and coding visual sources such as videos, sounds and text; it also provides
tools that allow the researcher to edit and annotate data records and write memos as
ideas are developed. NVivo also offers the possibility to gather basic information
about any aspect of an NVivo project, such as participants involved in the study,
including age, gender and type, by using cases and nodes which facilitate and help to
develop and highlight themes and patterns within the study. According to Pat Bazeley,
in her book Qualitative Data Analysis with NVivo (2007), she identifies five ways in
which NVivo supports analysis of qualitative data:
1. Manage data
2. Manage ideas
3. Query data
4. Graphically model
5. Report from the data
…Perhaps surprisingly, the tools described within NVivo are ‘method free’ insofar
as the software does not prescribe a method, but rather supports a wide range of
methodological approaches. Different tools will be selected or emphasized and used
in alternative ways for a variety of methodological purposes” (pp.2-3).
3.7: Case Studies
The social network site, Second Life Librarians, was chosen primarily because of the
diversity of information professionals that are present within this social network. As
part of this research into ELIS studies, information professionals have thus far proven
to be rather elusive when examining their everyday life information seeking habits.
The Internet, which was once considered to be “...a separate sphere of activity apart
from daily life, has now “become embedded in everyday life” (Hogan, 2008, p.155).
By observing a broad spectrum of different information professionals we can gage to
what extent, their everyday life seeking information behaviours overlap into their work
and daily life activities. The social network was chosen specifically because the
individuals concerned could be researched as a separate individual case and within
NVivo “Much of the structuring and management of data are focused in and around
the concept of a case” (Bazeley, 2007, p.41). Within Second Life Librarians a single

29
case refers to one individual member online, with a number of attributes having then
been created alongside these cases, which are as follows:
1. Blog posts
2. Country of origin
3. Discussions
4. Friends
5. Gender
6. Occupation
7. Profile picture
8. Real life name
9. Second Life name
10. URL link to further information
Within each case, attribute information can be inputted at any time, which can then be
viewed within a casebook in order to highlight and identify patterns and particular
relationships between participants within the network.
3.8: Queries
Querying data allows the researcher to
...ask simple or complex questions, and have the program retrieve from its database
all information relevant to determining an answer to those questions. Results of
queries are saved for further interrogation, and so querying or searching becomes
part of an ongoing enquiry process.
(Bazeley, 2007, p.3).
The data, chosen to query, are words and phrases, which come up frequently within the
sources. Once several key words and phrases within the data have been identified and
then determined, a word frequency, which will allow the coding of words that appear
more frequently than others, can be run. This research process will ultimately identify
and establish a pattern by identifying individuals who and where have discussed key
words or phrases within all of the information sources collected within NVivo.
 Friends
 Information

30
 Second Life
 Social Events
 Work
In addition to this, three headings have been created as ‘free nodes’ for further
investigation. In NVivo, a simple node is created for a topic or concept, which is stored
much like an email inbox where you can create separate folders for individual emails.
What NVivo keeps there, are not the actual segments of data, but references to the
exact location of the text that you have coded, from the source document. Using
those text references, the software is able to locate and retrieve all the coded
passages from the document records.
(Bazeley, 2007, p.83)
‘Free nodes’ are used initially to store coding where they do not “...presume any
relationships or connections – they serve simply as ‘dropping-off’ points for data about
ideas you want to hang on to” (Bazeley, 2007, p.83). Therefore, because an integral
part of the study is centred on the information seeking needs of information
professionals the following ‘free nodes’ have been created below to determine the
level of interaction between members within the social network.
 Information Given
 Information Received
 Request for Information
In chapter four, various screen shots taken show data that has been coded in NVivo
from within the discussion forum and the two hundred case members gathered sources
collected from Second Life Librarians. The chapter also shows responses from the
asynchronous interviews distributed to individual members within the social network.

31
Chapter 4 – Results and Analysis
4.1: Introduction
This chapter sets out the results of the methods used for data collection, as outlined in
the methodology chapter, accompanied by a summary and analysis of the findings. As
previously discussed, various qualitative research methodologies were used in order to
address the research question, which seeks to explore the extent of how ELIS studies
can highlight information seeking needs and subsequent behaviours of the information
professional within an online social network. Research carried out within Second Life
Librarians has attempted to measure the extent of how ELIS studies can seek to
identify the different types of information professionals that exist within a social
network. Researching the information needs of information professionals within an
everyday context has never been undertaken and, to this date, this particular group of
people have proved somewhat elusive when it comes to looking at they way in which
they search for information.
In order to answer the research question, online observation was carried out within the
discussion forum followed by the distribution of asynchronous interviews. Online
observation within the discussion forum was selected in order to observe the two
hundred case studies of information professionals sampled. Results from online
interviews, distributed to individual members within the social network, came back
with twenty-six replies which are also discussed within this chapter. After coding, the
data mentioned within chapter three of the research methodology has deliberately been
left out of the study. The process of coding queries within NVivo is a tool that enables
words or particular phrases to be coded within all the sources created. After beginning
the process of coding, further investigation into their meaning had to be carried out by
comparing and contrasting where the queries originated from within particular
information sources. The realisation that this technique within the study is extremely
time consuming also led to the realisation that the coding of queries should be
cancelled in case there was not enough evidence to suggest that the research question
and relevant objectives would have been answered. In hindsight, these queries may
have been applied if the study had been conducted over a longer period so, as a result, I
chose to omit this data.

32
To a certain extent, a small minority of individuals observed played quite dominant
roles within the social network. Interaction with other members, who were also quite
competent, took place within individual member’s profiles, where a running
commentary of emails could be seen. On the other hand, interaction with less
competent members only took place within the discussion forum where members were
seeking information on how to use Second Life. There is no evidence to suggest
however, that private emails to individual members may have been sent rather than
posting an answer within the general discussion. In order to find out if members
preferred sending private emails, the distribution of asynchronous interviews is then
seen as vital in order to back up online observation with an alternate means of research
methodology. The twenty-six respondents who completed the asynchronous
interviews gave me an insight into the thought processes of how they go about
searching for information which could not otherwise be carried out by merely
observing people’s interactions online. It should be kept in mind, however, that these
asynchronous interviews are based around a small minority of individuals and are not
indicative of the two hundred members sampled within the social network.
Due to the time constraints of the study, videos and pictures which also made up the
entirety of the social network Second Life Librarians are consciously omitted as
information sources as this would have proved impossible to study alongside other
information sources and are not particularly useful when examining the research
question. Instead, the concentration of effort was focused specifically on the different
types of information professionals online. In particular, areas chosen were the most
popular discussion forums where members had either contributed to or received
information. Another possible area for research may have been to compare and
contrast another social network with Second Life Librarians in order to examine
whether or not information professionals’ information seeking behaviours alter across
different settings. If one were quite proficient, and had more time to spend on a
research project, similar research methodologies could be employed by online
interaction between information professionals within Second Life itself. To do this
one would have to register in Second Life and then proceed to create an avatar to
navigate around the various orientation islands. Requests would also need to be made
with the various information professional active groups within this virtual
environment.

33
4.2: Online Observation
Data chosen for coding within Second Life Librarians is the ‘forum’, which features
the most popular discussions initiated by members within the social network. The
‘forum’ is the only information source within the social network that consists of
members interacting with one another and therefore this information source is integral
to the research question as it allows the researcher to observe members information
seeking needs as they communicate and share information within an everyday life
context. The following tables and pie charts featured below show specific nodes or
cases, which are coded to generate coverage of case members within each individual
primary source.
4.2.1: Discussion Forum
Bar Chart 1- Information given
Within the forum, the discussion ‘Now What?’ received the most contributions at 71%
coverage. Other popular discussions which generated replies were ‘Blogs…and where
to find them’, ‘Social Bookmarking’ and ‘Using Second Life for Networking’. Eight

34
respondents who completed the asynchronous interviews also contributed information
within the discussion forum.
By far the most popular discussion with seventeen replies was called What are you
doing in Second Life? (http://sllibrarians.ning.com/) which was initiated by the creator
of the Ning social network Second Life Librarians (see bar chart 1). The question is
opened up with a contribution from the creator of the social network as to what
everyone has been doing in Second Life that creates a platform for open discussion.
Replies to the discussion are from either members from the United States or Canada.
Members receiving information from other members within the forum is evidenced by
discussions posted such as Office Space in Second Life (see bar chart 2) followed
closely by Now What? and Blogs…and where to find them?
(http://sllibrarians.ning.com/)
Bar Chart 2 – Requests for information
The discussion that generated more replies than any other discussion within the social
network was ‘Office Space in Second Life’ followed closely by the discussions ‘Now
What’ and ’Blogs...and where to find them’. No respondents from the asynchronous

35
interviews in this instance had requested information from other members within the
forum.
Information sought out by members, such as in the discussion about Blogs…and where
to find them? is an example showing how members request information, while at the
same time give out information to other members. In this instance one member has
asked others “…if there is a blog that collects RSS feeds from other blogs?”
(http://sllibrarians.ning.com/) then gives an example as to what he is referring to with a
direct URL link to a blog that generates RSS feeds for archivists. Information
provided by another member has answered the initial member’s question about
personal blogs stating that “Technorati is one of the major blog searches.
(http://sllibrarians.ning.com/) and has answered his everyday life seeking information
question whilst also satisfying the everyday information seeking needs of others who
have replied to the same question.
Bar Chart 3 – Information received
Compared to the previous two coded sources, Information received was not a node that
generated many references. Only three sources were found where members had

36
requested information from individuals. The majority of requests for information were
from “Blogs” at just over 24%.
The three information sources were retrieved within NVivo where the majority of
information received was from the discussion Blogs…and where to find them, Office in
Second Life and My Space (http://sllibrarians.ning.com/), which incidentally are the
same discussions featured in requests for information.
From observing participant interaction online, it appears that only a few members
dominated the discussion forums. Three ‘free nodes’ were created to identify the level
of interaction between members within the forum and how that interaction was
communicated and exchanged between certain individuals who formed the basis of an
online relationship. It is from looking at “…these patterns of relationships to others
within the group that reveal whom one interacts with for receiving and forwarding
information, and what exposure one has to information, new ideas, and opportunities”
(Haythornwaite, 1996, p.325).
There are a number of reasons why interaction between members within Second Life
Librarians may be limited to a select few members. The forging of friendships may
have occurred within other social networking sites or members may already know each
other from work. Another possibility is that those members have already connected in
Second Life before joining Second Life Librarians, where as a result, information flow
is less restrained between those members who are already familiar with each other.
Information relationships indicate what kinds of information are being exchanged,
between whom, and to what extent. The pattern of relationships between actors
reveals the likelihood that individuals will be exposed to particular kinds of
information, and the likelihood of their considering that data to be authoritative.
Patterns of forwarding and receipt describe networks that show how information
moves around an environment, and how actors are positioned to facilitate or control
the information flow.
(Haythornwaite, 1996, pp. 324)

37
4.2.2: Case Studies
Two hundred cases were gathered within NVivo using a snowball sampling technique.
The following results display cases by attribute value.
The diversity of information professional job roles is evident from the cases which are
coded by attribute value. Eighty-four out of the two hundred cases collected did not
mention their occupation. Fifteen members, on their profile are academic librarians.
Another six members are students but had not given further details as to what they are
studying and only one member is retired. Other occupations mentioned are: archivist,
law librarian, editor, public librarians and two library assistants (see pie chart 1).
Pie Chart 1 - Occupation
Just over 35% of members did not specify their occupation on their profile page.
12.17% of members are academic librarians while 5.22% and 5.22 % of members are
also students. Other occupations mentioned within individual profile pages were very
specific.

38
Pie Chart 2 – Country of origin
The vast majority of members, at 70% of the sample population within the social
network were from the United States. Only 7% came from Canada while 6.5 % had not
mentioned their country of origin. Far behind their North American and Canadian
counterparts are members from Europe. Other European countries only occupied small
percentages with UK members at 2%. Other countries of origin outside of Europe
included India, Australia, and China (see Pie Chart 2).

39
Pie Chart 3 - Gender
Within the social network, there was a large discrepancy with female members making
up the largest proportion at just over 70% compared to just over 29.5% of males (see
Pie Chart 3).

40
Pie Chart 4 - Friends
Results show that just over 17% of members had not made any friend requests online
while the highest percentage of members at 8.76% had made an average of five friends
online.

41
Pie Chart 5 – URL link to professional and social network site
Just under half of all case members, at 54.91%, within the social network provided
separate URL links within their own profile to an alternative Second Life social
network (see pie chart 5). Other URL links also featured members who had personal
and professional URL links to their workplace or other personal generic social
networking sites.
Eight members who had accrued the most amounts of friends, in excess of over fifty
members, were all from the United States and held senior positions within the
information profession. Only one member, with an excess of fifty friends, had no
mention of their occupation on their profile. Out of the two hundred cases there were a
handful who had a posted a number of blog entries and discussions. Fifty-five
members within the social network had not posted a profile picture and out the fifty-
five members, thirteen members had neither posted additional information about their
occupation nor country of origin.

42
From the cases studied there appeared to be a diverse range of information
professionals who all held very senior roles within the educational sector and only a
few small number who were students, library assistants and other support staff. Many
members had not specified their occupation so it would be hard to know whether they
were in the information professional field but had, instead, decided upon joining this
social network because they had a virtual presence in Second Life. Registration to this
social network is free for all and from looking within this particular social network, it
is evident to see that individuals who have no interest with the topic use this social
network to endorse and promote other business ventures. From the cases gathered the
majority of members were from the United States, which to an extent makes sense as
the creators of Second Life, Linden Labs, are an American based company. Members
who had initiated discussion within the forums were either American or Canadian and
from the onset had established firm ties with other members from the same country of
origin. American and Canadian members who did not have a profile picture varied
from country to country but there may be a number of reasons such as not being able to
upload a picture or wishing to maintain a degree of anonymity.
4.3: Interviews
Through online observation, I was able to look at two hundred individual profiles to
see the way in which the interaction between members took hold within the discussion
and events forum. I also needed to obtain some first hand feedback from the members
concerning their everyday life information seeking behaviours within Second Life
Librarians to back up my research data collected from the social network.
Twenty-six replies were received from individuals ranging from a mix of quite
proficient to less experienced members. Those members that did complete the
asynchronous interviews emailed back their replies within a few days to a week.
However, the whole process of emailing individual members was quite time
consuming and several attempts were made to remind particular members about the
interview questions they had promised to fill out. Lack of response to the online
interviews was also an issue, many members did not make contact and those that did
voice an initial interest were reminded several times but to no avail. Bamton and
Cowton (2002) highlight
One of the practical problems which arises from awaiting a response from an
interviewee, is that is usually is not clear what lies behind a given delay. It might

43
be that the interviewee is busy or has not yet thought of an appropriate response,
and the message will appear in due course. On the other hand, it might be that there
is a problem in the research process and the interviewee is unhappy about some
aspect of the message received or is not going to respond at all. (p.4)
Other reasons for lack of response could be due to the irregularity of social network
use or alternatively a members’ inbox could be inundated with a barrage of emails
where a request to participate in a research project could very well be deleted without
due thought. “On some occasions it might be that he or she has not made a conscious
decision; the email is in limbo, much like a neglected memo in a traditional intray”.
(Bamton & Cowton, 2002, p.4)
4.3.1: Asynchronous Interviews
From the twenty-six interviews, nine of the respondents were from Europe, twelve
were from the United States and five were from Canada. Two of the male respondents
from the United States had made more than one hundred friends online compared to
other respondents whose friends within the social network were all numbered under
fifty. One of the male respondents from the United States was retired and accrued the
most friends and had registered with over fifty social networks. Ten out of the twenty-
six respondents had met up in Second Life and had attended educational conferences
and informal talks related to how libraries can improve upon their services to users.
One individual, “Had stumbled across a talk about Information Literacy within high
schools” at Info Island. (Respondent 2)
Only six respondents discussed with their friends what they do within Second Life that
did not pertain directly to work activities. The answers given were more or less the
same whereby they talked about the islands they tended to attend on a regular basis.
One interviewee stated, “We have a laugh about how bad we are at navigating
ourselves in and around Second Life”. (Respondent 15)
“Me and my buddies decided to join Second Life so that we could learn more about
how we could improve upon our services within the workplace. At the moment we are
just enjoying ourselves by Island hopping.” (Respondent 8)

44
One other respondent did discuss Second Life with friends but, “...not within this
particular Social Network”. (Respondent 19)
Only one respondent went into any detail about what he did in Second Life:
“Discussing development projects, such as custom campus development, scripting
projects, and the like with many people outside of this Ning group. Building and
scripting with a small team is my idea of socialising.” (Respondent 12)
Five respondents out of the ten who meet up in Second Life also meet up in real life
with individuals from the same social network who are from the United States and
living within close proximity to each other. One respondent mentions, “A group of us
girls all live in the same state so we all go out once a month but we don’t talk about
what we do in Second Life”. (Respondent 2) While another joined the social network
“...out of curiosity with another work colleague but when they went out in real life and
talked about work issues over a cup of coffee”. (Respondent 17)
Another respondent, who was also friends with a work colleague within Ning and also
meets up with friends in real life, talks about: “Their families and work which also
coincides with Second Life as they have built a virtual library reference desk area that
helps undergraduate students ask questions about their library”. Another interviewee
stated that, “Me and my friends talk about what we get up to at work and the hobbies
which we socialise in outside of work. I am a librarian at the University of California
and my subject areas are Communications and Psychology. In my spare time, I am a
music aficionado, movie buff, theatre and opera goer, Francophile and Hellenophile,
tango dancer and a blogger”. (Respondent 4)
Seven of the respondents preferred imparting information by private email to their
friends. One gave out information on the general discussion page and six more share
information with friends that they meet within the social network but tend to discuss
matters pertaining to Second Life on other social networks such as Facebook, Twitter
and Second Life itself. The rest of the respondents had either said no or not applicable.
Out of the seven, only three said that the information which they talk about was not
related specifically to Second Life. Another shared other educational resources while

45
another candidate talked about Second Life alongside: “Family life and holidays”.
(Respondent 3)
Ten respondents have either given out or responded to discussions and posted blogs
pertaining to Second Life within Second Life Librarians. Six of them had initiated one
discussion and another one had posted three blogs. Five respondents had replied to
discussions and one respondent who had posted three of the blogs had responded to at
least five discussions about Second Life. Only four respondents found that Second Life
Librarians had enhanced their experience of being in Second Life itself. Two had
found the social network useful in making additional friends and then meeting up with
them in Second Life while only one had found that the “Information given has been
useful and has helped me and navigate myself in and around Second Life”.
(Respondent 6)
The overall usefulness and content of Second Life Librarians received mixed
comments. It appears that the majority of the respondents did not particularly find
Second Life Librarians useful for a number of reasons. Not enough time spent on the
social network was the reply most frequently given:
“I can’t say, I’m not on it that much”. (Respondent 24)
“I like the idea of it – but to be honest I don’t get many notifications from it, so
I don’t keep track of it too closely”. (Respondent 3)
Another question asked was the amount of time members had been registered on the
social network. Although members had been on the social network for a long time it
appears that the longer the members were registered with the social network the less
time they spent online while other members who had been on the social network for
approximately a year felt that the “Social network was useful and that they were quite
frequent users”. (Respondent 13) Other reasons given were due to time constraints:
“Not nearly as much as I’d like to be”. (Respondent 4)
“I find the social network quite useful and look at the content at least once a
month”. (Respondent 6)

46
Content displayed within the social network was also an issue with many of the
respondents stating that the social network was not useful or that they could not pass
comment as they had only just registered and everything was new to them:
“Considering that I am half the videos, not as resourceful as I had hoped for.”
(Respondent 14)
“I cannot compare it to anything else now as I have only just registered and am
still looking around.” (Respondent 26)
Respondents were also asked if joining this social network had enhanced their
experience of being in Second Life itself.
“Not really, it was nice to be in touch with some people in other ways than
through Second Life, but without the network, my overall experience would
have been neither better nor worse. I probably would have used email or
listserv.” (Respondent 9)
“I don’t really use it that often to say but have made new friends through this
social network that I have met up with in Second Life.” (Respondent 1)
Many of the respondents did not find Second Life Librarians particularly useful and
overall were not entirely satisfied with the content but were on the other hand happy
about the friends that they had made online. Sixteen of the respondents preferred to
look for additional information about Second Life within other Second Life websites
and within Second Life itself. Unlike previous studies, where printed material was still
consulted largely, it appears that in this particular study the Internet has surpassed
printed material as only three people mentioned that they had read books on Second
Life and two individuals had read an article within a journal. Three information
professionals had mentioned that friends had been consulted as a means of an
information source but did not go into further details as to whether or not they were
friends at work or friends which they had met within a social network about Second
Life.

47
The majority of discussions did not take place within the general discussion forum and
it would appear that members were reluctant to post general messages where everyone
could see them, rather members preferred to email friends if they needed help with
getting started in Second Life. Many other respondents also talked about Second Life
but not specifically within Second Life Librarians. Just fewer than fifty percent of
members had provided separate URL links to various other professional and social
networks giving out information. From the online interviews, only ten respondents
have met up outside of the social network. These respondents were all from America
and lived in the same state. Only five out of ten interviewees who had met up in
Second Life had also met up in real life. It would seem that none of the individuals
involved had initially met up on Second Life beforehand but had previously known
each other from work or were friends from the same area. Conversation was about
personal and professional related issues but not one respondent had mentioned that
they had discussed what they had been doing in Second Life itself.
4.4: Other Information Sources
Online information sources which respondents had also consulted and were mentioned
within the interviews were other social networking sites pertaining to Second Life such
as Second Life Buzz (http://slbuzz.com/), Second Life Profiles
(http://www.slprofiles.com/) as well as the Second Life forum
(http://forums.secondlife.com/) and various library user groups in Second Life
Librarians itself. Three members had read books and had consulted friends about
Second Life whilst only two members mentioned that they consulted journal articles
and only one member had watched a documentary on how to set up and create a virtual
library within Second Life. One respondent had consulted a newspaper article whilst
another three respondents had not answered the question.
Respondent’s comments were as follows:
“I have read a book about Second Life and occasionally read a newspaper
about Second Life or watch a documentary, when there is one”. (Respondent 9)
“I have read many books on Second Life and have recently co-edited a book
alongside a Second Life colleague”. (Respondent 23)

48
In chapter five of the study the conclusion will address the study by summing up the
key findings and discussing whether the aims and objectives have been met.

49
Chapter 5 – Summary and Conclusions
The literature review has drawn upon past and present ELIS studies, which looks at the
concept of placing the Internet as a potential information ground when actively seeking
out information for everyday needs. The integration of the Internet into the daily lives
of individuals has resulted in attempting to identify the everyday life information
seeking behaviours and needs of the information professional. To date, scarcely any
research has been carried out from the perspective of the information professional from
a non-work context. This study has sought to uncover to what extent ELIS tells us
about the different types of information professionals present within an online social
network. Through online observation and the distribution of asynchronous interviews
it was believed that data generated would provide an idea of the different types of
information professionals that gather for a common purpose within an online
information ground.
The study has attempted to investigate the different types of information professionals
that are present within Second Life Librarians. From online observation and interaction
within the discussion forum, it is apparent that information seeking behaviours are
limited to a minority of people who appear to monopolise the social network. From
the various job titles coded, it is evident that members hold very senior information
professional positions whereas there are only a handful of library assistants and MLIS
library graduates. The demographics of members studied within the discussion forum
are mainly comprised from the United States and Canada with an overwhelming
margin of female members compared to their male counterparts within the social
network. What is not known about members within the social network is the level of
information flow that exists between friends. Do information professionals interact
with some friends more than others? Do they interact with each other at all? How did
they arrive at having the number of friend requests that they have? How often do these
information professionals rely on other members within the social network when
seeking out information? How do relationships which have developed off-line
manifest themselves within the social network?

50
Results based on the asynchronous interviews give an indication of how information
professionals actively seek out information. From the asynchronous interviews, there
was a general reluctance to divulge information with anyone else within the discussion
forum. Respondents preferred means of communication was by private email or
within Second Life. It would appear that the more competent of users play dominant
roles within the social network by giving out and contributing to the flow of
information. Topics discussed within the social network related specifically to Second
Life. Only a few members had met outside of the social network and these members
had all previously known each other at work or had met up because of being in Second
Life and as a result had made friends through the social network. From the results,
respondents belonged to various social networks pertaining to Second Life and
admitted, that as a result, were unable to keep abreast of every single social network.
Topics discussed outside of the social network pertained to work and personal lives.
Within Second Life, respondents talked about educational events and creating virtual
library areas for student bodies. Other topics for discussion mentioned islands they
frequented the most and creating an avatar to begin navigating in and around Second
Life.
The social network Second Life Librarians exists for many information professionals
as a platform to promote what they are doing within their professional and personal
worlds. This was evidenced by the URL links that led to either an external website
detailing information about individual member’s professional information, such as the
university where they worked, or a personal website giving generic information on
social networking. Other URL links related to articles written about Second Life. This
study shows that Second Life Librarians merely serves, for some, as a starting point for
information professionals who want to find out more about Second Life. Information
flow within the social network gives a clear indication that for the more experienced
members this social network is just another means of communicating and giving
information to others and are less likely to place too much importance and emphasis on
any one social network.
Largely it is not necessarily the subject matter that is important (namely Second Life)
but the way in which the information is received and transmitted through to other
social networks. When looking at individual participants within the Ning social

51
network, it appears that they are less likely to place too much importance and emphasis
on any one social network. It is not so much the social network which is important but
the information directing members to view information within other online spaces that
is relevant. From the discussion forums and events, which have taken place within the
social network, information professionals’ talk is restricted to Second Life itself and
members are using the platform for the primary purpose of informing others on how
best to use Second Life as an educational tool that promotes pedagogical practices.
Overall, it would appear that the everyday life seeking information behaviours of
information professionals within Second Life Librarians is confined to select members
who interact with each other online. It is easy to deduce from the social network the
different types of members that exist and their personal attributes, but what is harder to
detect is the level of interaction online and their everyday information needs. Since
there was only a select few members who were interacting online, it is difficult to say
whether they conformed to type. Certainly, the active members of the social network
all hold very senior positions within the information profession and are very active
within Second Life but a bigger sample size is required with an equal amount of
interaction between members in order to compare and contrast whether members’
information seeking behaviours are governed by factors such as race, class and gender.
Further research needs to be carried out over a longer period to ascertain how
information professionals who do not play a passive role in distributing information
may deviate from the social network in order to communicate with other members. On
the other hand the level of information flow within Second Life Librarians was
evidenced in multiple ways as numerous members had a personal or a professional link
on their profile page.

52
The benefits of an online information ground means the space that members occupy is
not physical and as a result, information flow is not constrained to any one place.
However, temporal online communities can also disband as quickly as they are set up
as this study has since evidenced by the imminent closing down of the social network,
Second Life Librarians. Alternative means of analysing information professionals’
everyday life seeking information behaviours in the context of non-work use is in itself
very challenging because of the enigmatic nature of this particular group of people
whose primary goal is, above all else, to seek out information as part of delivering an
efficient service provision on behalf of others in the workplace. The world of the
information professional, however, is one where their everyday life information
seeking behaviours display both personal and professional information needs, which
during the course of the study were found to influence each other. To conclude, social
networks, at present, are the only viable tools enabling research of the information
professional to be carried out in the tradition of ELIS studies.

53
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