Abstract:
This study investigated how genealogists search for and gather information in contexts
rich in genealogical information. It assumed a constructionist paradigm, acknowledging
that all knowledge is created through language, which is bounded by social, cultural, and
historical contexts. It used a grounded-theory methodology consistent with both the
research aim and theoretical framework presented. To provide the data that supported the
research aim, interviews, observations, and talk-in-action were employed. These methods
were chosen to capture and focus on the experiences and descriptions of information
seeking by genealogists. Data was collected from three sites frequently visited by
genealogists including a public library, a proprietary library, and a historical/genealogical
society library. Taylor's (1991) information use environment (IUE) was used to define
and compare the group of genealogists, the setting in which they were researching, their
information problems, and ultimately how they approached and resolved their
information needs. A result was the defined IUE of genealogists. With regard to the
resolution of problems, participants were found to follow two distinct information
seeking processes. The first process centered on locating and selecting sources in the
library. The second process was the information selection process participants utilized to
search for information in sources. The other framework used in this study employed
archival intelligence to examine how genealogists approach information seeking using
primary resources (Yakel and Torres, 2003). This study contributes to the development of
how genealogists seek information by supporting many of the archival intelligence
principles. It also analyzed the potential segments of genealogical researchers based on
their information seeking processes and strategies. Following the three categories
proposed by Mills (2003), participants were segmented based on their research
methodology and concerns for gathering evidence to validate their information.
Participants' emphasis on the principles of proof was also included as an indicator. A sixstage
model of information of seeking specific to genealogists is proposed. This model
suggests that genealogists deliberately approach their research armed with information
problems using the two processes uncovered in this study. However, the process does not
end at the library; genealogy is an iterative process that continues to new research and
problems.
