Thoughts about the past, present and future of research in youth information behaviors and practices
| Pages | 108-118 |
| Date | 14 January 2019 |
| Published date | 14 January 2019 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/ILS-09-2018-0096 |
| Author | Denise E. Agosto |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Librarianship/library management,Library & information services |
Thoughts about the past, present
and future of research in youth
information behaviors
and practices
Denise E. Agosto
Drexel University College of Computing & Informatics,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Abstract
Purpose –This paper aims to provide a reflection on youth information behaviors and practices in the
researchliterature and suggest future directions for scholarshipin this area.
Findings –The author identifiesareas for strengthening the impact of research and scholarship in the area
of youth information behaviorsand practices, including standardizing the age groups ofresearch subjects,
diversifying data collection methods, broadening the participation of marginalized groups and working to
understandyouth information behaviors and practices fromyouths’own perspectives.
Originality/value –This paper offers a personal assessmentof the current state of the field, provides a
broad overview of the author’s researchin this area and suggests ideas for moving this workforward. It also
highlights the importanceof making research results readily available to adults who work with and care for
youth, includingteachers, librarians, productdesigners, parents and other caregivers.
Keywords Adolescents, Children, Library and information science, Information behaviour,
Information practice, Social aspects of communication
Paper type Conceptual paper
It is difficult to pinpoint the exact beginning of research in the area of youth information
behaviors and practices, but it is safe to say thatit has now been an active area of research
for 20 years, stretching back at least to the January 1999 special issue of Journal of the
American Society for InformationScience (a forerunner of today’sJournal of the Association
of Information Science and Technology). The issue was dedicated to “youth issues,”and it
featured an introduction to the special topic plus three full-length research papers in the
broad area of youth information behaviors. Three papers may not seem like much, but the
special issue marked a watershed for youth information behavior researchers, bringing
greater visibility among the research community to this small area ofwork and suggesting
that more related work would follow.
Indeed, there has been substantial growth in this area over the ensuing 20 years, as
well as increased visibility and respect within the many fields that contribute to the study
of information behavior and information practices. Twenty years is a long time in a
technology-dependent field such as library and information science (LIS), my own field
and the perspective from which I write this piece. While youth information behaviors and
practices is still a relatively small area of research in LIS and related fields, we now have
a much better understanding of how young people interact with information and
information technologies than we did 20 years ago. Nonetheless, we still have a lot to
learn.
ILS
120,1/2
108
Received10 September 2018
Revised26 October 2018
Accepted27 October 2018
Informationand Learning Sciences
Vol.120 No. 1/2, 2019
pp. 108-118
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2398-5348
DOI 10.1108/ILS-09-2018-0096
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