Twenty‐first century librarians: time for Zones of Intervention and Zones of Proximal Development?

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this contribution is to encourage library and information (LIS) professionals to draw on the initiatives by Carol Kuhlthau to align information seeking with learning theories and new roles for intermediaries. Considering the vast array of developments in information communication technology (ICT), and the challenges and pressures for continuing professional development (CPD) and reflection, it seems timely to encourage experimentation with the ideas of Kuhlthau on Zones of Intervention and Lev Vygotsky on Zones of Proximal Development (ZPD), (1) as means to become au fait with these theories, ideas and related research, and (2) to apply these theories and ideas on a practical level to offer opportunities for the continuing professional development of LIS professionals with specific reference to ICT, and to eventually also impact on the training of users.Design/methodology/approach -This contribution will be written against the background of research from Information Literacy, Information Behaviour (including information seeking), the learning theory of Vygotsky on Zones of Proximal Development, and continuing professional development.Findings -Although the information seeking process (ISP) model of Kuhlthau is widely cited, the idea of Zones of Intervention which she developed from the work of Vygotsky does unfortunately not feature strongly in the LIS literature. Considering the literature on Zones of Proximal Development, it can, however, hold much potential for LIS professionals to align support with information seeking with professional (optimal) development -especially if using the focus (Zones of Intervention and Zones of Proximal Development) as a means to become au fait, and if initially taking a more practical and relaxed approach as point of departure.Originality/value -Relatively few publications on Zones of Intervention and Zones of Proximal Development appear in the LIS literature. None of these are to my knowledge, aligned to the continuing professional development of LIS professionals on a practical level or with regard to fully exploiting ICT developments.Keywords -ICT, Information seeking, Libraries, Information behaviour, Continuing professional development, Learning theories IntroductionI find that I frequently refer to the 21 st century librarian and information specialist (LIS professional) as somebody special; somebody who can make a difference by drawing on the vast array of developments in information communication technology (ICT) and opportunities for continuing professional development (CPD). We are already 12 years into this century, with only 88 years left. This may seem like a lot of time, but considering the challenges and pressures we face and how quickly time passes, it is scary to see that although there is tremendous change in terms of technological development brought on by Internet, mobile and cloud technology, social networking, etc. many of our concerns and frustrations continue. We complain about information overload, problems with informati...

The Role of Academic Librarians in Providing Assistance to Postgraduate Students in the Information-Seeking Process

“…Since its conceptualization and development, the model of the ISP has been used as a framework and diagnostic tool to understand individuals' experiences in various library and information environ- Kuhlthau (2007) je otkrila da traženje informacija kod učenika uključuje konstruiranje koje se doživljavalo kao niz faza, a u svakoj fazi bilježila je osjećaje, misli i postupke koji su se mijenjali kako je traženje napredovalo. Naime, konstruiranjem značenja svaka osoba gradi svoje jedinstvene osobne svjetove, što uključuje cjelokupnu osobu koja razmišlja, osjeća i djeluje u dinamičnom procesu učenja (Fourie, 2013). U procesu traženja informacija Kuhlthau je identificirala sedam faza (iniciranje ili uvođenje, odabiranje, eksploracija, formuliranje, prikupljanje, prezentiranje i vrednovanje 2 ) (Kuhlthau, 2007;Kuhlthau et al, 2012;Kuhlthau et al, 2019).…”

A Critical Discussion of Vygotsky and Bruner’s Theory and Their Contribution to Understanding of the Way Students Learn

“…Katz and Rezaei (1999) notes that students have been identified to learn and gain concepts better from roleplay, from simulations, from discussion groups and focus groups discussion activities with other students, mentors, and tutors than from teacher-blackboard instruction method owing to the ability of the social-learning practice to allow students learn from discussion, observation, engagement, and mentorship [8] . Fourie (2013) noted that Vygotsky's theory presents the concept of the ZPD or the zone of proximal development to explain the learning development of children [5] . The theory argues that children in the zone of proximal development can perform the task independently but are not there yet, hence will need some help to successfully perform the task.…”

Exploring the lived information-seeking experiences of mature students

“…In addition, Ashley and Veronica's radically different experiences with information search mediators suggest that both formal mediators (such as librarians) and informal mediators (such as Ashley's boyfriend) play a vital role in seekers' experiences of and success in the information search process. Although a few authors (Limberg and Sundin 2006;McKenna 2009;Shah and Kitzie 2012;Fourie 2013) have explored the issues of formal information search mediation, Ashley and Veronica's narratives suggest that librarians' understanding of the phenomenon may be incomplete.…”