Information sharing as a means to reach collective understanding: A study of design scholars' information practices

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to increase knowledge about the information‐sharing activities of design research scholars.

Design/methodology/approach

Semi‐structured in‐depth interviews were carried out with selected participants from a Nordic design research network. The interview transcripts and notes from workplace‐observations were approached from a discursive point of view and analyzed in accordance with Theodore Schatzki's practice theory.

Findings

Information‐sharing activities are intrinsically intertwined with other information practices such as information seeking and use. It is further established that information and communication technologies (ICTs) can be seen as important parts of the arrangements of human and non‐human entities that, together with practices, form the social site in which the scholars are active. There is a reciprocal relationship between ICTs, and other material arrangements, and the ways in which information is used and shared. ICTs function both as a source of meaning and as a preconfigurator of actions.

Practical implications

The findings have implications for the development of information systems and services aimed at scholars working in collaborative interdisciplinary settings. Library and information science scholars can benefit from the elaborated concept of information sharing.

Originality/value

Design scholars' information sharing has not been studied before. By applying a practice‐theory lens this paper presents a particular perspective. Increased knowledge about the information‐sharing activities of an epistemologically and socio‐culturally amalgamated network of scholars is the main contribution of this paper.

Citation

Pilerot, O. and Limberg, L. (2011), "Information sharing as a means to reach collective understanding: A study of design scholars' information practices", Journal of Documentation, Vol. 67 No. 2, pp. 312-333. https://doi.org/10.1108/00220411111109494