Explicit mediation and information seeking behavior in university libraries

Abstract

Objective: This paper addresses the possible influence of information mediation on the Information seeking behavior in university library. The process of mediating information, especially explicit mediation, can facilitate the collaboration in the approach of the library with the academic community for the appropriation of the information by the practices of the mediators. In this sense, the general objective of this article is to analyze in library universities explicit mediating actions that can aid in information seeking behavior. Hence, it was used and exploratory, descriptive and qualitative research with bibliographic procedures, and by collecting data from a semi-structured interview with eleven librarians from State University Julio Mesquita Filho (UNESP), campus Marilia and Rio Claro.

Methods: The data were analyzed using the Content Analysis method, through the application of the Categorical Analysis (CA) technique.

Results: The results showed that the librarians interviewed do not know the explicit mediation in theory, but they used it in practice in their daily life. It was also possible to verify that, in the view of the interviewees, the training and orientation offered to the users facilitates the entrance, permanence and autonomy of them in the library in addition to considering relevant the role of the librarian in the development of information seeking behavior.

Conclusions: It was concluded that, in the context of university libraries, librarians, among the activities developed, act as mediators, and, in their actions of explicit mediation, they can contribute to the development of information seeking behavior in the researched environment.