Communication overload: a phenomenological inquiry into academic reference librarianship

Christopher Sean Burns · Jenny Bossaller

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Library Science and Information Literacy Web and Library Services Personal Information Management and User Behavior

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to provide insight on the meaning of communication overload as experienced by modern academic librarians. Communication is the essence of reference librarianship, and a practically endless array of synchronous and asynchronous communication tools (ICTs) are available to facilitate communication. Design/methodology/approach This study relied on a phenomenological methodology, which included nine in‐depth interviews with academic librarians. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using RQDA, a qualitative analysis software package that facilitates coding, category building, and project management. Findings Seven themes about librarianship emerged from this research: attending to communication abundance, librarians of two types, instruction not reference, twenty‐first century librarianship, user needs, trusted methods: filter not retrieve, and self‐impact. The shared meaning of communication overload among these librarians is that it is a problem when it detracts from or hinders their ability to assist their users. Practical implications Further research should contribute to an understanding of communication as a problem when it interferes with serving the librarians' users, or to an understanding of interpersonal communication within the librarians' organizational structures and in their broader professional networks. Social implications Research in popular psychology has focused on the negative impacts on productivity and concentration of living in an always‐plugged‐in environment. This research confirms that librarians should have time to work away from digital distractions to maintain job satisfaction. Originality/value Important work by Radford and Dervin has focused on communication with users. This study focuses on the impact of ICTs on librarians' work and personal lives.

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References

1994Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches 2016Looking for Information: A Survey of Research on Information Seeking, Needs, and Behavior 2008The dark side of information: overload, anxiety and other paradoxes and pathologies 1995Everyday life information seeking: Approaching information seeking in the context of “way of life”2008The cost of interrupted work 2010When more is too much: Operationalizing technology overload and exploring its impact on knowledge worker productivity 2007Filtering and withdrawing: strategies for coping with information overload in everyday contexts 2005Phenomenology and information studies

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2016The uses of phenomenology and phenomenography: A critical review 2015Knowledge creation and play – a phenomenological approach 2016The effects of information overload on reference librarians 2013Fully engaged practice and emotional connection: Aspects of the practitioner perspective of reference and information service 2017Including the Voices of Librarians of Color in Reference and Information Services Research

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