9.1 The impoverished life-world of outsiders

9.1 The impoverished life-world of outsiders

Chatman, EA

I really understood the idea of insiders and outsiders when it came to information seeking. I can attribute this to the presentation group, and also to this article. Chatman did a great job of connecting to multiple groups of outsiders, and making the concepts clear. I also think, as a member of a generation who all feel like “outsiders” for one reason or another (most of which are invalid) it is interesting to look at outsiders as being information poor. I understand that in many situations it is not possible for someone to have the same amounts of information than someone else. For someone without a computer or the knowledge to use the internet, many information that is a few seconds away for me is unreachable. If an information establishment (like a library) has hours that do not coincide with the free time you are provided by work, you can never seek information there. There are many factors that can lead someone to be information poor, and therefore an outsider.

It seems to me that people who are usually considered insiders in many ways can be thought of as information outsiders based on one thing. The ability to use technology shapes our current information use and exchange so much, that someone unable or unwilling to use the technology may lose out on lots information exchange.

I feel like it is part of our job as information professionals to help more people become information rich, even if they have many outsider factors working against them. Extended hours, free pamphlets, and especially computer tutorials would make a huge difference in many places. In some populations, having information and help available in multiple languages is invaluable. There are many communities in which a library could not get by without having those kinds of services available.