Information needs and behaviour of Egyptian doormen/women: An exploratory study

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the information needs of Egyptian doormen/women, including their behaviour. An adapted form of snowball sampling of a heterogeneous demographic group of participants in the doormanship in Egypt was conducted. This sampling was used to select focus groups (n = 6) to explore a range of relevant issues. Demographically, Egyptian doormen/women appeared to be mostly males, with average formal education, with an average age of around 30s and 40s, characterized as low-income people and mostly married. A large number of Egyptian doormen/women suggested that they have not been fully aware of their information rights and a majority of them have not been able to address their information needs in an appropriate way. The study also showed a remarkable diversity in the information needs of doormen/women, particularly concerning the individual and family need, the needs of work-related activities, and the need to find a better place to work in. Regarding their information behavior profile, a large number of doormen/women preferred undocumented oral sources, as well as the frequent informal sources between them and their relatives, peers, and employers, whether through direct interaction, face-to-face meetings, or through mobile and social media. The reasons why doormen/women are searching for information were mostly intended to help in the performance of tasks that are closely associated with their jobs. A large number of doormen/women preferred oral or informal sources over written ones, such as communication with their peers, family, and friends. The experience gained was also one of the most important sources on which doormen/women relied. Time, illiteracy, psychological pressure, bad social image, the lack of awareness of basic and fundamental rights, especially information rights, lack of financial resources, lack of skills and training, and financial burdens were the most important challenges.