Information-Seeking and Information-Sharing Behavior in the Climate Change Community of Practice in the Pacific

Abstract

Focusing on the community of practice in climate change, this research examines the alignment of traditional concepts of scientific and technical libraries in the Pacific region with the identified information needs and dominant modes of information seeking and information sharing behavior of stakeholders. A survey was used to collect primary data from the identified community of practice to identify dominant behaviors and attitudes amongst respondents towards information seeking and information sharing. The prominence of informal networks for information exchange and the value ascribed to face-to-face encounters and personal relationships was a dominant theme. Libraries were regarded as less useful than alternative pathways for both information seeking and sharing. Acknowledging the rapid shift towards electronic access to information and the proliferation of social networking, it is argued that if capacity in libraries in the region is to be strengthened there needs to be a realignment of the library with the goals of the host organizations in light of the stakeholder's information and information seeking and information sharing behavior. Within this context Pacific scientific and technical libraries must redefine their role and the services they offer if they are to be valued and seen as useful and relevant to stakeholders.