User-Centered Discourse: An Analysis of the Subject Positions of the User and the Librarian

Abstract

The theoretical turn in library and information science to analyze the "inner worlds of the user" is critically evaluated looking for hidden ideas and institutional implications. The evaluation is done through a discourse analytic reading of how the identities of users and librarians are constructed in one much-cited user-centered text. The reading suggests that these two main actors--users and librarians--are positioned in an unequal power relationship. Librarians are constructed in the discourse as mind-reading experts and information search controllers. Users are constructed as uncertain lay-persons, often misinterpreting their feelings and thoughts during information search processes. This article calls for more critical reflexivity in how both scholars and practitioners in library and information science construct the identities of people as information seekers and users.