Week 7: Fieldwork in Information Studies

In my undergrad I majored in Anthropology and New Media Studies. Doing fieldwork is probably one of my favourite techniques in research. I love going into the field and observing people, places, things, and how it all relates to a bigger picture. Most of the fieldwork I have done has been in university athletics. I have taken two different approaches to this topic. The first I focused on an anthropological perspective, looking at ways in which Varsity Sports creates a sense of belonging for student-athletes, and how this plays a role in identity making. The second project I focused more on a media perspective, looking at way students interacted with UTSC Athletics and Recreation social media, and ways that the social media platforms could be improved to engage more student participation online.

My thoughts on fieldwork:
1. Fieldwork is harder than you think
2. It is done differently by everyone
3. It leads to a very different path then you expected
4. You learn a lot
5. Some of it you keep for yourself because it is too hard to put into words

The research project I proposed for this class will be the first time I will be tackling how information fits into fieldwork. I will be looking at the ways in which National Team Athletes are educated about anti-doping and if these techniques are transparent and equal. In my past studies I focused a lot on participant's behaviour and feelings towards a subject, a lot about their meaning making, I suppose it was more symbolic. Moving into information studies, I want to still keep this cultural aspect to it, however, I find it extremely interesting to now look at sources of information that conveys this. While I still want to focus on athletes and their attitudes, I would like see how these are created through the transfers of information about anti-doping. For example, instead of focusing on a particular site as a physical object, I see information as my site, documents, journals, and word-of-mouth (etc.) have become my objects of interest. I can see myself within this study making charts on how information flows, and not just a diagram, but also interpreting this diagram to include athletes' perspectives.

As I am also taking Professor Hartel's Information Ethnographies consecutively with this class, I am discovering ways to include information in my studies and just how important it can be. I do not have a LIS background or know much about it for that matter, but I am discovering to find information essential to the topics I would like to study, and this includes the use of ethnography and specifically fieldwork in my studies. I also see fieldwork as a wonderful thing, because I believe it is really up to your interpretations. Fieldwork leaves room for creativity and imagination.