Open Collections

Serendipity Models: How We Encounter Information and People in Digital Environments

Irving K. Barber Learning Centre

Webcast sponsored by the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre and hosted by the School of Library, Archival, and Information Studies (SLAIS). Much of the research on how we encounter information tends to focus on linear models of intentional information search. Recently a number of studies and frameworks have suggested that not all information individuals encounter is through goal-oriented search, but rather that individuals often find information and connect with people accidentally, without purposefully looking. A wide range of terms and models have been proposed to describe the phenomenon. The present presentation has three goals. First, it provides an overview of the current debate around the phenomenon of serendipity, presenting and contrasting various models of how serendipity occurs. Second, it discusses how technology could affect serendipity and opportunities for designing digital tools that support innovation, creativity, and resource discovery. Finally, it presents current research findings on how serendipity impacts the work of scholars.

Moving Image

2013-03-20

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/44044

Unreviewed

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/