Thing 16: Information interview: Information client / information consultant exercise

This is the exercise you will do after Pam's talk in week 8.

Every team will be both an information client and an information consultant. Every team will identify an information need; its partner team for this exercise will carry out an information interview to identify the need, and then find some relevant information. The information will be handed over and the teams must give feedback on the performance in identifying, scoping, planning, gathering and presenting the information.

These are the steps
1) Decide on who will undertake the following roles (everyone has to have a role: if there are 3 people in the group, share the evaluation role between you and allocate the other 3 roles; 2 people should take 2 roles each; if there is just one person then tell Sheila or Pam!)
- - a. Lead "client", who takes the lead in presenting, and answering questions, on the information need.
- - b. Lead interviewer; taking the lead in interviewing the client to identify the information need
- - c. Lead evaluator, who develops criteria to identify which information is most suitable
- - d. Lead presenter, presenting the information to the client team

2) Each team decides on a question that it wants the other team to answer. It does not have to be to do with your studies, and it must not be something that someone could directly use in coursework (i.e. you mustn't do someone else's coursework!).

3) Each team interview the other in turn

4) Whole team seeks information to answer the information need. Be prepared to explain how you found it and why you chose it.

5) Present the information to your client and explain why you think it answers the information need.

6) Have a review of each team's performance as an information consultant. In each case firstly the information consultant team should say what they felt went well and what needed improving. Then the client team should add any praise and criticisms they have.

7) Team blogs. Each team blog a piece of advice on what to do or what not to do when interviewing.

Thing 4 (again): Advanced Internet Searching

Another update of Phil Bradley's slideshare about web search: many slides with useful search tips.

Advanced Internet searching Autumn 2012 from Phil Bradley

Things 4 and 6 "Google" and "Database" secrets (Plan and gather)

You already had a session from Alastair in week 2 (on Google etc. searching) and you will have a further session from him this week (Groups 1 and 2) or next week (Groups 3 and 4)

What you need to do
Once you have had the 2nd session from the Alastair (i.e. this week for groups 1 and 2, next week for groups 3 and 4), make an individual post on your team blog, listing one new thing you learnt about Google or database searching.

A few of you have had a lot of experience in libraries before joining the course: so if you were already a search engine/ database wizard when you came to Sheffield, just say what your best searching tip is!