Lost
in information? Syrian new Scots’ information literacy way-finding practices
Aims
This research is a scoping study that aims to examine the information related experiences and information literacy practices of Syrian new Scots (the Syrian refugees in Scotland) during their resettlement and integration.
The project is led by Dr Konstantina Martzoukou and Professor Simon Burnett (i-school, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Scotland) and is supported by The Information Literacy Group (ILG) of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals.
The research aims to explore the following areas:
- To explore Syrian new Scots’ ‘ways of knowing’ for addressing critical social inclusion needs (e.g. housing, welfare, education, benefits, employability, rights and entitlements). This may involve interaction with people, tools and processes within their new socio-cultural setting.
- To examine the barriers (e.g. English language, socio-cultural differences) and enablers (local community support, new technologies and media) they encounter in the process of addressing their key information needs;
- To investigate how Syrian new Scots could be further supported to adapt to
their local communities, feel a sense of belongingness and successfully
establish their identity into the Scottish society.
Methods
The project is conducted by means of interviews
with Scottish Refugee Council representatives and focus groups with Syrian
new Scots families in Scotland.
Value of Study
The outcomes of
this research will help towards making recommendations on how to best aid
Syrian newcomers in their social inclusion and community engagement and how to
support their habitual and emerging information landscapes for their
resettlement and adaptation.
The research
findings will be of interest to local and regional support organizations and community
volunteer groups who contribute to the social wellbeing and social integration
of Syrian new Scots as well as public libraries as centres for educational and cultural
orientation sessions and support for newly settled refugees and for the communities
that welcome them.
The complete proposal can be found here.
The complete proposal can be found here.
The duration of this project is from October 2016 to February 2017.
No comments:
Post a Comment