Empowering Accelerated Personal, Professional and Scholarly Discovery Among Information Seekers: An Educational Vision

摘要

The term discovery applies herein to the successful outcome of inquiry in which a significant personal, professional or scholarly breakthrough or insight occurs, and which is individually or socially acknowledged as a key contribution to knowledge. Since discoveries culminate at fixed points in time, discoveries can serve as an outcome metric for both inquirers and the information professionals who support inquiry. First, the primacy of information seeking behavior is explored, particularly its key role in guiding the development of various kinds of supportive information architectures and services. Second, three models of the discovery process are presented, with suggested ways to accelerate discovery via each model. Last, a case is made for developing a strategic vision for LIS and iSchool education. This educational vision involves augmenting information behavior theory with a generalized art and science of search, research and accelerated discovery, and the development of systems and technologies to prompt discovery.