Brenda Dervin

Brenda Dervin, currently a professor of communication at Ohio State University, is an influential figure in the communication and library and information science fields. Her research about information seeking and information use led to the development of the Sense-Making approach (Ross, Nilsen, & Dewdney, 2003, p. 93). Dervin received a bachelor’s degree in journalism and home economics from Cornell University, with a minor in philosophy of religion, and her M.S. and PhD degrees in communication research from Michigan State University [http://communication.sbs.ohio-state.edu/sense-making/bib/cvdervinbrief.html 1] . In 1986 she acted as the first president of the International Communication Association [http://communication.sbs.ohio-state.edu/sense-making/bib/cvdervinbrief.html 1] . Dervin reviews articles and also is on editorial boards for communication and library and information science journals [http://communication.sbs.ohio-state.edu/sense-making/bib/cvdervinbrief.html 1] .

View of Information

Dervin challenges commonly held assumptions of information as an independent, unchanging entity (1977) and commodity, where the “‘transmission’ instead of ‘communication’” of information takes precedence (2003b, p. 304). She believes that in this viewpoint, the receiver of information is not seen as a unique person (Neill, 1992). Instead Dervin posits information as being constructed by people (2003b), and rejects the idea that information is a commodity (Dervin & Dewdney, p. 1986). Dervin describes three types of information: Information₁, Information₂, and Information₃. Information₁ is objective, incomplete, and includes external reality; Information₂ is subjective and includes internal reality; and Information₃ includes the way in which a person becomes informed (Dervin, 1977, p. 22-23).

Sense-Making

The central idea of sense-making is “how people make sense of their worlds” (Dervin, 2003a, p. 223). As an approach and methodology, sense-making allows a listener (researcher, reference librarian, etc.) to see how a person views a situation (Dervin, 2003a, p. 223). As a person moves through time-space, she develops her unique point of view from personal experiences and observations and at some point, she comes to a stopping place, or gap, where sense runs out, and then needs to bridge the gap in some way (Dervin, 2003a, p. 224). Forty studies covering diverse topics from library use to coping with university life have used the Sense-Making approach since 1972 (Dervin, 2003a, p. 225).

Sense-Making and the Reference Interview

Dervin’s sense-making approach has been applied to how librarians conduct reference interviews with library users. By asking neutral or sense-making questions the librarian learns about the unique situations of users, their gaps in knowledge, and how they plan to use the information they are searching for (Dervin and Dewdney, 1986). This approach gives users the opportunity to talk in their own terms, instead of that of the library system (Dervin & Fraser, 1985, p. 31).

References

Dervin, B. (2003a). Audience as listener and learner, teacher and confidante: The sense-making approach. In B. Dervin, L. Foreman-Wernet, & E. Launterbach (Eds.), "Sense-making methodology reader: Selected writings of Brenda Dervin" (pp. 215-231). Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press, Inc.

Dervin, B. (2003b). Information as non-sense; information as sense: The communication technology connection. In B. Dervin, L. Foreman-Wernet, & E. Launterbach (Eds.), "Sense-making methodology reader: Selected writings of Brenda Dervin" (pp. 293-308). Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press, Inc.

Dervin, B. (1977). Useful theory for librarianship: Communication, not information. "Drexel Library Quarterly", 13 (3), 16-32.

Dervin, B., & Dewdney, P. (1986). Neutral questioning: A new approach to the reference interview. "RQ", 25 (4), 506-513.

Dervin, B., & Fraser, B. (1985). "How libraries help". Stockton, CA: Dept. of Communication, University of the Pacific State Library.

Dervin’s curriculum vita--brief narrative. (2005). Retrieved November 24, 2006 from http://communication.sbs.ohio-state.edu/sense-making/bib/cvdervinbrief.html.

Neill, S. D. (1992). The dilemma of the subjective in information organization and retrieval. "Dilemmas in the study of information". Westport: Greenwood Press.

Ross, C. S., Nilsen, K., & Dewdney, P. (2002). "Conducting the reference interview". New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc.

Additional Reading

Dervin, B. (1976). The everyday information needs of the average citizen: A taxonomy for analysis. In M. Kochen & J. C. Donohue (Eds.), "Information for the community" (pp. 19-38). Chicago: American Library Association.

Dervin, B. (2003). From the mind’s eye of the user: The sense-making qualitative-quantitative methodology. In B. Dervin, L. Foreman-Wernet, & E. Launterbach (Eds.), "Sense-making methodology reader: Selected writings of Brenda Dervin" (pp. 269-292). Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press, Inc.

Dervin, B., & Zweizig, D. (1977). Public library use, users, uses: Advances in knowledge of the characteristics and needs of the adult clientele of American public libraries. In M. J. Voigt & M. H. Harris (Eds.), "Advances in librarianship" (Vol 7, pp. 231-255). New York: Academic Press.

External links

* [http://communication.sbs.ohio-state.edu/sense-making Sense-Making]
* [http://www.gslis.utexas.edu/~marylynn/smref.htm Sense Making references/bibliography]