Representing Ourselves in Information Science Research: A Methodological Essay on Autoethnography / La représentation de nous-mêmes dans la recherche en sciences de l’information : Essai méthodologique sur l’auto-ethnographie

Abstract

Autoethnography offers a promising methodology to illuminate information experiences, yet it has been relegated to the margins of information science. This paper reviews examples and critiques of autoethnographic research and supports the idea that autoethnographic approaches increase information professionals’ awareness of their cultural assumptions and provide a framework for analysing such assumptions when developing programs and services (Michels 2010, 166). By showcasing an exemplary autoethnographic study (Michels 2010), this paper presents autoethnography as a useful methodology that acknowledges the researcher’s subjectivity, accounts for the affective aspects of information experiences, and focuses on how personal stories can teach us about information behaviour.