Research perspectives on serendipity and information encountering

Abstract

Serendipitous discovery has been a research topic for more than one hundred years, but only recently has it been the focus of attention in library and information science (LIS). In 1960, Bernier published the first article on serendipity in a LIS journal. The number of publications gradually grew until 1990s, after which the field experienced a significant interest by the LIS researchers. Currently, LIS researchers are studying serendipity and information encountering from different perspectives, ranging from analyzing various conceptual frameworks to conducting bibliometric studies and investigating factors that trigger and affect the phenomenon. The panel of experts will discuss the issues and challenges of conducting research in this new field of study in LIS.