Professionals: Carol Collier Kuhlthau
Dr.
Kuhlthau is a professor in the Dept. of Library and Information Science,
School of Communication, Information and Library Studies, at Rutgers,
The State University of New Jersey. She is also the Coordinator for
School Library Media Specialization and the Director of the Center
for International Scholarship in School Libraries (CISSL).
Carol Collier Kuhlthau coordinates the Ph.D. concentration in library studies and the M.L.S. educational media specialist program. In her recent book, Seeking Meaning: A Process Approach to Library and Information Services (2nd Ed, 2004), she summarizes her research and proposes uncertainty as a principle for redefining library and information services and systems for the information age.
Research Interest: The user's perspective of the information search process.
Dr. Carol Kuhlthau specializations include information seeking and use, user-centered information services and systems, user education, and school library media services. She is the author of dozens of scholarly papers and books, a frequently invited consultant and lecturer, and active in professional associations. Her awards include the ALA Jesse Shera Award for Outstanding Research (1989), the ACRL Miriam Dudley Instructional Librarian Award (2000) and the LITA Frederick G. Kilgour Award for Research in Library and Information Technology (2002).
Personal Webpage: http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~kuhlthau/index.htm
Kuhlthau's model of the Information Search Process (ISP) http://library.humboldt.edu/ic/general_competency/kuhlthau.html is
based on research into the student's perspective of information seeking.
Information Search Process (ISP) from eduScapes:
http://eduscapes.com/info/isp.html
The Information Search Process(ISP) is unique because
it is based on research. Studies from various disciplines, but particularly
writing were used to support her model. Kuhlthau observed the reactions
of students, examined strategies such as journaling, case studies,
and interviewing, and tracked student progress.
Online Articles & Documents:
Kuhlthau, Carol C. Accommodating the User's Information
Search Process: Challenges for Information Retrieval System Designers.
Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science; 25(3), Feb./Mar.
1999.
http://www.asis.org/Bulletin/Feb-99/kuhlthau.html
Kuhlthau, Carol C. Implementing
a Process Approach to Information
Skills: A Study Identifying Indicators of Success in Library Media
Programs. School Library Media Quarterly; 22(1), Fall
1993.
http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslpubsandjournals/slmrb/editorschoiceb/infopower/selectkuhlthau1.htm
Kuhlthau, Carol C. Information Search Process. (To
be published in Theories of Information Behavior by K. Fisher, S. Erdelez
and L. McKechnie, 2005)
http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~kuhlthau/News/ISPchapter.htm
Rethinking Libraries for the Information Age
School: Vital Roles in Inquiry Learning. Keynote Paper: Notes - IASL Conference, Auckland,
New Zealand, 2001.
http://www.iasl-slo.org/keynote-kuhlthau2001.html
Student Learning through Ohio School Libraries:
The Ohio Research Study, 2004.
http://www.oelma.org/studentlearning/
The Ohio Educational Library Media Association, in collaboration with
Leadership 4 School Libraries, received a Library Services and Technology
Act (LSTA) grant from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services
(IMLS) through the State Library of Ohio to undertake a research project
on how school libraries help students learn. Dr. Ross Todd and Dr.
Carol Kuhlthau conducted the research for this study.