Mapping Collective Information Practices in the Workplace #ecil2015

Liveblogging from the European Conference on Information Literacy 2015. Andrew Whitworth presented a paper on Mapping Collective Information Practices in the Workplace coauthored with Maria-Carme Torras i Calvo, Bodil Moss, Nazareth Amlesom Kifle and Terje Blåsternes
They had been looking at IL as a set of practices (a collective activity) in two Norwegian libraries. To quote the abstract "The basis of the project is its investigation of how members of communities of practice collectively manage, or “steward” their informational resources – or information landscapes – in a context of significant change."*
They aimed to get both insider and insider view, and also to engage the staff with data. They used a mapping tool, Ketso, to map the information landscape. This mapping was focused around responsibilities and tasks, and looking at information sources and needs, as well as things that were blocking progress. This also helped to articulate tacit knowledge (see picture; though it's a pretty dreadful photo, it gives you an idea of the maps).
These maps could be revisited periodically, to see (for example) whether the blockages were being removed. Whitworth said that he felt that it would have been useful to have the maps on the wall as reminders, rather than folding them away between meetings.
*I removed the references from this quote.