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The Information Behavior of Wikipedia Fan Editors

A Digital (Auto)Ethnography

Paul A. Thomas

Situated at the intersection of library and information science (LIS), Wikipedia studies, and fandom studies, this book is a digital (auto)ethnography that documents the information behavior of Wikipedia “fan editors”—that is, individuals who edit articles about pop culture media. Given Wikipedia’s prominence in LIS and fan studies scholarship, both as one of the world’s most heavily used reference sources and as an important archive for fan communities, fan editors are a crucial component of this ecosystem as some of Wikipedia’s most active contributors. Through a combination of fieldwork observations, insight from key informants, and the author’s own experiences as a Wikipedia editor, this monograph provides a rich articulation of fan editor information behavior and offers a significant contribution to scholarship in a number of fields. Scholars of library and information science, media studies, fandom studies, and popular culture will find this book of particular interest.

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Lexington Books
Pages: 272 • Trim: 6¼ x 9¼
978-1-66694-193-7 • Hardback • July 2024 • $115.00 • (£88.00)
Series: Communication Perspectives in Popular Culture
Subjects: Social Science / Media Studies, Social Science / Anthropology / Cultural, Language Arts & Disciplines / Editing & Proofreading

Paul A. Thomas is a library specialist at the University of Kansas.

Part 1: The Information Behavior of Fan Editors

Chapter 1: Information Needs

Chapter 2: Seeking Information

Chapter 3: Evaluating Sources

Chapter 4: Producing Encyclopedic Content

Chapter 5: Reviewing and Showcasing Encyclopedic Content

Chapter 6: Protecting and Debating Encyclopedic Content

Part 2: Fan Editor Information Behavior in Perspective

Chapter 7: Fan Editor Information Behavior as Serious Leisure

Chapter 8: Fan Editing and the Price Model of Fan Information Behavior

Chapter 9: Wikipedia and Fan Wikis as Contrasting Informational Environments

Chapter 10: Fan Editors and the Question of Motivation

The Information Behavior of Wikipedia Fan Editors: A Digital (Auto)Ethnography is a must read for all information behavior researchers and those who teach information behavior. Paul A. Thomas very successfully weaves the almost-mysterious experiences of Wikipedia fan editors with the theoretical insights reported in information behavior studies. This book opens the way for innovative combinations of research methods by skillfully combining autoethnography with more conventional research methods. I would certainly make students and educators aware of this book to encourage innovative thinking on information behavior research and how to relate experiences to the theories of information behavior.


— Ina Fourie, University of Pretoria


The Information Behavior of Wikipedia Fan Editors

A Digital (Auto)Ethnography

Cover Image
Hardback
Summary
Summary
  • Situated at the intersection of library and information science (LIS), Wikipedia studies, and fandom studies, this book is a digital (auto)ethnography that documents the information behavior of Wikipedia “fan editors”—that is, individuals who edit articles about pop culture media. Given Wikipedia’s prominence in LIS and fan studies scholarship, both as one of the world’s most heavily used reference sources and as an important archive for fan communities, fan editors are a crucial component of this ecosystem as some of Wikipedia’s most active contributors. Through a combination of fieldwork observations, insight from key informants, and the author’s own experiences as a Wikipedia editor, this monograph provides a rich articulation of fan editor information behavior and offers a significant contribution to scholarship in a number of fields. Scholars of library and information science, media studies, fandom studies, and popular culture will find this book of particular interest.

Details
Details
  • Lexington Books
    Pages: 272 • Trim: 6¼ x 9¼
    978-1-66694-193-7 • Hardback • July 2024 • $115.00 • (£88.00)
    Series: Communication Perspectives in Popular Culture
    Subjects: Social Science / Media Studies, Social Science / Anthropology / Cultural, Language Arts & Disciplines / Editing & Proofreading
Author
Author
  • Paul A. Thomas is a library specialist at the University of Kansas.

Table of Contents
Table of Contents
  • Part 1: The Information Behavior of Fan Editors

    Chapter 1: Information Needs

    Chapter 2: Seeking Information

    Chapter 3: Evaluating Sources

    Chapter 4: Producing Encyclopedic Content

    Chapter 5: Reviewing and Showcasing Encyclopedic Content

    Chapter 6: Protecting and Debating Encyclopedic Content

    Part 2: Fan Editor Information Behavior in Perspective

    Chapter 7: Fan Editor Information Behavior as Serious Leisure

    Chapter 8: Fan Editing and the Price Model of Fan Information Behavior

    Chapter 9: Wikipedia and Fan Wikis as Contrasting Informational Environments

    Chapter 10: Fan Editors and the Question of Motivation

Reviews
Reviews
  • The Information Behavior of Wikipedia Fan Editors: A Digital (Auto)Ethnography is a must read for all information behavior researchers and those who teach information behavior. Paul A. Thomas very successfully weaves the almost-mysterious experiences of Wikipedia fan editors with the theoretical insights reported in information behavior studies. This book opens the way for innovative combinations of research methods by skillfully combining autoethnography with more conventional research methods. I would certainly make students and educators aware of this book to encourage innovative thinking on information behavior research and how to relate experiences to the theories of information behavior.


    — Ina Fourie, University of Pretoria


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