VI.BE Wild | Living Barefoot & Vulnerable (2024)

Posted on May 16, 2023 by Monica Holland

Researching the research process and writing about the research, vs the community, was a new concept for me. I probably would have chosen a different community if I had a clearer idea of what that entailed! However, it gave me the opportunity to get more familiar with my chosen community since the research of the research was difficult to find.

I also learned about frameworks within LIS. I am sure these frameworks will be utilized again throughout this program. I am definitely more comfortable with correctly citing a source within my writing which I needed! Moving forward in my career it will be exciting to see how creative I can get with programming and filling in the gaps.

Activity/Participation:

Monica Holland – SJSU School of Information Community Site

I also have a word document containing comments I made to classmates posts if the URL does not work or show all activity.

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Posted on May 6, 2023 by Monica Holland

Pictures:

Fresh Hobby (2019). Downhill Skiing [Picture].

Holland, M. (2022). Kayak [Picture]. Kauai.

Vselensky, K. (2014). Evolution Tower, 280m [Picture]. Moscow, Russia. Instagram kirbase.

Holland, M. (2023). Hiking [Picture]. Mt. Tamalpais, California.

References:

https://www.cntraveler.com/gallery/adventures-to-have-in-a-lifetime

Prayag, G., Gannon, M.J, Muskat, B., Taheri, B. (2020). A serious leisure perspective of culinary tourism co-creation: the influence of prior knowledge, physical environment and service quality. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 32(7), 2453-2472.

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Posted on May 1, 2023 by Monica Holland

When searching for adventure seeking programs in libraries on a global scale, most results came back with serious leisure or travel related topics. When considering obstacles that may face these similar communities globally, COVID-19 seemed to be a prevalent topic. Research conducted in Australia highlighted how COVID-19 forced libraries to adjust and pivot their programming (Wakeling, Garner, Hider, Jamali, Lymn, Mansourian, & Randell-Moon, 2022). As we all know, the pandemic sent us to our home and limited the amount of contact with others. Public spaces were shut down, thus eliminating travel and most interactive serious leisure. Libraries had to figure out what services and resources were most important to maintain during the crisis. The authors wanted to know how public libraries adjusted and what role they held in the community, now and in the future. They determined that community connection and cultural benefit and flow of information were essential to libraries missions. Thus creating community resilience (Wakeling, Garner, Hider, Jamali, Lymn, Mansourian, & Randell-Moon, 2022). Some inequalities were mentioned by library managers. Some noted concerns about equal access to services during the crisis. Since there was not a guideline to be followed, each library adjusted as best they could and provided what they felt was necessary. It seems serious leisure took a backseat in this scenario.

Prior to COVID-19, a library in Slovenia, Ljubljana City Library (MKL) provided frequent travel related events. Travel related topics were shown to be an attractive topic in MKL (Sinko, 2013). The way travel events were organized within the library was typically through presentations of a particular trip including pictures and travel tips (Pisanski, & Švab, (2021). It should also be noted that this particular library appears to be an outlier and that most public libraries do not program travel topics. An interesting observation the author made is that travel related events may already be being serviced by outside institutions. That community centers, travel agencies and cultural societies may be the more typical place for these events to occur (Pisanski, & Švab, (2021).

While events on travel or adventure seeking may not be prevalent within libraries. Blogs and adventure sites attract global recognition. One site I found was Adventure Travel: The 26 Most Adventurous Experiences Around the World | Condé Nast Traveler (cntraveler.com). Basically, a quick list of global adventures. The site also distinguished adventures by inspiration. If you’re looking for a specific experience, culture or type of travel. This is a great resource for gathering information as an adventure seeker. Once you narrow down what you may want to do and where you want to go, it would be easy to access your local library for further information. Travel guides, travel tips and cultural nuances would be ideal topics to learn before setting off to new countries. Or, a whole discography on skate parks in Sri Lanka (for example).

References:

Pisanski, J., & Švab, K. (2021). curious case of travel-related events in public libraries. Libellarium, 11(1-2), 57–70.https://doi.org/10.15291/libellarium.v1i1.314

Šinko, Simona. 2014. “Izobraževalne potrebe uporabnikov splošne knižnice/Educational Needs of Public Library Users.” Knjižnica58, no. 1-2: 57-80.

Wakeling, S., Garner, J., Hider, P., Jamali, H., Lymn, J., Mansourian, Y., & Randell-Moon, H. (2022). ‘The challenge now is for us to remain relevant’: Australian public libraries and the COVID-19 crisis. IFLA Journal,48(1), 138–154. https://doi-org.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/10.1177/03400352211054115

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Posted on April 24, 2023 by Monica Holland

When I chose adventure seekers as my community, I’m not sure what I was expecting to find. However, I was expecting to find more! Libraries and information centers do not create learning and programming for my adventure seekers community in a direct way. They do however, create programming for leisure activities and have been growing in this area. Crawford’s article on leisure agendas in public libraries demonstrates the attempt at servicing those committed to serious leisure and interested in casual leisure. However, neither community is well supported (2023).

Places that do support the adventure seeker community are applications like You Tube, websites like Trip Advisors and specific narrow groups like Ford Bronco Excursions. Even the dating scene is capitalizing on this community with Events and Adventures | Meet Other Singles Naturally social club.

The transition from formal to informal learning settings is moving closer to supporting a more unique and/or intense learning experience. Providing more unexpected programs like a discussion on fungi hunting with an actual expert, may bring the fringe adventure seekers to the table. So, what learning programs might pull adventure seekers into the library? I attempted to find services in actual libraries.

I found a library programming calendar that listed notable holidays and themed appreciation weeks (Browse Ideas | Programming Librarian). Libraries tend to have displays, book clubs and classes centered around these types of occasions. I found National Travel & Tourism week May 7-13, 2023. The focus of this week is not adventure or thrills, however. The focus is to stimulate economic growth, create job opportunities, cultivate communities and elevate the quality of life for Americans. While this fits into the article I found relating to tourism co-creation (Prayag, Joseph, Muskat & Taheri, 2020). This still doesn’t quite hit the mark for adventure seekers. Even though the week was listed on the calendar for library programming… I did not find any actual programs in libraries for this week. Admittedly, the search was short lived.

I then decided to check my own local libraries for inspiration and research. Solano County had many events listed on their calendar. Ranging from Sewing classes, Read to a Dog at shelters, Lego Club and Lawyer in Libraries night. One caught my eye that still did not apply to the typical adventure seeker, but maybe to those seeking a unique experience. Poppin’ Bottles & Pop Culture Reads! A book club in partnership with a wine bar. The meetings take place at the wine bar rather than at the library, while discussing the latest monthly themed book.

In support of serious leisure and participants wanting to acquire knowledge, there was a Master Gardener program focusing on growing succulents from trimmings. Again, not much thrill, but we’re getting closer! One particular day I think libraries could have supported our fellow adventure seekers was on Earth Day. It seems Solano County missed an opportunity to reach out and grab those willing to travel, experience something new and make a positive impact all with one outing. Since the date is set well in advance, proper marketing could have propelled an Earth Day event. A boat outing to clean up the waste in the bay, specialized groups with scuba gear, sonar tracking or net makers. This may seem extravagant, but that is kind of what we’re going for!

References:

Crawford Barniskis, S. (2023). Serious and casual leisure in public library makerspaces: The two-audience conundrum and research agenda.Library & Information Science Research,45(2), 101241.

Prayag, G., Joseph, G. M., Muskat, B., & Taheri, B. (2020). A serious leisure perspective of culinary tourism co-creation: the influence of prior knowledge, physical environment and service quality.International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management,32(7), 2453–2472.

VanScoy, A., Thomson, L., & Hartel, J. (2020). Applying theory in practice: The serious leisure perspective and public library programming.Library & Information Science Research,42(3), 101034.

Wymer, W. W., Self, D. R., & Findley, C. S. (casey). (2010). Sensation Seekers as a Target Market for Volunteer Tourism.Services Marketing Quarterly,31(3), 348–362.

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Posted on March 21, 2023 by Monica Holland

Adventure seekers are the ultimate form of serious leisure. The Serious Leisure Perspective was laid out by Stebbins who concluded that there was a gap between serious leisure participants and the library practitioners and how information was provided or shared (2009). Well, after weeks of looking for studies on adventure seekers and their information behaviors, I can attest that there is indeed a gap! With that said, I found an interesting article on culinary tourism. Since adventure seekers actively look for new experiences, what better thrill than new foods! The study was conducted by Girish Prayag of the University of Canterbury, Martin Gannon an independent, Birgit Muskat of Australian National University and Babak Taheri of Heriot-Watt University.

“The study uses the concepts of serious leisure and terroir [environment characteristics that influence wine quality and taste] to examine how knowledge, physical environment and service quality influence co-creation within the culinary tourism context” (Prayag, Gannon, Muskrat & Taheri, 2020; see also Kruger and Viljoen, 2019). They saw how food was a driving force behind tourism and that people wanted an authentic and unique experience. So, how did Prayag, Gannon, Muskat and Taheri approach their study? They surveyed 575 Iranian tourists who had participated in cooking classes. The cooking classes account for the interactive environment as well as giving them knowledge with the idea that it would stimulate co-creation (2020.) What they found is that through the serious leisure framework, one can understand how tourists evaluate their total experience of culinary consumption. This total experience encompassing environment, service quality and prior knowledge. And in turn, how the total experience spurs co-creation within hospitality and tourism.

This study linked not just the variety of food, but also culture and community to the experience. Stebbins pointed out that serious leisure participants want opportunities to acquire knowledge and feel fulfilled (2009). I can see how this information would help the tourism and hospitality industries give better experiences and offer what people are looking for. If you are an adventure seeker looking for your next thrill, finding a unique package that hits all of these points would be necessary. The participants of these unique finds would then influence how the industry adjusts and adapts over time. These same participants would also influence new participants thus prompting the cycle of co-creation.

Applying this same thought to a more intense experience, like maybe bungee jumping, simply jumping off a bridge is no longer enough. Adventure seekers want to hike through beautiful scenery and learn about the builders of the bridge along the way. Knowing that the adrenaline rush is only a part of the total experience, offering opportunities with potential for growth are ever more important. Providing ways to decern between “just the bungee jump” and the “total experience tour with binoculars included”… well, that is what the library science industry is for.

References:

Kruger, M., & Viljoen, A. (2019). Terroir wine festival visitors: uncorking the origin of behavioural intentions“, Current Issues in Tourism, doi:10.1080/13683500.2019.1667310

Prayag, G., Gannon, M.J, Muskat, B., Taheri, B. (2020). A serious leisure perspective of culinary tourism co-creation: the influence of prior knowledge, physical environment and service quality. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 32(7), 2453-2472.

Stebbins, R. A. (2009). Leisure and Its Relationship to Library and: Information Science: Bridging the Gap.Library Trends,57(4), 618–631.

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Posted on March 11, 2023 by Monica Holland

When considering adventure seekers as a community, there are multiple layers to consider. First, the community itself is diverse in the level of thrill seeking, diverse in their socio-economic background, cultural background and even how they seek or share information. What they share in common is the need to explore and experience new adventures. Whether exotic foods or bungee jumping, the constant search for the next adrenaline rush is unique to this community.

With that being said, would their differences within the community affect the way an individual seeks information? I believe this community is all about the experience. If someone is willing to show-up and take a risk, well, the more the merrier! So when thinking about cultural differences or gender identities, this wouldn’t seem to be a barrier to the information gathering. One difference that sticks out to me would be geographical boundaries. The immediate environment and what is easily accessible would alter a person’s information seeking behavior. One of the great things about living in Northern California is that you are only a 3 hours drive away from any environment you may be looking for.

Hiking? Check. Kayaking? Check. Snow, dessert, woods, ocean, countryside or even urban metropolitan cities? Done. How I search for extreme activities would be very different compared to someone living in Wyoming. Now if someone had the economic freedom to travel, then the adventure doors open a little wider.

Assuming the doors are wide open for all adventure seekers, could there still be biases that are hindering the ability for the community to access information? According to Robert Stebbins, a gap existed between the serious leisure perspective and the library science practitioners (2009). He believed the gap was caused by the stereotype that leisure activities are trivial. Stebbins defined leisure as an uncoerced activity that people find satisfying or fulfilling. He believed that three main forms of leisure existed, and that serious leisure was composed of the most complex and challenging activities. He then used this perspective to demonstrate the need for information gathering and dissemination within the community. Stebbins laid out a framework to help guide the library and information science practitioners on how to retrieve and disseminate such necessary information for those activities. He believed this framework would bridge that gap between the serious leisure perspective and systems for understanding how people gather information within the leisure community.

Crystal Fulton used Stebbins definition of serious leisure and applied it to genealogist. Since genealogy requires special skills and is a voluntary activity, the hobby fits right in. Fulton however, explores “the role of information sharing and reciprocal information exchange in the hobby of amateur genealogy” (2009). We have discussed the role of information sharing, but does the adventure seeker community depend on or grow more socially connected by reciprocal exchange? Fulton’s study explored twenty-four genealogists from around the world. He found that reciprocal exchange was expected within the armature genealogy community. I think this may be where I research next!

References:

Fulton, C. (2009). Quid Pro Quo: Information Sharing in Leisure Activities.Library Trends,57(4), 753–768.

Stebbins, R. A. (2009). Leisure and Its Relationship to Library and: Information Science: Bridging the Gap.Library Trends,57(4), 618–631.

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Posted on February 18, 2023 by Monica Holland

Are you a daredevil? Gambler? Traveler or explorer? Maybe spelunking to the bottom of a distant cave and swimming through caverns sounds not just exciting, but necessary. If your heart rate increased with anticipation, you may be an Adventure Seeker.

An adventure seeker can be described as someone who pursues intense and complex experiences. Turns out, there are rankings to just how much of an intense and complex person you might be! According to Marvin Zuckerman as described by Ken Carter (2018), there are four main components to sensation seeking behavior:

Thrill & Adventure – These individuals seek out exciting and risky activities. Particularly those activities that are physical in nature.

Experience Seeking – This group tends to enjoy new and complex experiences. Someone who might try skydiving but would lean towards challenges or travel.

Disinhibition – Spontaneous much? This individual may sign-up for swimming with sharks on a last-minute whim.

Boredom Susceptibility – Restless of routine and preference for variety, this sub-group likes exciting people to interrupt their tedious day. The unexpected kayak vacation or the new outdoor orchestra dinner theater would be welcomed outings.

Well, how do Adventure Seekers find each other to form a community? How do they discover the next new thrilling experience? They share information. This sharing of information helps individuals within communities cultivate an identity, sense of belonging, expand their knowledge, and informs their behavior. (Du et al. 2022). Using Fisher & Fulton’s definition of Information Communities (2022, p.43), let’s take a look at how this community shares information.

Depending on where you rank within the adventure seeking community, your behaviors in sharing and researching information may vary. For example, the experience seeking group are probably searching for their experiences with determination. Whether through online groups, pre-planned packages or even with their local travel agent. Companies like Trip Adviser depend on people searching for ways to enhance their vacations. In contrast people with low inhibition are social by nature and the information sharing is likely to be an informal by-product of a social activity. Their source could very well be by word of mouth or even a sign with an arrow pointing to the edge of a cliff.

The thrill and adventure sub-group may use the Berrypicking theory proposed by Marcia Bates.

“Each new piece of information they encounter gives them new ideas and directions to follow… the query is not satisfied by a single final retrieved set, but by a series of selections of individual references and bits of information at each stage of the ever-modifying search” (Bates, 1989).

It’s the combination of the search evolving and picking out useful information along the way. Lastly, people who are susceptible to boredom likely search intentionally for new experiences to breakup their routine. Something quick and easily accessible. Maybe the Top Ten list of things to do in a city is their most searched topic in Google. They may end up in any of the above groups activities, but most likely purposefully searched it out.

As you can see, Adventure Seekers consists of many subgroups that make up a whole community. Information shared is both intentional and fluid. Both purposefully sought after and acquired by happen stance. Social media plays an integral role in this sharing of information in adventure seeker communities. Pictures spark the interest for many. A dazzling photo hanging from atop a building from an angle you can’t even imagine, makes even the viewers heart flutter.

Blogging is definitely where one can find many enthusiasts who catalog their adventures. It allows for a creative outlet to share their exploits. Through blogging, many also find followers of the same lifestyle. These strangers then introduce them to new places, new adventures and the cycle continues!

There was an idea posted by Psychology Today that while there are many more outlets for high sensation seekers to devour content, the outlets were not inspiring new thrill seekers. Instead, it was giving permission to those with already a high propensity to seek adventure to indulge in their passions (Carter, 2020).

The sharing of information comes from a diverse collective. Whether sharing your last adrenaline surge, a fear conquered, a unique experience, or just a soccer mom who no longer wants boundaries, all have a role. Most wanting to inspire others to push boundaries and achieve new experiences. Some just wanting to share “the shot.” But what seems to bring them all together is the excitement for life and to make moments lived as big as possible.

References:

Bates, M. J. (1989). The design of browsing and berrypicking techniques for the online search interface. Online Review, 13(5), 407–424.

Carter, K. (2018, April 10). What We Can Learn from Sensation Seekers. Greater Good. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/what_we_can_learn_from_sensation_seekers

Carter, K. (2020, September 15). Lust for Life. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/201910/lust-life

Du, J. T. (2022). A Critical Approach to Engaging Communities in Information Behavior Research. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4327125

Fisher, K.E., Fulton, C. (2022). Information Services Today: An Introduction (S. Hirsh (ed.); 3rd ed., pp. 41–52). Rowman & Littlefield.

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Posted on January 26, 2023 by Monica Holland

As an Animal Control Officer, each day is different. The best prepared plans go out of the window almost immediately. I have learned that animals do not read signs, nor do they care to learn! Since this job is so unpredictable, it is nice to have fellow officers to call on for help. There are a few organizations that I belong to for just that reason. Cal Animals is the statewide organization that keeps officers up to date with new laws and regulations. They host basic training webinars as well as classes on progressive ideologies within animal welfare. They help connect animal welfare agencies and provide opportunities for networking and sharing “what works” ideas.

Do you know how Animal Control Officer’s came to be? Originally the dog catcher was needed to round up stray dogs for rabies control. Now we investigate animal cruelty, help injured wild animals, determine dangerous or vicious dogs and much more! This progression has been in part due to the ability to share information. National Animal Care & Control (NACA) is an organization built for sharing. When new laws are passed throughout the nation, this is one place to get that information. When new standards of humane care are established, we attend a class sponsored by NACA.

With more and more citizens owning pets and making them a part of their family, new issues will arise. I look forward to learning how animal welfare will transform in the future!

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Posted on January 13, 2023 by Monica Holland

Hello there! I am Monica and am super excited for this new adventure in Librarianship. Science, animal welfare and serving my community are not only interests of mine, but also aspects I look forward to incorporating into this new career. The neighborhood library was always a place I found helpful and comfortable. I still check out books and DVD’s!!

Have a great day and remember to VIBE Wild!

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