Overview

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.

Full Product Details

Author:   Paul A. Thomas
Publisher:   Lexington Books
Imprint:   Lexington Books/Fortress Academic
Dimensions:   Width: 15.80cm , Height: 2.00cm , Length: 23.60cm
Weight:   0.540kg
ISBN:  

9781666941937

ISBN 10:   166694193
Pages:   272
Publication Date:   15 July 2024
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
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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

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

Author Information

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

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