Abstract
This paper examines how people transitioned into newly created pandemic information environments and the ways in which information literacy practices came into view as the SARS-CoV-2 virus took hold in the UK. Employing a qualitative research design, semi-structured interviews were carried out from May 2020-February 2021 with 32 participants, including people who were engaged in new employment, voluntary or caring roles as well as people who had been diagnosed with COVID. Findings demonstrate that transition into new pandemic environments was shaped by an unfolding phase, an intensification phase, and a stable phase, and information literacy emerged as a form of safeguarding as participants mitigated health, financial and wellbeing risks. This paper develops research into the role that information practices play during crisis as well as extending understanding related to the concept of empowerment, which forms a key idea within information literacy discourse. Findings will be useful for librarians and information professionals as well as public health researchers designing health promotion strategies.
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Lloyd, A., Hicks, A. (2022). Information Literacy, Transition, and Risk in the COVID-19-Environment. In: Smits, M. (eds) Information for a Better World: Shaping the Global Future. iConference 2022. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 13193. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-96960-8_6
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