All this week I have been absolutely fascinated with Dervin's Sense Making Methodology chart. For starters, I did not know it was possible to create a post-modern / existential graph before, but alas here one is! Secondly, the graph is filled with wonderful ideas and each one says considerately more than what is actually depicted on the graph itself. Whereas most chart are in the business of portraying 'objective' data so that everyone can benefit from them just by a careful analysis of the trends that they project; this chart has a certain esoteric value to it that results in a greater appreciation the longer a time spent studying it.
The graph itself portrays a cartoonish scene of an purposefully ill-defined squiggly-man approaching a bridge in order to cross the gap from uncertainty (ignorance) where he currently stands, to some unforeseeable conclusion on the other side. Unlike some other charts in information behavior, Dervin's is not overly optimistic about the outcome of the information seeking process. Her chart clearly illustrates (and labels) the possibility of failure, hindrances, and other possible consequences that could be the end result of an information seeking event.
The chart itself names a number of possible causes for such failures, and these possibilities arise right from the beginning of the process. Firstly, the squiggly-man himself carries with him a large umbrella, labeled Context. This umbrella that the squiggly-man is constantly holding with him at every stage of the information seeking event consists of things such as power dynamics, cultures, and ideologies that will shape and manipulate the information that the seeker comes into contact with and processes.
The point at which the information seeker sets out can be a problem in itself. This point is named by Dervin as the Situation, a name that reminds the reader of Sartre's influential work, Being and Nothingness. As such, a Situation resonates with ideas about subjectivity and a "resisting world," but also a heavy resistance to the fixity of truth. Indeed, the Situation is characterized by Dervin as consisting of experience, history, barriers, horizons (recalling Heidegger), and constraints. It is no easy process of merely knowing the topic you need information on and receiving that information in some instantaneously enlightening experience. There are entire worlds to be considered.
Sense-making and un-making is what facilitates crossing the gap. According to Dervin's chart, sense-making is made possible through an active process of "verbings", procedures, and strategies. This makes the information seeker something like an experimenter, trying different active methods in order to discover and process information. The bridge itself is made up of different sources (media, institutions, people) that might produce or solicit the information, as well as "relevances" which indicate the ways in which we evaluate the usefulness or trustworthiness of a source. The gap itself consists of our own questions, confusions, riddles, and angst, or the ultimate impossibility of grounding any of our sources on an external truth.
Finally, on the other side there is the outcome, and as already mentioned above, these outcomes are not always positive. Perhaps the seeker was helped or perhaps she or he was made more confused or left with more questions. Perhaps the information received was more negative than positive. Whatever the case may be, the squiggly-man has made it to the other side and must now deal with whatever consequence or impacts arise from the change.
From the stand-point strictly of a librarian working with individuals to assist them in finding appropriate information sources, I think that the most important thing to gain from Dervin's idea is the uniqueness of every situation and the opportunity that each different situation presents. The squiggly-man on Dervin's chart is made up of a flexible squiggly line for a reason. That reason is to present the idea that she or he is not some rigid, already predetermined and predefined person. We should attempt as much as possible to let go of our presuppositions and actually listen carefully to the needs of each patron. The more we know about the individual and her or his needs, the better equipped we are to find the appropriate resources for them.
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