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Overloaded and isolated? Preliminary findings on overcoming information challenges for incarcerated university students.

Virgo, Isabel

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Abstract

This paper outlines two tentative themes identified in the initial findings of a project focusing on the information behaviour of a particular group of incarcerated university students. These students are released on licence to attend lectures and study on campus, but are still affected by prison restrictions. Theories of information landscapes, small worlds and information behaviour in transition have informed this work. This paper presents analysis of the first round of data collection, using a combination of progress logs and interviews. The two key themes outlined here relate to issues of inclusion and exclusion in academic spaces. The first theme reveals issues around information overload, particularly during the induction period, while the second relates to how relationships and restrictions on and off campus affect informal information sharing. The identification of these issues can inform support arrangements for these students, with a focus on academic library support. While these issues are unique to a particular group, they have broader implications for other categories of non-traditional higher education (HE) students.

Citation

VIRGO, I. 2025. Overloaded and isolated? Preliminary findings on overcoming information challenges for incarcerated university students. Information research [online], 30(CoLIS): proceedings of the 12th International conference on conceptions of library and information science (CoLIS 2025), 2-5 June 2025, Glasgow, UK, pages 567-573. Available from: https://doi.org/10.47989/ir30CoLIS51925

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jan 31, 2025
Online Publication Date May 19, 2025
Publication Date Jun 30, 2025
Deposit Date Jun 12, 2025
Publicly Available Date Jun 12, 2025
Journal Information research
Electronic ISSN 1368-1613
Publisher University of Borås, Information Research
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 30
Issue CoLIS
Pages 567-573
DOI https://doi.org/10.47989/ir30CoLIS51925
Keywords Diversity; Equity and inclusion in LIS; Curricula; Decolonisation and epistemic injustice; Information behaviour and practices; Information behaviour; Prisons; Higher education; Transitions; Inclusion; Exclusion
Public URL https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/2879402

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