Dix réflexions sur l’étude des utilisateurs et des usages des archives

Simon Côté-Lapointe, candidat au doctorat
École de bibliothéconomie et des sciences de l’information de l’Université de Montréal, EBSI
Avec l'appui financier du Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et culture (FRQSC) et de la
la Fondation de BAnQ grâce à son Programme de soutien à la recherche
Présentation dans le cadre du 10e Symposium EBSI-SIS
Vendredi le 24 février 2017, Université de Montréal
Dix réflexions sur l’étude des
utilisateurs et des usages des archives /
Ten reflections about the study of users
and uses of archives

Presentation plan
2
1. Context and method
2. Five reflections about users
3. Five reflections about uses
4. Conclusion
Introduction
S. Côté-Lapointe – Ten reflections about the study of users and uses of archives – 10e Symposium EBSI-SIS – 2017

3
Introduction
Context and method
Context
• Doctoral project
• Litterature review on uses and users of archives
Corpus analyzed
• Theoretical and empirical texts in archival science
• Europe and Northern America
• More than 40 texts summarized (english and french)

5
1. User needs About users
«Need» is a vague and little studied aspect in archival
science
• Synonyms : expectations, intention, reasons, intended
use, requests, etc.
• Different analysis levels of the phenomenon
• No shared theoretical basis in user studies
• Archival users and use have received considerably less
attention than in LIS

S. Côté-Lapointe – Ten reflections about the study of users and uses of archives – 10e Symposium EBSI-SIS – 2017 6
2. The digital user About users
The digital environment modify the mediation between archives,
users and institutions
« Archives are becoming more aware that the demographics of users, especially in
online environment, is changing, no longer consisting primarily or exclusively of
researchers, but increasingly containing non-researchers [...] who search, browse,
or simply look around according to their personal or everyday-life information
needs (Pugh, 2005; Huvila, 2008; Adams, 2007). […] researchers also are beginning
to have non-traditional expectations of the archives, probably due to their overall
experiences with online databases, digital libraries, etc. » (Vilar et Šauperl, 2015,
p.553)
Impact on theorical and empirical perspectives on users.

7
3. User studies
We study more the user’s expectations in relation to a
specific system or interface than the actual needs
Problematic because :
• Different practices whitin the archival community
• Different contents, kinds and types of archives
• Different interfaces
• Fast and constant evolution of digital dissemination means
• Contextual and technological bias
About users

8
4. Actual users / Potential users
We study more the needs of those who already use
archives (traditionnal users) than the needs of potential
users
About users

9
5. User typologies
User typologies reflect a vision centered around the
archives rather than the characteristics of users and their
practical uses of archives
Typologies
• Traditionnal / non traditionnal users
• Intern / extern users
• Primary / secondary / passive users
• Records / archives users
• Direct / indirect users
• Vocational / avocational (or lay users)
• Experts / novice users
About users

• Global dissemination
• Facilitate handling et
reuse
• Expansion of uses
11
6. Digital chain of use About uses
The chain of use have change in the digital environment
• More access
• More visibility
• More dissemination means
• More digitized documents
• More types of documents (audio,
video, etc.)
• Less mediation with institutions and
archivists
• Web 2.0 & 3.0

12
7. Theoretical basis of use
There is a lack of theorical basis of archives uses
«Use» is vague concept. Synonyms : purpose, function,
utilization, usage, action, activity, task, etc.
About uses
THEORIES & MODELS CHARACTERISTICS
Théorie des trois âges
(Schellenberg, 1956)
Uses based on life cycle of documents and values of archives
Market segmentation
(Yeo, 2005)
2 axis : purpose of use / values sought
Activity theory
(Wilson, 2006)
3 levels for analysing usage : Activity, action, operations
Exploitation of archives
(Lemay & Klein, 2014)
Fifth dimension of the records continuum.
Highlight on conditions of use.
4 axis : activity, finality, materiality, temporality.

13
8. Typologies of uses
Typologies of uses reflect a vision centered around the
archives and the traditionnal types of users rather than the
practical uses of archives
About uses
Typologies
• Explicit or implicit uses
• Direct or indirect uses
• Uses based on user type
• Primary or secondary uses / Uses based on archival value,
function or purpose
• Uses by disciplines or sectors
• Uses by dissemination means

14
9. Study of uses
There’s a lack of study on uses of archives.
• « [...] less is known about what users do with records when they
consult them. » (Yeo, 2005, p.42)
• « Use is hardly discussed at all, while users have gained some
attention since the 1980s. The literature provides a somewhat
abstract view of use and users, not explicitly grounded in
theoretical reasoning or empirical studies. » (Sundqvist, 2007,
p.647)
About uses

15
10. Kinds and types of archives
We must take account of the kinds and types of archival
documents in the study of uses
• Multiple kinds and types of documents in archives leads to
multiple uses
• Lack of study about uses linked to medium and content
types
« More research is needed to determine whether new content is
leading to new uses of archives. » (McCausland, 2011, p.316)
About uses

16
What to do next ? Conclusion
Propose a new model to study the uses of archives
Avenues for further research :
• Exploitation of archives
• Sociologie des usages (sociology of uses)
• Activity theory
• Archival principles, values and functions of archives
• Kinds and types of archives (medium and content)

18
Bibliography
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