Bharat Mehra | University of Tennessee Knoxville (original) (raw)
Papers by Bharat Mehra
Community Development, 2005
This paper addresses the expanded function of the library and information science (LIS) professio... more This paper addresses the expanded function of the library and information science (LIS) professions in community development initiatives to use information and communication technology (ICT) to enhance social equity in communities. Incorporating dimensions of the metaphor of information ecology in an analysis of the role of the LIS professions in community development helps to identify the close relationship of social
Proceedings of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 2005
This paper develops a phase-model of the cross-cultural learning process of LIS international doc... more This paper develops a phase-model of the cross-cultural learning process of LIS international doctoral students and provides a consolidated, indepth, and comprehensive look at their experiences that extends prior anecdotal and survey-based efforts. Semi-structured interviews along with informal discussions, analysis of electronic interactions, and observations as a participant researcher identify cross-cultural learning experiences of all the twenty-two international doctoral students from a representative LIS program in the United States. The phases in the model of the cross-cultural learning process represent significant cognitive (thoughts), affective (feelings), and physical (actions) aspects of the experiences of LIS international doctoral students. Mapping participants' concerns and challenges during each phase is used to highlight interventions at the level of discipline, program, faculty, doctoral student community, and individual student that together provide a practical application to the research. Proposed interventions need to be holistically applied in conjunction with each other to promote mutual "two-way" learning where international students learn from the discipline and the discipline learns from the international students. Such an approach suggests symbiotic connections between improvements in effectiveness of student learning and efforts to tap into the cultural knowledge of international students to further growth in internationalization of LIS education in the United States.
The International Information & Library Review, 2007
There is minimal research on the cross-cultural needs, priorities, and behaviors of international... more There is minimal research on the cross-cultural needs, priorities, and behaviors of international participants immersed in contemporary culturally alien information environments. Through a quantitative analysis of Internet use patterns of international teaching assistants (ITA) studying in graduate school at a representative university in the United States, the authors discover communication-information convergences in ITAs' use of the Internet as a ''glocal'' network, connecting the ''global'' and ''local'' dimensions in their everyday lives. The paper identifies dual functions of the Internet considered meaningful to the ITAs in the diaspora, namely: (1) to engage in various communication activities with friends and family in their home countries (the ''global''), thereby providing psychological comfort and overcoming social isolation; and (2) to conduct information gathering activities that establish coping mechanisms for ITAs in their new homes in the United States (the ''local''). The paper presents empirical data highlighting correlations between communication and information intersections in ITAs' use of the Internet. Findings extend past Internet research and user studies in traditional communication and information research, which only alluded to these communication-information convergence processes, to better understand how international people use the Internet in present-day cross-cultural contexts of interaction.
… of Information Science Annual Conference, Montreal …, 2007
INTRODUCTION Trends in a global information revolution and the spread in networked information an... more INTRODUCTION Trends in a global information revolution and the spread in networked information and communication technologies (ICTs) around the world call for innovative strategies to promote information sharing across geographically dispersed and culturally disparate participants ...
in the UT's SIS synchronous distance education program. The grant combines work experience in reg... more in the UT's SIS synchronous distance education program. The grant combines work experience in regional libraries with graduate instruction and a curriculum that focuses on information technology and rural librarianship. This article identifies ongoing collaborations in the project's five phases that include: recruitment of ITRL students, needs assessment of rural library services, implementation of educational activities, mentoring, evaluation and assessment of program outcomes, and dissemination of program results.
Proceedings of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 2006
This paper proposes a practical framework for social justice research in the information professi... more This paper proposes a practical framework for social justice research in the information professions by sharing examples from three qualitative studies, each of which represents an information service and/or application of social justice ideals for meeting the needs of a particular underserved population. In order to develop the framework and to encourage consideration of the social justice angle within mainstream LIS discourse and practice, the three studies are examined in light of social justice elements and principles. What is common to these studies is an underlying need to bring about a change in existing power dynamics between who we as information professionals consider central and who we consider peripheral in our teaching, research, and service missions.
Rural Library Professionals as Change Agents in the 21st Century: Integrating Information Technol... more Rural Library Professionals as Change Agents in the 21st Century: Integrating Information Technology Competencies in the Southern and Central Appalachian Region (ITRL) ($567,660). Institute of Museum and Library Services, Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program, October 2009 – September 2012. Principal Investigators: B. Mehra, K. Black, and V. Singh. Project Partners: Clinch-Powell Regional Library (Clinton, Tennessee: S. Simmons, Director), Nolichucky
The need for progressive change in people’s attitudes and behaviors is essential for a communityw... more The need for progressive change in people’s attitudes and behaviors is essential for a communitywide acceptance of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgenders, and questioning (LGBTQ) individuals. This article examines our role as library and information science (LIS) professionals working in an academic environment to promote equality of sexual minorities by taking community action and creating social awareness and acceptance on their
Little is known about the role of educational collaboratories as information systems for manageme... more Little is known about the role of educational collaboratories as information systems for management of social (human) and technical (technology-related) factors in interdisciplinary contexts. Within a milieu of interdisciplinary issues in education, science, and technology, this paper takes a situated approach towards identification of complexities in the development of educational collaboratories in the GK-12 EdGrid Graduate Teaching Fellowship Program (GK-12
This paper analyzes the uses of the Inquiry Page (www.inquiry.uiuc.edu) in the National Science F... more This paper analyzes the uses of the Inquiry Page (www.inquiry.uiuc.edu) in the National Science Foundation GK-12 Fellowship Program*, where scientist-fellows and K-12 teachers partner to integrate the use of computer-based modeling, scientific visualization, and informatics in science and mathematics education. The Inquiry Page is a web-based, knowledge-building tool that facilitates and fosters real-world application of inquiry-based learning. By creating "Inquiry
First Monday, 2000
In order for public libraries to ameliorate the "digital divide&... more In order for public libraries to ameliorate the "digital divide" in their local communities, this paper presents a socially grounded and participative process for facilitating access to networked digital information for marginalized groups. Through the Afya Project, a participatory action ...
Proceedings of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 2006
There is an urgent need for availability of life-saving health information services as well as ad... more There is an urgent need for availability of life-saving health information services as well as adequate marketing, advertising, and dissemination strategies to people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs), and to the broader public at large, especially in the context of a recent UNAIDS estimation that the number of people living with HIV in the United States, at the end of 2003, exceeded one million for the first time. This study explores the HIV/AIDS health information services that are available within the local community of Knoxville, Tennessee, and presents focus group perspectives of nine library and information professionals about awareness and use of these services by PLWHAs.
Cohesion refers to the relatedness of module components and is a well-understood concept in the p... more Cohesion refers to the relatedness of module components and is a well-understood concept in the procedural paradigm. In the object-oriented paradigm, a concept of class cohesion appears to be necessary. In this paper, we compare two different approaches to measuring class ...
Proceedings of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 2006
Based on empirical research with queer students, staff, and faculty at a typical southern univers... more Based on empirical research with queer students, staff, and faculty at a typical southern university in the United States, this paper reports qualitative feedback gathered from 21 gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning individuals about the use of the Internet in their everyday lives. The study shares interview data and presents participant perceptions in the form of scenarios representing their typical Internet use-related experiences. Scenarios map intersections between participants" cyberspace practices and queer identity formation and help recognize participant Internet use experiences as significant to their individual, social, and community empowerment. Findings help to uncover multidimensional and complex realities in the everyday lives of queer people in terms of their personal growth, social networking, and political and community engagement, achieved via the use of the Internet, in ways that are meaningful to them.
Proceedings of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 2007
Results from this study provide understanding of the critical cultural clues associated with inte... more Results from this study provide understanding of the critical cultural clues associated with international students' information seeking and information needs. They also have implications for overcoming system design barriers for users from different cultural backgrounds to effectively interact with various technologies and for providing user-centered services that are supportive of their information needs.
Proceedings of the American Society for Information Science and Technology
The field of library and information science (LIS) has historically been a leading discipline in ... more The field of library and information science (LIS) has historically been a leading discipline in studying human information behavior (Spink & Cole, 2006). Information seeking in industrialized nations is grounded in theories and moving towards new directions and evolutionary approaches that often challenge the established paradigms of information behavior studies (see Case, 2007; Spink & Cole, 2006; Fisher, Erdelez, & Mckechnie, 2005; Chelton & Cool, 2004. Information behavior has been conceptualized in a holistic context that draws upon theories from various disciplines such as cognitive science, communication, psychology, and computer science (Nahl & Bilal, 2007; Spink & Cole, 2006). Compared to industrialized nations, most developing countries relegate towards the bottom heap of research on information behavior (Coleman, 2005; Britz, 2005).A panel of researchers, educators, and consultants will address research in information behavior in various contexts in developing countries, ...
Journal of Child Neurology, 2015
We studied 27 infants aged 6 to 27 months with vitamin B12 deficiency also known as &... more We studied 27 infants aged 6 to 27 months with vitamin B12 deficiency also known as "infantile tremor syndrome" in India. All were exclusively breast-fed by vegetarian mothers. Developmental delay or regression, pallor, skin hyperpigmentation, and sparse brown hair were present in all. Majority were hypotonic and involuntary movements were encountered in 18. Anemia and macrocytosis was found in 83% and 71% infants, respectively. Low serum vitamin B12 was present in 12 of 21 infants. Seven of the 9 infants with normal serum vitamin B12 had received vitamin B12 before referral. Twelve mothers had low serum vitamin B12. Cerebral atrophy was present in all the 9 infants who underwent neuroimaging. Treatment with vitamin B12 resulted in dramatic improvement in general activity and appetite within 48 to 72 hours followed by return of lost milestones. Tremors resolved in all by 3 to 4 weeks. Nutritional vitamin B12 deficiency is a treatable cause of neurologic dysfunction in infants.
Proceedings of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 2006
This paper proposes a practical framework for social justice research in the information professi... more This paper proposes a practical framework for social justice research in the information professions by sharing examples from three qualitative studies, each of which represents an information service and/or application of social justice ideals for meeting the needs of a particular underserved population. In order to develop the framework and to encourage consideration of the social justice angle within mainstream LIS discourse and practice, the three studies are examined in light of social justice elements and principles. What is common to these studies is an underlying need to bring about a change in existing power dynamics between who we as information professionals consider central and who we consider peripheral in our teaching, research, and service missions.
Proceedings of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 2007
, seeking, and use continue to contribute a great deal of valuable theoretical and practical know... more , seeking, and use continue to contribute a great deal of valuable theoretical and practical knowledge to information science (Fisher et al., 2005; Case, 2007). The principles of fairness, ethics, and equity are often implicit in many of these studies (Hersberger, 2003; Todd & Edwards, 2004; Courtright, 2005). However, the concept of social justice, an overarching concept that includes these principles, is rarely made explicit.
Community Development, 2005
This paper addresses the expanded function of the library and information science (LIS) professio... more This paper addresses the expanded function of the library and information science (LIS) professions in community development initiatives to use information and communication technology (ICT) to enhance social equity in communities. Incorporating dimensions of the metaphor of information ecology in an analysis of the role of the LIS professions in community development helps to identify the close relationship of social
Proceedings of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 2005
This paper develops a phase-model of the cross-cultural learning process of LIS international doc... more This paper develops a phase-model of the cross-cultural learning process of LIS international doctoral students and provides a consolidated, indepth, and comprehensive look at their experiences that extends prior anecdotal and survey-based efforts. Semi-structured interviews along with informal discussions, analysis of electronic interactions, and observations as a participant researcher identify cross-cultural learning experiences of all the twenty-two international doctoral students from a representative LIS program in the United States. The phases in the model of the cross-cultural learning process represent significant cognitive (thoughts), affective (feelings), and physical (actions) aspects of the experiences of LIS international doctoral students. Mapping participants' concerns and challenges during each phase is used to highlight interventions at the level of discipline, program, faculty, doctoral student community, and individual student that together provide a practical application to the research. Proposed interventions need to be holistically applied in conjunction with each other to promote mutual "two-way" learning where international students learn from the discipline and the discipline learns from the international students. Such an approach suggests symbiotic connections between improvements in effectiveness of student learning and efforts to tap into the cultural knowledge of international students to further growth in internationalization of LIS education in the United States.
The International Information & Library Review, 2007
There is minimal research on the cross-cultural needs, priorities, and behaviors of international... more There is minimal research on the cross-cultural needs, priorities, and behaviors of international participants immersed in contemporary culturally alien information environments. Through a quantitative analysis of Internet use patterns of international teaching assistants (ITA) studying in graduate school at a representative university in the United States, the authors discover communication-information convergences in ITAs' use of the Internet as a ''glocal'' network, connecting the ''global'' and ''local'' dimensions in their everyday lives. The paper identifies dual functions of the Internet considered meaningful to the ITAs in the diaspora, namely: (1) to engage in various communication activities with friends and family in their home countries (the ''global''), thereby providing psychological comfort and overcoming social isolation; and (2) to conduct information gathering activities that establish coping mechanisms for ITAs in their new homes in the United States (the ''local''). The paper presents empirical data highlighting correlations between communication and information intersections in ITAs' use of the Internet. Findings extend past Internet research and user studies in traditional communication and information research, which only alluded to these communication-information convergence processes, to better understand how international people use the Internet in present-day cross-cultural contexts of interaction.
… of Information Science Annual Conference, Montreal …, 2007
INTRODUCTION Trends in a global information revolution and the spread in networked information an... more INTRODUCTION Trends in a global information revolution and the spread in networked information and communication technologies (ICTs) around the world call for innovative strategies to promote information sharing across geographically dispersed and culturally disparate participants ...
in the UT's SIS synchronous distance education program. The grant combines work experience in reg... more in the UT's SIS synchronous distance education program. The grant combines work experience in regional libraries with graduate instruction and a curriculum that focuses on information technology and rural librarianship. This article identifies ongoing collaborations in the project's five phases that include: recruitment of ITRL students, needs assessment of rural library services, implementation of educational activities, mentoring, evaluation and assessment of program outcomes, and dissemination of program results.
Proceedings of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 2006
This paper proposes a practical framework for social justice research in the information professi... more This paper proposes a practical framework for social justice research in the information professions by sharing examples from three qualitative studies, each of which represents an information service and/or application of social justice ideals for meeting the needs of a particular underserved population. In order to develop the framework and to encourage consideration of the social justice angle within mainstream LIS discourse and practice, the three studies are examined in light of social justice elements and principles. What is common to these studies is an underlying need to bring about a change in existing power dynamics between who we as information professionals consider central and who we consider peripheral in our teaching, research, and service missions.
Rural Library Professionals as Change Agents in the 21st Century: Integrating Information Technol... more Rural Library Professionals as Change Agents in the 21st Century: Integrating Information Technology Competencies in the Southern and Central Appalachian Region (ITRL) ($567,660). Institute of Museum and Library Services, Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program, October 2009 – September 2012. Principal Investigators: B. Mehra, K. Black, and V. Singh. Project Partners: Clinch-Powell Regional Library (Clinton, Tennessee: S. Simmons, Director), Nolichucky
The need for progressive change in people’s attitudes and behaviors is essential for a communityw... more The need for progressive change in people’s attitudes and behaviors is essential for a communitywide acceptance of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgenders, and questioning (LGBTQ) individuals. This article examines our role as library and information science (LIS) professionals working in an academic environment to promote equality of sexual minorities by taking community action and creating social awareness and acceptance on their
Little is known about the role of educational collaboratories as information systems for manageme... more Little is known about the role of educational collaboratories as information systems for management of social (human) and technical (technology-related) factors in interdisciplinary contexts. Within a milieu of interdisciplinary issues in education, science, and technology, this paper takes a situated approach towards identification of complexities in the development of educational collaboratories in the GK-12 EdGrid Graduate Teaching Fellowship Program (GK-12
This paper analyzes the uses of the Inquiry Page (www.inquiry.uiuc.edu) in the National Science F... more This paper analyzes the uses of the Inquiry Page (www.inquiry.uiuc.edu) in the National Science Foundation GK-12 Fellowship Program*, where scientist-fellows and K-12 teachers partner to integrate the use of computer-based modeling, scientific visualization, and informatics in science and mathematics education. The Inquiry Page is a web-based, knowledge-building tool that facilitates and fosters real-world application of inquiry-based learning. By creating "Inquiry
First Monday, 2000
In order for public libraries to ameliorate the "digital divide&... more In order for public libraries to ameliorate the "digital divide" in their local communities, this paper presents a socially grounded and participative process for facilitating access to networked digital information for marginalized groups. Through the Afya Project, a participatory action ...
Proceedings of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 2006
There is an urgent need for availability of life-saving health information services as well as ad... more There is an urgent need for availability of life-saving health information services as well as adequate marketing, advertising, and dissemination strategies to people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs), and to the broader public at large, especially in the context of a recent UNAIDS estimation that the number of people living with HIV in the United States, at the end of 2003, exceeded one million for the first time. This study explores the HIV/AIDS health information services that are available within the local community of Knoxville, Tennessee, and presents focus group perspectives of nine library and information professionals about awareness and use of these services by PLWHAs.
Cohesion refers to the relatedness of module components and is a well-understood concept in the p... more Cohesion refers to the relatedness of module components and is a well-understood concept in the procedural paradigm. In the object-oriented paradigm, a concept of class cohesion appears to be necessary. In this paper, we compare two different approaches to measuring class ...
Proceedings of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 2006
Based on empirical research with queer students, staff, and faculty at a typical southern univers... more Based on empirical research with queer students, staff, and faculty at a typical southern university in the United States, this paper reports qualitative feedback gathered from 21 gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning individuals about the use of the Internet in their everyday lives. The study shares interview data and presents participant perceptions in the form of scenarios representing their typical Internet use-related experiences. Scenarios map intersections between participants" cyberspace practices and queer identity formation and help recognize participant Internet use experiences as significant to their individual, social, and community empowerment. Findings help to uncover multidimensional and complex realities in the everyday lives of queer people in terms of their personal growth, social networking, and political and community engagement, achieved via the use of the Internet, in ways that are meaningful to them.
Proceedings of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 2007
Results from this study provide understanding of the critical cultural clues associated with inte... more Results from this study provide understanding of the critical cultural clues associated with international students' information seeking and information needs. They also have implications for overcoming system design barriers for users from different cultural backgrounds to effectively interact with various technologies and for providing user-centered services that are supportive of their information needs.
Proceedings of the American Society for Information Science and Technology
The field of library and information science (LIS) has historically been a leading discipline in ... more The field of library and information science (LIS) has historically been a leading discipline in studying human information behavior (Spink & Cole, 2006). Information seeking in industrialized nations is grounded in theories and moving towards new directions and evolutionary approaches that often challenge the established paradigms of information behavior studies (see Case, 2007; Spink & Cole, 2006; Fisher, Erdelez, & Mckechnie, 2005; Chelton & Cool, 2004. Information behavior has been conceptualized in a holistic context that draws upon theories from various disciplines such as cognitive science, communication, psychology, and computer science (Nahl & Bilal, 2007; Spink & Cole, 2006). Compared to industrialized nations, most developing countries relegate towards the bottom heap of research on information behavior (Coleman, 2005; Britz, 2005).A panel of researchers, educators, and consultants will address research in information behavior in various contexts in developing countries, ...
Journal of Child Neurology, 2015
We studied 27 infants aged 6 to 27 months with vitamin B12 deficiency also known as &... more We studied 27 infants aged 6 to 27 months with vitamin B12 deficiency also known as "infantile tremor syndrome" in India. All were exclusively breast-fed by vegetarian mothers. Developmental delay or regression, pallor, skin hyperpigmentation, and sparse brown hair were present in all. Majority were hypotonic and involuntary movements were encountered in 18. Anemia and macrocytosis was found in 83% and 71% infants, respectively. Low serum vitamin B12 was present in 12 of 21 infants. Seven of the 9 infants with normal serum vitamin B12 had received vitamin B12 before referral. Twelve mothers had low serum vitamin B12. Cerebral atrophy was present in all the 9 infants who underwent neuroimaging. Treatment with vitamin B12 resulted in dramatic improvement in general activity and appetite within 48 to 72 hours followed by return of lost milestones. Tremors resolved in all by 3 to 4 weeks. Nutritional vitamin B12 deficiency is a treatable cause of neurologic dysfunction in infants.
Proceedings of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 2006
This paper proposes a practical framework for social justice research in the information professi... more This paper proposes a practical framework for social justice research in the information professions by sharing examples from three qualitative studies, each of which represents an information service and/or application of social justice ideals for meeting the needs of a particular underserved population. In order to develop the framework and to encourage consideration of the social justice angle within mainstream LIS discourse and practice, the three studies are examined in light of social justice elements and principles. What is common to these studies is an underlying need to bring about a change in existing power dynamics between who we as information professionals consider central and who we consider peripheral in our teaching, research, and service missions.
Proceedings of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 2007
, seeking, and use continue to contribute a great deal of valuable theoretical and practical know... more , seeking, and use continue to contribute a great deal of valuable theoretical and practical knowledge to information science (Fisher et al., 2005; Case, 2007). The principles of fairness, ethics, and equity are often implicit in many of these studies (Hersberger, 2003; Todd & Edwards, 2004; Courtright, 2005). However, the concept of social justice, an overarching concept that includes these principles, is rarely made explicit.