Cognitive mapping and its implication for understanding cultural behaviors and experiences in libraries

Abstract

Cognitive mapping is a method typically adopted in ethnographical research to learn about library user behavior and experience in a cross-cultural context. Through reporting practical findings from a case study, where it served as a key method, the usefulness of cognitive mapping in revealing cognitive style and perceptions of the library and in understanding cultural users' behaviors and experiences is explored. Cognitive mapping offers an open exploratory way to help self-reflection of personal contexts regardless of language constraints. As such, it provides for the study of multiple cultural communities. In addition, its potential of usage in a virtual environment is presented. One limitation of this method is the extent to which it can reveal the holistic picture of library experience in isolation. As such, it works well when applied with other data collection techniques to form a flexible yet robust methodological framework to learning about library cultural groups.