Anastasia Forte

LIS 620-02

Information Needs Assessment and Search Plan

Information Needs Assessment

For my LibGuide I would like to focus on homophobia in the black community. I

would like my LibGuide in academic libraries and possibly public libraries. I know that in

academic libraries the users are often seeking information for specific topics, so for a

student or patron looking for information on homophobia in the black community finding

my LibGuide would rather helpful. I think making it available in a public library could help

inform the community and dispel stereotypes and discrimination against the LBGT

community.

Students usually have enough knowledge to start their search with little issues if

they have the right search terms. Searching “homophobia in the black community” in

most databases or search engines will provide a good amount of information, and they

will probably continue from there. Students are often required to use credible sources so

the information they find they will use to prove or disprove an argument likely. Public

Library patrons are a little different. For one, their levels of education vary so

understanding the information might prove to be difficult. Finding information for all

levels or explaining what the information means is important. Second, they will probably

not have access to as many databases as academic libraries so they would probably

have to use a familiar search engine. They can use the same search terms, and will still

find many resources. Depending on the reasoning for researching this topic public

library patrons may be either excited or apprehensive to share their findings.

Anastasia Forte
LIS 620-02
Students and library patrons need factual information the most. Because this

topic is “touchy” in the black community the only way to even get your argumentative

foot in the door is to have factual information. A gap in that need for public library

patrons would be finding scholarly sources. Opinion pieces are helpful, but if your

argument is that there is homophobia in the black community you would at least need

information that has been studied and proven. A challenge in meeting this need is that

public libraries do not always have access to databases that provide full text resources

for free. If there was open access to these types of materials it would be beneficial to

patrons. Also having a librarian or peer to support them through this research journey

can help to relieve any stresses or discomfort the patron might have. The gap in

academic student’s needs may be the same, but hopefully not as extensive.

Search Plan

In searching for homophobia in the black community I will use the search

phrase “homophobia in the black community” AND “black” OR “African American” AND

“gay.” It is important to include both black or African American because we are referred

to as both and I would not want to miss any articles or information pertaining to this

subject because I left out the common phrases that we are addressed as. I also would

include gay because in the past homosexuals were referred to as “gay” so I do not want

to miss any articles with that phrase as well. I would not use a time frame restriction for

this search because any information at any point in history could be useful for research.

Because homophobia in the black community is such a taboo subject I do not want to

put too many limiters on where and when. It is also important to consider if students or
Anastasia Forte
LIS 620-02
public library patrons have access to certain resources so making the resources vast

would probably be best. I would like use search engines like Google, Google Scholar,

and Bing. I believe this provides a great basis to find a lot of information. For students of

UNCG using the library’s website is a great place to start as well. Databases that focus

on LBGT people are other sources I will use. A few are the LGBT Life with Full Text,

LGBT Studies in Video, and LGBT Thought and Culture. Using databases with focuses

on the LBGT community is a huge plus because instead of having to use the full search

of homophobia in the black community, you could instead search using the phrases

“black community” or “African American community” and it will produce results regarding

LBGT people. The information found from all of these sources range from easy to

difficult so having an explanation for each source will help both students and patrons get

a clear understanding of what they will encounter.