Study from information needs and information behavior of an indigenous community

Abstract

The document shows some of the results of an investigation on information needs and information behaviour in the Purépecha indigenous community in the town of Cherán in the State of Michoacán, Mexico. This study contemplated the following objectives to be achieved: identify information needs; detect information behavior in the aspects of use of mobile devices and internet access, including the most frequently used sources of information The sample of the population was 276 people distributed in the following strata: Students, Teachers, Housewives, Artisan, Fathers or head of the family, Merchant, Member of the Major Council, Member of the Youth Council and Campfire Coordinator. The application period took approximately two weeks before the start of the pandemic. These results present the information needs detected but related to the age, gender and occupation of the people surveyed. The sample of the population was intended to be adequate and a structured interview was applied. The research is based on the first two phases of the Modelo NEIN (model on information needs). The results show the information that the members of this community need and that deal mainly with: health, education, customs, commerce, social organization and purchaseselling. These take different priority depending on the age, gender and occupation of the people, showing that external and internal factors impact on the subjects and influence the information needs they present. Likewise, it occurs with informational behavior, which in this case, it is only concerned with showing the use of mobile devices and internet access, on the one hand, and on the other hand, on the sources to which they go to find information: they go to different types of people and very little use of the library.