Making Sense of Teen Life: Strategies for Capturing Ethnographic Data in a Networked Era

Mercado, Crystal 

boyd, d. (forthcoming).  Making sense of  teen life: Strategies for capturing ethnographic
            data in a networked era. In Hargittai, E., and Sandvig, C. Digital Research
            Confidential: The Secrets of Studying Behavior Online. Cambridge: MA: MIT Press.

In this article, boyd explains her approach to gathering data for her ongoing research on how the digital

world affects teens. She explains why staying "behind" the screen is not the best approach when

gathering data. She also explains how interviewing teens through an ethnographic approach gives her a 

well-rounded understanding of the persona that the teen has created online. She goes on to explain her

methods for ethnographic interviews. 

Although this article focuses on boyd's approach to gathering ethnographic data, I found
that this article connected to collection development when it comes to knowing what collections or 

connections our users need. Sending out a survey does not always garner the information that is necessary

for developing a dynamic collection that will have maximum benefits to its users. Similarly, asking closed-ended questions gives users limited responses. Using an ethnographic approach allows both the interviewer and the interviewee to get a deeper perspective of who the users are, what needs they have, and what they consider important. This, in turn, will allow the librarian to develop a collection and make connections that benefit the user and maximize the efforts on the librarian's part as well as maximize the resources that are being devoted to the collection that is being rendered.