Brenda Dervin's Sense-Making Methodology: What Has Been Achieved and Why It Matters Now?

Naresh Kumar Agarwal, Christine Urquhart, Michael Olsson, Dave Snowden, Bonnie Cheuk, CarrieLynn Reinhard, Andrew Zalot, Gregory Massara, Hannah Mooney

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Brenda Dervin made a tremendous contribution to both the fields of communication and information science through her Sense-Making Methodology. She was one of the first to advocate for a user-centered perspective in the field and had a tremendous impact on generations of researchers across various disciplines. Almost three years after her passing in December 2022, this panel brings together a diverse range of speakers to celebrate Dervin's contribution to ASIS&T and to information science. This highly interactive panel will cover various topics ranging from interactions with Dervin to the use of Dervin's SMM in theory, research, practice, human interaction, and artificial intelligence tools. The panel members have either engaged with Dervin the person, with her Sense-Making Methodology, or both. The session hopes to inspire the audience to use Dervin's Sense-Making Methodology (SMM) in their research and practice.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1197-1201
Number of pages5
JournalProceedings of the Association for Information Science and Technology
Volume62
Issue number1
Early online date16 Oct 2025
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 16 Oct 2025

Keywords

  • Brenda Dervin
  • communication
  • information behavior
  • research methods
  • Sense-Making Methodology

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