After discussing tour interests with Alex, we have decided to explore the information needs of battered women who haven't sought help from shelters. This issue is hard to research, as these women aren't always identifiable because they don't seek information. The question is, if they want help, where are they looking? What information do they need to get help? This particular article was recommended by Dr. Solomon and discusses women who receive help and then go back to the abuser.
Baker, P. L. (1997). And I went back: Battered women's negotiation of choice. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 26(1), 55-74.
Baker conducted sixteen in-depth interviews with women who left their abusive spouses and then returned to them - which is a very different audience. She discusses how the system failed these women and how their information needs were inadequately met. For various reasons, the needs of these sixteen women were not met the 'script' as Baker calls it that lawyers, social workers, and police officers use to help these women.
I think this article is very useful to studying the information needs of battered women; by studying how the system does not help women, we can figure out what to do to make the system better. Sometimes studying the unmet needs gives us more insight into the information seeker than studying how systems currently meet the needs of users.
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