Valerie M. Nesset

Valerie M. Nesset

Assistant Professor

Library and Information Studies

 544 Baldy Hall
 (716) 645-1485
 vmnesset@buffalo.edu


Information-seeking behavior, information literacy, knowledge organization
Foundations of library and information studies, intellectual freedom, knowledge organization

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Educational Background

  • Ph.D., School of Information Studies, McGill University, Montreal, 2009
  • M.L.I.S., Master of Library and Information Studies, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, 2002
  • B.A., English, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario,1982

The main objective of Valerie's research is to advance understanding of information-seeking behavior to inform information literacy instruction, information organization, and information system design. To achieve this objective she uses qualitative methods to investigate how different user groups (e.g. elementary school children, senior citizens) seek, retrieve, evaluate, and use information. The ultimate goal of her teaching is to encourage critical thinking and problem solving to prepare students for lifelong learning and decision-making in the workplace. To further this goal, Valerie uses a variety of techniques such as virtual discussion, debates, seminar presentations, etc. Since arriving at UB in August 2008, Valerie has taught several sections of LIS505, LIS580, LIS514 as well as LIS571. She has used a combination of different instructional formats including face-to-face, online, and distance learning.


Awards

Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE): 3rd place--doctoral poster competition (2008).

Fonds Québécois de la Recherche sur la Société et la Culture (FQRSC) Fellowship (2006-2007).

J.W. McConnell McGill Major Fellowship (2005-2007).

American Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIST): Honorary mention, dissertation proposal (2005).

Publications

Refereed Journal Articles

Large, A., Behesthi, J., Tabatabaei, N., & Nesset, V. (2009). Developing a visual taxonomy: Children's views on aesthetics. Journal of the American Society for Information and Technology. 60(9): 1808-1822.

Large, A., Nesset, V., Tabatabaei, N., & Beheshti, J. (2008). Bonded Design revisited: Involving children in information visualization design. The Canadian Journal of Information and Library Science. 32(3/4): 107-139.

Shenton, A., Nesset, V., & Hayter, S. (2008). Children and the word, "information": A phenomenographic study. Journal of Library and Information Science.

Large, A., Bowler, L., Beheshti, J., & Nesset, V. (2007). Creating web portals with children as designers: Bonded Design and the Zone of Proximal Development. McGill Journal of Education. 42(1): 61-82.

Nesset, V. & Shenton, A. (2007). Are children's "library" attitudes behind the times? New Review of Children's Literature and Librarianship. 13(2): 139-160.

Large, A., Nesset, V., Beheshti, J., & Bowler, L. (2006). "Bonded Design": A novel approach to the design of new technologies. Library and Information Science Research. 28(1): 64-82.

Bowler, L., Nesset, V., Large, A., & Beheshti, J. (2004). Using the Web for Canadian history projects: What will children find? Canadian Journal of Information and Library Science.28(3): 3-24.

Large, A., Beheshti, J., Nesset, V., & Bowler, L. (2004). Designing web portals in intergenerational teams: Two prototype portals for elementary school students. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology. 55(13): 1140-1154.

Large, A., Nesset, V., Beheshti, J., & Bowler, L. (2004). Design criteria for children's web portals: A comparison of two studies. Canadian Journal of Information and Library Science. 28(4): 45-72.

Nesset, V. & Large, A. (2004). Children in the information technology design process: A review of theories and their applications. Library and Information Science Research. 26(2): 140-161.

Refereed Book Chapters

Large, A. & Nesset, V. (2009). Bonded Design. In M. Khosrow (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Information Science and Technology, 2nd Edition. Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference. 383-388.

Nesset, V. & Large, A. (2008). Elementary school students, information retrieval and the Web. In M. Pagani (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Multimedia Technology and Networking, 2nd Edition. Hershey, PA: Idea Group. Vol 1.

Large, A., Beheshti, J., Nesset, V., & Bowler, L. (2007). Children's web portals: Can an intergenerational design team deliver the goods? In M. K. Chelton & C. Cool, (Eds.), Youth Information-Seeking Behavior. Vol 2. Lantham: Scarecrow Press. 279-311.

Large, A., Nesset, V., Beheshti, J., & Bowler, L. (2007). Bonded Design: A methodology for designing with children. In P. Zaphiris & S. Kurniawan (Eds.), Advances in Universal Web Design and Evaluation: Research, Trends and Opportunities. Hershey, PA: Idea Group. 73-96.

Beheshti, J., Bowler, L., Large A., & Nesset, V. (2005). Towards an alternative information retrieval system for children. In A. Spink & C. Cole (Eds.), New Directions in Cognitive Information Retrieval.Dordrecht: Springer. 139-165.

Refereed Proceedings Articles

Nesset, V. (in press). A look at classification and indexing practices for elementary school children: Whom are we really serving? In V. Nesset, E. Menard, and S. Mas (Eds.), Information Science: Synergy through Diversity: Proceedings of the Canadian Association for Information Science (CAIS). 2-4 June, 2010, Montreal, QC.

Nesset V. (2009). The information-seeking behavior of grade-three elementary school students. In Thriving on Diversity—Information Opportunities in a Pluralistic World. Proceedings of the 72nd ASIS&T Annual Meeting. November 6-11, 2009. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Silver Springs, MD: American Society for Information Science and Technology.

Large, A., Beheshti, J., Nesset, V., & Bowler, L. (2007). Children's representations of taxonomic categories for application in a web portal: An exploratory study. In C. Arsenault and K. Dalkir (Eds.), Information Sharing in a Fragmented World: Crossing Boundaries: Proceedings of the Canadian Association for Information Science (CAIS). May 10–12, 2007, Montreal, QC.

Nesset, V. (2007). Grade-three students' use of print and electronic resources. In C. Arsenault and K. Dalkir (Eds.), Information Sharing in a Fragmented World: Crossing Boundaries: Proceedings of the Canadian Association for Information Science (CAIS). May 10–12, 2007, Montreal, QC.

Large, A., Beheshti, J., Nesset, V., & Bowler, L. (2006). Web portal design guidelines as identified by children through the processes of design and evaluation. Information Realities: Shaping the Digital Future for All: Proceedings of the 69th ASIS&T Annual Meeting. November 3–8, 2006. Austin, Texas. Silver Springs, MD: American Society for Information Science and Technology.

Nesset, V. (2006). How many hurdles do I have to jump? Conducting research in an elementary school classroom. In H. Moukdad (Ed.), Information Science Revisited: Approaches to Innovation: Proceedings of the Canadian Association for Information Science. June 1-3, 2006, Toronto, ON.

Bowler, L., Large, A., Beheshti, J., & Nesset, V. (2005). Children and adults working together in the Zone of Proximal Development: A concept for user-centered design. In L. Vaughn, (Ed.), Data, Information, and Knowledge in a Networked World. Proceedings of the Canadian Society for Information Science and Technology. June 2-4, 2005, London, ON.

Large, A., Beheshti, J., Nesset, V., & Bowler, L. (2005). Web portal characteristics: Children as designers and evaluators. In L. Vaughn, (Ed.), Data, Information, and Knowledge in a Networked World: Proceedings of the Canadian Society for Information Science and Technology. June 2-4, 2005, London, ON.

Nesset, V. (2005). An exploratory study into the information-seeking behaviour of grade-three students. In L. Vaughn, (Ed.), Data, Information, and Knowledge in a Networked World. Proceedings of the Canadian Society for Information Science and Technology. June 2-4, 2005, London, ON.

Beheshti, J., Large, A., Nesset, V., & Bowler, L. (2004). Children's web portals: Novel designs. Proceedings of the International Conference on Information and Knowledge Engineering (IKE '04). In H. R. Arabnia (Ed.), June 21-24, 2004, Las Vegas, NV, (pp. 399-405). CSREA Press.

Bowler, L., Nesset, V., Large, A.., & Beheshti, J. (2004). Using the Web for Canadian history projects: What will children find? Access to Information: Technologies, Skills, and Socio-Political Context: Proceedings of the Canadian Society for Information Science. June 3-5, 2004, Winnipeg, MB.

Large, A., Beheshti, J., Nesset, V., & Bowler, L. (2004). Children's web portals: Are adult designers on target? Access to Information: Technologies, Skills, and Socio-Political Context. Proceedings of the Canadian Society for Information Science. June 3-5, 2004, Winnipeg, MB. Online at: http://www.cais-acsi.ca/proceedings/2004/large_2004.pdf

Large, A., Beheshti, J., Nesset, V., & Bowler, L. (2004). Designing a children's web portal using an intergenerational team. Proceedings PISTA 2004. International Conference on Politics and Information Systems: Technologies and Applications, Volume 1. July 21-25, 2004, Orlando, FL, (pp. 222-227). Orlando: International Institute of Informatics and Systemics.

Large, A., Beheshti, J., Nesset, V., & Bowler, L. (2003). Children as designers of web portals. Humanizing Information Technology: From Ideas to Bits and Back: Proceedings of the 66th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, October 19-23, Long Beach, CA (pp. 142-149). Medford, NJ: Information Today.

Large, A., Beheshti, J., Nesset, V., & Bowler, L. (2003). Children as web portal designers: Where do we start? Bridging the Digital Divide: Equalizing Access to Information and Communication Technologies. Proceedings of the 31st Annual Conference of the Canadian Association for Information Science, May 30–June 1, Halifax, NS. (pp. 139-152).

Presentations

WNYLRC (2010). Preservation Institute (Workshop--invited speaker). March 25, 2010.

ASIST (2009). The information-seeking behavior of grade-three elementary school students. (Poster) Thriving on Diversity – Information Opportunities in a Pluralistic World. November 6-11, Vancouver, BC.

NYLA (2009). Selecting not to censor. (Workshop Instructor). Libraries: Peace, Love & Freedom: NYLA, October 14-17, Niagara Falls, NY.

ALISE (2008). The information behavior of grade-three students in the context of a class project. (Poster). Community Engagement: Integrating Learning, Research, and Practice: ALISE, January 8-11, Philadelphia, PA.

CAIS (2007). Grade-three students' use of print and electronic resources. Information Sharing in a Fragmented World: Crossing Boundaries: ALISE, May 10-12, 2007, Montreal, QC.

ALISE (2007). The information behavior of grade-three students in the context of a class project. (Poster). Habits of Mind and Practice: Preparing Reflective Professionals: ALISE, January 15-18, Seattle, WA.

CAIS (2006). How many hurdles do I have to jump? Conducting research in an elementary school classroom. Information Science Revisited: Approaches to Innovation: CAIS, June 1-3, Toronto, ON.

Connections (2006). Ethical considerations and research needs: Are they compatible? The 11th Great Lakes Information Science Conference: Connections, May 19-21, Syracuse University, Syracuse, N.Y.

CAIS (2005). An exploratory study into the information-seeking behaviour of grade-three students. Data, Information, and Knowledge in a Networked World: CAIS, June 2-4, University of Western Ontario, London, ON.

Connections (2005). The information-seeking behaviour of grade-three students: An exploratory study. The 10th Great Lakes Information Science Conference: Connections, May 14-15, McGill University, Montreal, QC.

ALISE (2005). An exploratory study into the information-seeking behavior of grade-three students. (Poster). Boundary Crossings: LIS Education in a Global Context, ALISE, January 11-14. Boston, MA.

CAIS (2004). Using the Web for Canadian history projects: What will children find? Access to Information: Technologies, Skills, and Socio-Political Context: CAIS, June 3-5, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB.

Connections (2004). The Information-seeking behaviour of grade-three students in the context of a classroom assignment: A case study. The 9th Great Lakes Information Studies Conference: Connections, May 15-16, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON.