Biographical Space, Digital Death and Information Literacy Skills: Current Issues

• Published in: Information Literacy in Everyday Life Vol. 989; pp. 307 - 316
• Main Authors: Ochôa, Paula, Pinto, Leonor Gaspar
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Springer International Publishing AG 2019; Springer International Publishing
• Series: Communications in Computer and Information Science
• Subjects: Biographical space; Digital death; Information literacy
• ISBN: 9783030134716; 3030134717
• ISSN: 1865-0929; 1865-0937
• DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-13472-3_29

The concept of biographical space integrates the confluence of several contemporary autobiographical discursive genres related to personal experiences and to the public exposure of intimacy. This includes the most traditional - letters, diaries, memoirs and (auto) biographies – but also media and digital media, with a variety of uses and interactive practices. Mediated memories, diaries and lifelogs are instruments of self-formation, vehicles of connection, future memory and identity, allowing the creation of new subjectivities and multiple identities in the various situations of life, gaining a digital identity that will persist even after death. The purpose of this paper is to explore the discussion around biographical space and digital death in information literacy skills using the evidence of an ongoing study on Portuguese librarians’ memorial practices (2017-2018). A conceptual framework that interrelates information literacy skills with current biographical and digital death practices is presented.