Fieldwork is an important aspect of the sociocultural side of anthropology. It involves participating in and observing other culture’s as well as avoiding ethnocentricity and remaining neutral (Denham, 2014).
I observed Mosman library on three occasions, one at 9:30 am on the 10th of October, another at 3:30 pm on the 12th of October and 5:30 pm on the 14th of October. When observing, I chose to sit in different library locations each time, once in the quiet study area on an individual desk, another on a group desk with other people and the third in the magazine/newspaper area of the library. Each observation I stayed for approximately 30 minutes.
During my observations, the library was heavily dominated with the presence of high school students, …show more content…
Whilst employees and certain patrons attempt to enforce these ideals this is not always the reality. During my observations, it seemed that the students were the one’s whom more frequently went against these ideals with this being more prevalent amongst the students in unidentifiable clothing (for example casual clothes as opposed to a school uniform). The fact that those in uniform pertained more to these ideals suggests that there is a possible link between anonymity and behavior, as the public is less able to identify them and therefore they are less likely to experience repercussions for their behavior. However it was observed that, many of the older library patrons continually glanced and stared at those who were talking loudly, and not being conducive to the quiet atmosphere. On one occasion one patron went as far as to speak to one of the staff members about a group of students in casual clothes who were making a lot of noise. As a result the staff member had to remind them that it was a quiet environment and that they must respect the library expectations and others. In contrast, the students who were not making any noise did not stare or react as much to the noisy students, seeming oblivious to it. Therefore, it seems as though the older patrons tended to follow the library ideals and ‘rules’ more stringently, actively refraining from interaction and communication with others. However, this may possibly be due to the fact that they were more often then not by themselves as opposed to the students who were in
I observed Mosman library on three occasions, one at 9:30 am on the 10th of October, another at 3:30 pm on the 12th of October and 5:30 pm on the 14th of October. When observing, I chose to sit in different library locations each time, once in the quiet study area on an individual desk, another on a group desk with other people and the third in the magazine/newspaper area of the library. Each observation I stayed for approximately 30 minutes.
During my observations, the library was heavily dominated with the presence of high school students, …show more content…
Whilst employees and certain patrons attempt to enforce these ideals this is not always the reality. During my observations, it seemed that the students were the one’s whom more frequently went against these ideals with this being more prevalent amongst the students in unidentifiable clothing (for example casual clothes as opposed to a school uniform). The fact that those in uniform pertained more to these ideals suggests that there is a possible link between anonymity and behavior, as the public is less able to identify them and therefore they are less likely to experience repercussions for their behavior. However it was observed that, many of the older library patrons continually glanced and stared at those who were talking loudly, and not being conducive to the quiet atmosphere. On one occasion one patron went as far as to speak to one of the staff members about a group of students in casual clothes who were making a lot of noise. As a result the staff member had to remind them that it was a quiet environment and that they must respect the library expectations and others. In contrast, the students who were not making any noise did not stare or react as much to the noisy students, seeming oblivious to it. Therefore, it seems as though the older patrons tended to follow the library ideals and ‘rules’ more stringently, actively refraining from interaction and communication with others. However, this may possibly be due to the fact that they were more often then not by themselves as opposed to the students who were in