Aligning information resources as tools of transformation

Purpose This study investigates the role of information resources in experiences of personal transformation. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews drawing on Critical Incident Technique; directed content analysis of content; and matrix-based sequence analysis. Findings The most significant quality of information encounters that lead to a change in worldview or strongly held beliefs is the timely alignment between the type of information resource and the phase of transformation. Academic contexts are key information grounds for transformative experiences, but libraries, archives and museums (LAM) institutions did not arise as such. Both internal and external contexts impact receptivity to Transformative Information Encountering (TIE). Surprisingly, personal interactions need not be either close or sustained to have transformative impacts. Research limitations/implications This study relies on participants' accounts of their transformative experiences and humans are notoriously unreliable when identifying their reasons for thinking or doing something. The diversity of the participant pool mitigates these limitations. Additional limitations include the number of information professionals and academics in the study, the lack of a full research team for intercoder reliability and the temporal context of these interviews given the outsized impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement and the 2016 US presidential election. Practical implications Library and Information Science (LIS) professionals interested in designing for transformation can engage in specific practices to meet this goal. Social implications LAM institutions have currently unmet potential to impact experiences of personal transformation. Originality/value No similar study exists that draws a link between information encountering and transformative education theory.