Diffusion Theory, Censorship and the School Library
Diffusion theory may be new to library and information science, but it has been applied to such fields as education, rural sociology, and marketing for many years.
"Essentially the theory has been used to examine the speed of things, e.g. seeds or grains, or practices, e.g. use of fertilizers or irrigation, which are new or perceived as new by members of a social environment and which are called innovations. In the diffusion process a person becomes aware of an innovation and communicates it, and so on as the innovation is spread and diffused" (Chatman, 1986).
The first model of diffusion theory was the Elements of Diffusion Model in which "Tarde conceptualized the patterned communication process as social imitation or the duplication of something new by members of a community" (Chatman, 1986).
Later, Rogers broke down the diffusion process into four stages, viz. (1) innovation, (2) communication, (3) social structure, and (4) time span. He and Shoemaker then identified attributes of the innovation model, viz. (1) relative advantage, (2) compatibility, (3) complexity, (4) trialability, and (5) observability. Relative advantage is viewed as the degree of risk associated with innovation. Compatibility is the positive correlation between the innovation and the current value system, needs, and practices of the subjects. Complexity is the intricacy of the arrangement of parts as perceived by the subject. Trialability is the level of capability to which an innovation can be confirmed experimentally. Observability is the level to which the outcomes of an innovation can be made visible to third parties.
The Adoption Model, as structured by Rogers and Shoemaker, has five stages, viz. (1) awareness, (2) interest, (3) evaluation, (4) trial, and (5) adoption. This model has been reduced by other researchers to (1) awareness, (2) trial, and (3) acceptance.
Generally, res...