INFORMATION WITH HUMOR: INFORMATION LITERACY IN CARTOONING

COMPETÊNCIAS EM INFORMAÇÃO NO CARTUNISMO

Abstract

This paper presents partial results of an ongoing research project within a Professional Master's in Library Science. The research aims to improve information literacy practices in cartooning activities. Regarding methodology, the study adopts an exploratory-descriptive, qualitative approach. It employs bibliographic and documentary research, including analysis of the documentary "Damned Cartoonists", thematic live sessions, and an editorial event. The study collects images and statements that describe information seeking, use, and management practices. Preliminary findings indicate that cartoonists, classified by The Serious Leisure Perspective as serious leisure (amateurs) and devotee work (professionals), engage in intense informational activities – albeit informal and self-taught. They mobilize skills such as identifying, evaluating, organizing, and communicating information through primarily visual language. The study identifies gaps in the management of physical and digital personal collections, a lack of structured methods for retrieving references, and the ephemerality of visual sources. The author concludes that the sociocognitive approach to information, articulated with the serious leisure perspective, proves fruitful for understanding unconventional information practices. Furthermore, the study concludes that proposing an informational resource (guide or platform) can contribute to the systematization of creative workflows and personal information management within the cartooning universe, while respecting its autonomous and playful singularity.