Traiteurs: Faith Healers, Folk Medicine, and Medical Traditions

Abstract

This paper will look at various user-centered approaches within information environments as it pertains to colloquial jargon, specifically the use of the words traiteur to describe Cajun faith healers/folk doctors and buaji to describe faith healers of several different faiths in India. Focus groups, multiple constituencies and their differing needs, types of information resources, and how this affects libraries and archives specifically in South Louisiana will all be discussed. Also considered will be information-seeking behaviors of two diverse constituencies. This paper will look at a way to circumvent the Library of Congress (LOC) subject headings to allow patrons of libraries and archives to find the information they are searching for in a quick, succinct manor. The usability of the system and the ability of the user to quickly find the information is what is most important in this case. It is looking to add a LOC subject heading and will also explore how to make sure patrons are able to find the catalog entries so they can spend more time researching the topic by utilizing a different line on the MARC record and creating a lib guide. This will further help establish the University of Louisiana at Lafayette as the Université des Acadiens.