Söka eller browsa? : En undersökning om personliga mönster i sökbeteendet vid informationssökning på nätet

This Master's thesis in Library and Information Science aims to explore if personal patterns can be detected in web-searching. It is based on a study where the search sessions of nine test persons were video-recorded, transcribed into logs and analysed. A major objective was to find out whether there is a correlation between individual searchers' personal attributes and their web search behaviour. The logs were therefore compared with the test persons' results in a learning style test (Kolb's Learning Style Inventory) and with interview answers about information behaviour and personal background. While several patterns were indeed discovered, none of them turned out to be strictly personal. The nine test persons could be divided into five types of searchers: the purely analytic searcher; the generally analytic searcher; the balanced searcher; the mixed searcher and the browser. All types of searchers were found to have the attribute learning style in common. The browsers generally scored high on the value "Accomodator" in the learning style test, whereas the analytic searchers had high scores in "Reflective Observation". This study leads to new questions. Do all persons belong to one of the five types of searchers discovered? Are there more types of searchers, which would be discovered in a larger study? Do search patterns like the ones discussed in this thesis relate to information seeking in general or just to web searching? A more extensive study could shed light on these new questions

Retrieving haystacks: a data driven information needs model for faceted search.

The research aim was to develop an understanding of information need characteristics for word co-occurrence-based search result filters (facets). No prior research has been identified into what enterprise searchers may find useful for exploratory search and why. Various word co-occurrence techniques were applied to results from sample queries performed on industry membership content. The results were used in an international survey of 54 practising petroleum engineers from 32 organizations. Subject familiarity, job role, personality and query specificity are possible causes for survey response variation. An information needs model is presented: Broad, Rich, Intriguing, Descriptive, General, Expert and Situational (BRIDGES). This may help professionals to more effectively meet their information needs and stimulate new needs, improving a systems ability to facilitate serendipity. This research has implications for faceted search in enterprise search and digital library deployments

"So what I do is bang in the search term and see how I go" The information-seeking approaches of Arts Academy students

In this qualitative research project I investigated the use of library systems by a cohort of students from the University of Ballarat Arts Academy. The purpose of the study was to build a clearer picture of how these students use the library resources for their information-seeking, with a view to improving the provision of library services, resources and training. In particular I aimed to identify whether this cohort had a common approach to information-seeking. In this study I thematically analysed the data from eight think-aloud protocols and semi- structured interviews. Participants were Arts Academy students studying Performing Arts, Visual Arts or a Visual Arts/Education dual-degree who were searching for information to complete an assessment task. With the exception of two second year dual-degree students all participants were first year students. The steps taken by participants in information-seeking were identified and the successes and difficulties they experienced with the library’s systems highlighted. The participants in this cohort did not share one specific ‘information-seeking style’ however I identified some common factors across this group of students. All of the participants engaged in a staged process to source the information they required, although in some cases this process was non-linear. They did not however utilise the full capabilities of the search tools they used or access potentially useful tools and resources which the library provides. A number of participants were reticent about using eResources as they had been instructed not to use internet resources for assessment tasks. As a result of this inquiry I have made recommendations relating to the provision of library training and services, collection maintenance and library record standards. Collaboration between library and academic staff would be required to implement these recommendations to ensure optimum outcomes. Areas highlighted for future research include similar studies with student cohorts from different disciplines and an examination of students’ approaches to choosing a topic or focus for assessment tasks.Master of Education (Research

How can you tell if it’s working? Recent developments in impact evaluation and their implications for information literacy practice.

This paper surveys the (patchy and uneven) advances in LIS impact evaluation over the past ten years and notes the surge forward in public library impact evaluation, before looking more broadly at international and educational impact evaluation scene and noting the advance of programme-theory driven approaches. The authors then identify various trends drawn from the wider evaluation discourse that they think are likely to be relevant to information literacy (IL) practitioners, academic staff, employers and others who are concerned with impact evaluation of IL work.The trends identified are:growing clarity about the levels of evaluation expertise needed to deliver information literacy support from the perspectives of leaders of LIS education programmes, staff of academic institutions, library leaders and managers and IL practitioners,growing interest in more inclusive or democratic approaches to impact evaluationthe limitations of the simple logic model of evaluationre-purposing of existing data to meet new evaluation needscollecting and presenting stories of change as impact evaluation evidence.Implications for IL practitioners are offered in relation to each of these trends. The authors then predict that over the next ten years there will be a strong focus on whether IL interventions are having an impact in combating misinformation and disinformation; more systematic and sustained approaches to IL impact evaluation in the health and higher education sectors but less so in some school libraries and other settings. They think that the more proactive public libraries will adopt IL evaluation approaches, that workplace IL will continue to depend upon the organisational culture, and that research on information seeking in context will shed light on evaluation priorities. Finally, they hope that future IL work will be underpinned by programme theory-based evaluation.

Creating sparks: comparing search results using discriminatory search term word co-occurrence to facilitate serendipity in the enterprise.

Categories or tags that appear in faceted search interfaces which are representative of an information item, rarely convey unexpected or non-obvious associated concepts buried within search results. No prior research has been identified which assesses the usefulness of discriminative search term word co-occurrence to generate facets to act as catalysts to facilitate insightful and serendipitous encounters during exploratory search. In this study, 53 scientists from two organisations interacted with semi-interactive stimuli, 74% expressing a large/moderate desire to use such techniques within their workplace. Preferences were shown for certain algorithms and colour coding. Insightful and serendipitous encounters were identified. These techniques appear to offer a significant improvement over existing approaches used within the study organisations, providing further evidence that insightful and serendipitous encounters can be facilitated in the search user interface. This research has implications for organisational learning, knowledge discovery and exploratory search interface design

Higher Things in Life : Artists' Information Seeking of the Aesthetic

Information needs of practicing artists have been widely neglected in information behaviour studies. Arts and literature, which are considered among the higher things in life in the aesthetic domain, is a context of information-seeking behaviour that requires more qualitative, empirical research in abundance in order to bring the higher and lower contexts of information phenomena into a holistic balance in the field of information science. Now more than ever before, as artificial intelligence is taking over the more mundane tasks in the lower contexts, increased attention should be given to the higher sphere, enabling human beings to not only survive, but to thrive with information. The current master’s thesis explores artists’ information-seeking behaviour – the information needs, forms of seeking, as well as the uses and outcomes of information – in the aesthetic domain from their subjective, phenomenological perspective. Special attention is paid to the positive perspective and the affective dimension in information seeking. The aim of the study is to unearth novel insights for the purpose of supporting the fulfilment of human self-actualisation needs and creative endeavours. The underlying philosophy of research was interpretivism, characterised by a phenomenological approach. Qualitative research methods were employed in the study, the idiographic nature of which provided individual, unique, and practical perspectives to the information phenomena under investigation by way of relatively in-depth semi-structured interviews. The inductive reasoning in the interpretation of the interviews via the method of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis allowed for novel insights to emerge from the collected data. The findings suggest that leisure-time information seeking of arts and literature is integral to the lived experience of artists and, thus, connected to their self-care and creative work especially in terms of synthesising aesthetic experiences. It is of such significance to the artists that it could be called a form of serious leisure. Arts and literature are perceived as potentially pleasurable and profound, indicating the higher nature of the information phenomena, although the height is dependent on the context and state of being of the experiencer. The information needs of artists stem from more fundamental needs such as self-actualisation needs and aesthetic needs. These information needs are extremely varied, characterised most often by a positive interest, and motivated by both cognitive and affective factors. The informational value of aesthetics is bolstered by the findings. It is concluded that many of the novel insights discussed warrant further study in the field, especially with a positive perspective and in the affective dimension for the benefit of practicing artists