325,495 research outputs found
Information seeking retrieval, reading and storing behaviour of library users
In the interest of digital libraries, it is advisable that designers be aware of the potential behaviour of the users of such a system. There are two distinct parts under investigation, the interaction between traditional libraries involving the seeking and retrieval of relevant material, and the reading and storage behaviours ensuing. Through this analysis, the findings could be incorporated into digital library facilities. There has been copious amounts of research on information seeking leading to the development of behavioural models to describe the process. Often research on the information seeking practices of individuals is based on the task and field of study. The information seeking model, presented by Ellis et al. (1993), characterises the format of this study where it is used to compare various research on the information seeking practices of groups of people (from academics to professionals). It is found that, although researchers do make use of library facilities, they tend to rely heavily on their own collections and primarily use the library as a source for previously identified information, browsing and interloan. It was found that there are significant differences in user behaviour between the groups analysed. When looking at the reading and storage of material it was hard to draw conclusions, due to the lack of substantial research and information on the topic. However, through the use of reading strategies, a general idea on how readers behave can be developed. Designers of digital libraries can benefit from the guidelines presented here to better understand their audience
Information-seeking behaviour of physicists and astronomers
Purpose â The study examines two aspects of information seeking behaviour of physicists and astronomers including methods applied for keeping up-to-date and methods used for finding articles. The relationship between academic status and research field of users with their information seeking behaviour was investigated.
Methodology/approach â Data were gathered using a questionnaire survey of PhD students and staff of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at University College London; 114 people (47.1 per cent response rate) participated in the survey.
Findings â The study reveals differences among subfields of physics and astronomy in terms of information-seeking behaviour, highlights the need for and the value of looking at narrower subject communities within disciplines for a deeper understanding of the information behaviour of scientists.
Originality/value â The study is the first study to deeply investigate intradisciplinary dissimilarities of information-seeking behaviour of scientists in a discipline. It is also an up-to-date account of information seeking behaviour of physicists and astronomers
Exploring the information behaviour of users of Welsh Newspapers Online through web log analysis
Purpose â Webometric techniques have been applied to many websites and online resources,
especially since the launch of Google Analytics (GA). To date, though, there has been little
consideration of information behaviour in relation to digitised newspaper collections. The purpose of
this paper is to address a perceived gap in the literature by providing an account of user behaviour in
the newly launched Welsh Newspapers Online (WNO).
Design/methodology/approach â The author collected webometric data for WNO using GA and
web server content logs. These were analysed to identify patterns of engagement and user behaviour,
which were then considered in relation to existing information behaviour.
Findings â Use of WNO, while reminiscent of archival information seeking, can be understood as
centring on the web interface rather than the digitised material. In comparison to general web browsing,
users are much more deeply engaged with the resource. This engagement incorporates reading online,
but usersâ information seeking utilises website search and browsing functionality rather than filtering in
newspaper material. Information seeking in digitised newspapers resembles the model of the âuserâ more
closely than that of the âreaderâ, a value-laden distinction which needs further unpacking.
Research limitations/implications â While the behaviour discussed in this paper is likely to be
more widely representative, a larger longitudinal data set would increase the studyâs significance.
Additionally, the methodology of this paper can only tell us what users are doing, and further research
is needed to identify the drivers for this behaviour.
Originality/value â This study provides important insights into the underinvestigated area of
digitised newspaper collections, and shows the importance of webometric methods in analysing online
user behaviour
A phenomenographic study of English faculty's conceptions of information literacy
The purpose of this research is to identify UK English academics' conceptions of information literacy and compare those conceptions with current information literacy standards and frameworks
A Conceptual Model for Scholarly Research Activity
This paper presents a conceptual model for scholarly research
activity, developed as part of the conceptual modelling work
within the ???Preparing DARIAH??? European e-Infrastructures
project. It is inspired by cultural-historical activity theory,
and is expressed in terms of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference
Model, extending its notion of activity so as to also
account, apart from historical practice, for scholarly research
planning. It is intended as a framework for structuring and
analyzing the results of empirical research on scholarly practice
and information requirements, encompassing the full
research lifecycle of information work and involving both
primary evidence and scholarly objects; also, as a framework
for producing clear and pertinent information requirements,
and specifications of digital infrastructures, tools and services
for scholarly research. We plan to use the model to tag interview
transcripts from an empirical study on scholarly information
work, and thus validate its soundness and fitness for
purpose
Childrenâs information retrieval: beyond examining search strategies and interfaces
The study of childrenâs information retrieval is still for the greater part untouched territory. Meanwhile, children can become lost in the digital information world, because they are confronted with search interfaces, both designed by and for adults. Most current research on childrenâs information retrieval focuses on examining childrenâs search performance on existing search interfaces to determine what kind of interfaces are suitable for childrenâs search behaviour. However, to discover the true nature of childrenâs search behaviour, we state that research has to go beyond examining search strategies used with existing search interfaces by examining childrenâs cognitive processes during information-seeking. A paradigm of childrenâs information retrieval should provide an overview of all the components beyond search interfaces and search strategies that are part of childrenâs information retrieval process. Better understanding of the nature of childrenâs search behaviour can help adults design interfaces and information retrieval systems that both support childrenâs natural search strategies and help them find their way in the digital information world
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This is what I'm doing and why: reflections on a think-aloud study of digital library users' information behaviour
Many user-centred studies of digital libraries include a think-aloud element â where users are asked to verbalise their thoughts, interface actions and sometimes their feelings whilst using digital libraries to help them complete one or more information tasks. These studies are usually conducted with the purpose of identifying usability issues related to the system(s) used or understanding aspects of usersâ information behaviour. However, few of these studies present detailed accounts of how their think-aloud data was collected and analysed or provide detailed reflection on their methodologies. In this paper, we discuss and reflect on the decisions made when planning and conducting a think-aloud study of lawyersâ interactive information behaviour. Our discussion is framed by Blandford et al.âs PRET A Rapporter (âready to reportâ) framework â a framework that can be used to plan, conduct and describe user-centred studies of digital library use from an information work perspective
Users' trust in information resources in the Web environment: a status report
This study has three aims; to provide an overview of the ways in which trust is either assessed or asserted in relation to the use and provision of resources in the Web environment for research and learning; to assess what solutions might be worth further investigation and whether establishing ways to assert trust in academic information resources could assist the development of information literacy; to help increase understanding of how perceptions of trust influence the behaviour of information users
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