Information Needs: Developing Personas of Humanities Scholars

A persona represents a group of target users that share common behavioural characteristics. The personas method, an approach to systems design, has been receiving significant attention from practitioners. However, only anecdotal evidence currently exists for the effectiveness of personas and there have been criticisms about its validity as a scientific approach to research. This paper attempts to demonstrate how incorporating personas may lead to better understand the information needs of humanities scholars. Humanities scholars in an advanced ICT environment in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan are sampled as a case. Previous studies show that the humanities scholars have a significant negative relation with ICT use; they are using it less than scientists and social scientists, and they demonstrate a significantly higher use of library facilities than other academics. There is also a lack of up-to-date international research on the humanities scholars' information needs that takes into account recent rapid increases in the availability of ICT infrastructure, especially the Internet. As such, the objective of this study is to understand the information needs of humanities scholars and the effect of the electronic environment on their information seeking behaviour using personas. This study is conducted within a conceptual framework based on an integration of existing models of information-seeking behaviour, along with additional new elements representing the information context environment, such as languages, decision to seek and format of information resources. The four personas that were uncovered in this study may be able to effectively communicate the actual information needs of the humanities scholars through the personal narrative, name, and face, which continuously will remind the academic library of what their users really want and need from their services. This study also lays the foundation for future research by identifying variables of interest, and building construct validity through the themes of information needs that emerged.     

Collection Development for Macao Studies - A User Perspective

This study was conducted to investigate scholars’ views on the development of resources for Macao studies. The research process and method used in this study could be adopted by institutions considering a new direction for special collections or a new collection focus for a library. The key research question was how to effectively develop, preserve, and organize the Macao studies materials to provide easy access to scholars. The semi-structured interview methodology was adopted and a homogenous group of 35 researchers were interviewed. The results revealed the difficulties scholars have in locating information on the current Macao-related material along with recommendations.     

Bibliographic database searching by graduate students in language and literature: Search strategies,system interfaces,and relevance judgments

Graduate students in language and literature studies were observed as they searched CD-ROM databases. Their search strategies were typical of humanities scholars, who create large sets and review records quickly to select relevant items. Some 1,287 relevance assessments were observed, based most often on the subject/topic of the bibliographic record, with the title and index terms the most frequently used sources of information. Language, source of publication, author, and length of work (with longer materials preferred) as well as previous exposure to a citation all influenced relevance assessments. The Wilsondisc browse and multiterm search options supported query refinement and rapid review of items retrieved, but the option to conduct a search in another file led to confusion in the LAN (local area network) environment. Participants especially appreciated electronic access to the Modern language Association (MLA) International Bibliography but encountered problems with the controlled vocabulary and analytic entries for books and proceedings.     

Analysis of the Russian,Eastern European,and Eurasian Studies Collection at Miami University Libraries

A collection analysis project was carried out on the Russian, Eastern European, and Eurasian studies collection at Miami University Libraries. The collection serves a diverse population of scholars and students. These constituents vary in discipline and in reading level of Russian and other Slavic languages. The goal for collecting for this area is to reflect this diversity of disciplines and languages, as well as to follow the collection development policy. The project thus had two objectives: to determine how well the collection supports users’ needs and how well it reflects the collection development policy. A very simple process for data gathering was used to determine the number of items in each subject, the items’ language, and the number of checkouts and in-house uses. The results showed some discrepancies between the policy and the predominant language of the collection, as well as a lack of use among materials in languages other than English.     

Understanding the Information Needs of Academic Scholars in Agricultural and Biological Sciences

This study investigates the information needs of faculty and graduate students in agricultural and biological sciences. Qualitative research methods, interviews and focus groups, were used to examine what types of information these scholars need for their research, teaching and learning, how they seek that information, and perceptions. The implications for library service are discussed.     

Road to international publications: an empirical study of Chinese communication scholars

This paper examines factors motivating Chinese communication scholars to publish in international journals and how these factors shape their knowledge production. We also investigate these scholars’ treatment of particularity, which is central to debates on Asian approaches to communication scholarship. Based on in-depth interviews with 22 Chinese communication scholars, this study finds that Chinese scholars choose to publish overseas both as a result of institutional incentives and an attempt to relieve themselves from institutional and sociopolitical constraints in China. While promoting international publications, these institutional and sociopolitical factors also markedly influence the knowledge production process, leading to the segregation of international and local knowledge production; scholars’ active self-censorship; and their efforts to subject to perceived international biases. The study also demonstrates that while adopting an eclectic and pragmatic attitude toward particularity, Chinese communication scholars are generally cautious of advocating particularity. The attitudinal and behavioral eclecticism and institutional and sociopolitical constraints jointly result in a fragmented particularity in the international publication of Chinese communication scholars. The findings’ implications for Asian approaches to communication studies are discussed.     

Cultural Pluralism and Ethnic Diversity

Scholars who published articles in five major ethnic studies journals (Canadian Ethnic Studies, Ethnic Forum, International Migration Review, Journal of American Ethnic History, and Journal of Ethnic Studies) were surveyed in order to: (1) provide a profile of scholars in this cross-disciplinary field; (2) discover the kids of information they use for their research; and (3) how they retrieve information for their use. Findings indicate that respondents are a male dominated group, the majority of whom hold a PhD degree in the social sciences and are affiliated with public universities in the U.S. The primary focus of their research is on individual ethnic groups, immigration, demography, cultural diversity and race relations, and various specific aspects of ethnicity, e.g., ethnic literature and ethnic press. Many findings of the INFROSS and other earlier studies were confirmed and are still valued. For example, ethnic studies scholars use many primary sources and rely heavily on identifying information sources form citations in publications they read. They also identify information through contacts with colleagues and other experts, as well as by attending professional conferences. Although they are fairly systematic in their information seeking behavior through the use of abstracting and indexing services, they tend to use these services in the traditional print, as opposed to electronic, formats.     

Save Yourself a Trip

Abstract

Some North American scholars believe that libraries on their continent lack adequate indexes and other finding aids to identify scholarly publications and primary resources from Slavic and East European countries. In the belief that such materials can be located only by using esoteric finding aids, they may overlook the major Western subject bibliographies and indexes for the humanities and social sciences. In addition, during the past decade an increasing number of research library catalogs in North America, Europe and Eurasia have become accessible electronically to scholars around the world. The author here lists and describes bibliographic databases which can be of value to a search for Slavic — and East European language research materials in the social sciences and humanities. Many of these tools can be found even in smaller North American academic libraries.     

学者评价期刊与引文评价期刊异同之思考——以史学学术期刊评价为例

学者评价期刊与引文评价期刊,各有其优点和局限性,二者有不同和相同之处。将近期史学学者评价史学期刊的结果与CSSCI引文评价的结果对比,二者除具有一定的正相关性外,还具有不同的评价方法和结果,引文评价结果可供学者评价参考。     

Citation analysis for collection development: A study of international relations journal literature

By examining citations in international relations journal articles published between 2000 and 2005, this study reveals that international relations scholars more heavily rely on books rather than on journals. Less than 2% of the citations are from electronic resources. Materials in foreign languages are utilized insignificantly, with English language citations dominating the research literature. The analysis of subject scatter details the main disciplines that are associated with international relations research. Qualitative scholars cite a higher proportion of monographic literature, while quantitative scholars display a higher journal citation rate.     

俄罗斯信息法研究综述

本文对俄罗斯信息立法、信息法学研究和信息法高等教育的最新进展和成果进行综述。信息立法已成为俄联邦立法体系中的独立门类;В.А.Копылов和И.Л.Бачило等学者系统深入地展开了信息法学理论研究,其成果产生了较强的社会价值;信息法作为一门教学科目普遍列入了俄罗斯综合性大学课程体系,并成为法学专业研究生教育的一个专业方向。俄罗斯在信息资源利用、公众信息权保障和个人数据保护等立法领域取得了一定进展。表2。参考文献33。     

Use patterns for ebooks: The effects of subject,age and availability on rate of use

This article shares the results of a study of subject use of nearly 100,000 ebooks over 10 years in the OhioLINK academic library consortium. The study reveals information about how quickly ebooks in different subjects are found and used, how long they remain in use, and how consortial use by subject compares to use at individual institutions. Taken in the context of the literature about print obsolescence, the data reveals that the use of ebooks follows patterns established for print monographs, including that prior use predicts future use, use declines as titles age, and ebooks have their greatest chance of being used when they are new. Even so, this study shows that ebooks do not drop in use dramatically as they grow older; rather, the majority are used for many years. Rate of use of ebook content is, in general, highest for subjects in the sciences and lowest for humanities subjects, but these patterns may differ greatly for individual user groups.     

面向科研服务的多层次作者分析模型及实证研究

[目的/意义] 以科研人员的学科服务需求分析为基础,构建面向科研服务的多层次作者分析模型,并进行实证研究,以期为深化科研服务提供参考。[方法/过程] 通过对同一专业、处于不同研究水平的科研人员进行需求调研发现,不同层次的科研人员针对同一问题的具体分析需求是不同的;进而以作者分析为例,提出面向入门型、专注型、管理型科研人员的多层次作者分析模型,并以中国语言文字学2001-2015年核心期刊论文为例,综合利用文献计量方法和工具解答不同层次的作者分析需求。[结果/结论] 实验结果表明,利用这一模型能识别出这15年间中国语言文字学领域的核心作者群、代表性学者、研究团体、合作情况,以及近期代表性学者和持续代表性学者。分析模型具有普适性,能够提高图书馆员在科研服务中的融合度。     

The Case for e-Book Literacy: Undergraduate Students' Experience with e-Books for Course Work

This paper investigates how electronic books (e-books) are used for scholarly activity. It focuses on the end-users of e-books in a case study which aimed to establish how scholars use and learn from e-books and the limitations of academic e-books.     

Integrating Social Media Into the Workplace: A Study of Shifting Technology Use Repertoires

Research indicates that people are increasingly spending time with social media and other information communication technology. However, scholars have not fully examined how employees as holistic media consumers utilize social media in multiple contexts. Through in-depth interviews (N = 29), this study demonstrates that even as social media are embedded in organizational media use routines, employees question this technology for 2 reasons: It distracts from tasks and threatens personal privacy. These concerns often, but not exclusively, relate to employee age and the amount of time they have worked for the company. The study concludes by arguing that social media’s arrival in the workplace may exacerbate tensions and problems that are associated with presence-creep and the distortion of the work-life balance.     

Disability and accessibility in the library and information science literature: A content analysis

The library profession is a strong and vocal proponent of increased information access for people with disabilities. With the discipline's longstanding interest in the subject of services to people with disabilities, questions arise about how the profession perceives the phenomenon. How is library and information science (LIS), as a discipline, conceptualizing disability and accessibility? A content analysis of the LIS literature was conducted to examine this question. The literature provides a fertile ground for study as it reflects the profession's approaches to, and perceptions of, a topic. This research identifies the major issues and trends in the research about accessibility and disability in the LIS literature throughout a 10-year period, 2000–2010. The strongest theme in the literature is accessibility as it relates to web, database, and software, while the prevailing disability of focus is visual disabilities. The overall environment emphasizes technology more than attitudinal aspects associated with disabilities. The research could benefit from increased direct participation of people with disabilities.     

万华镜里的自画像:关于中国人文学者数字学术认知与需求的质性研究

[目的/意义]从人文学者的角度出发,探讨人文学者如何看待数字人文,他们又如何被数字人文的浪潮所影响。通过对人文学者数字学术认知与数字学术需求的考察,为数字人文服务和系统设计奠定基础。[方法/过程]采用质性研究方法,对文学、历史、哲学和艺术4个领域展开比较研究,并以访谈素材进行饱和度检验,构建起"认知-预判-担忧-需求与应对"的质性主线。[结果/结论]研究发现,不同领域人文学者对数字学术的认知并不完全相同,但对其影响的预判也存在共性之处,他们普遍认同数字化对人文的研究素材、研究方法、知识传播和研究问题都会产生一定影响;面对数字化浪潮,人文学者的担忧主要包括对数字学术研究深度的担忧、对学科主体地位的担忧和对技术环境下学术伦理问题的担忧;最后,人文学者在自身能力提升、数据、技术、科研评价体系方面存在许多需求,其中对"基础设施"和"数字项目"的需求最为迫切。     

Information behavior of people in the fourth age: Implications for the conceptualization of information literacy

The information literacy (IL) needs of people in the fourth age, a stage of increasing dependence and disability, have not been considered in the research literature. Based on the premise that there are relationships between information seeking and IL, this article begins to bridge this gap by focusing on the information-seeking behavior of the group in an attempt to identify IL needs. It does this through a literature review, particularly drawing on two pieces of human information behavior research, one a new study focused specifically on the group in question. It also examines existing definitions of IL in order to gauge how relevant they appear to be. The reasons for studying this group include that all stages of a person's lifespan deserve to be studied and that the population size of this group increases dramatically in the developed world. Although information needs and sources used are fewer in the fourth age, they are still important to the people involved, thus making IL a relevant concept. The researchers draw implications for IL from the particularities of the information context where disability and frailty impede purposeful information seeking. The resulting emphasis on incidental information acquisition increases the role for social networks and communication, again with implications for IL. Information grounds, where people congregate for purposes other than information sharing, including artificially created ones, will also be important for information dissemination. The role of the Internet, including assistive technology for its use, is also relevant. The conclusion is that IL is crucial to the well-being of people in the fourth age but that existing definitions need to be adjusted to the specific informational context.     

人文学者学术研究的数字能力现状分析

[目的/意义]以人文学者为研究对象，划分其数字能力域类别，构建人文学者用于学术研究的数字能力框架，用以探究当前我国人文学者的数字能力现状和存在问题。[方法/过程]按文史哲、语言、法律；艺术、音乐、传媒；图书馆学、档案学、博物馆学；人类学、政治学、社会学4大学科分类对国内203名相关人文学者开展问卷调查，并对问卷结果进行因子分析、T检验、单因素ANOVA分析。[结果/结论]为提高人文学者的数字能力，从人文学者开展学术研究的一般过程：前期基本信息能力、中期数字技术运用能力、末期交流共享能力三方面提出建议，为今后人文学者如何更好地开展学术活动、图书馆相应学科服务能力的升级、数字人文平台推动人文研究的发展等方面提供一定参考。