Work of the Web Weavers: Web Development in Academic Libraries

Although the library's Web site has become a standard tool for seeking information and conducting research in academic institutions, there are a variety of ways libraries approach the often challenging—and sometimes daunting—process of Web site development and maintenance. Three librarians at Western Michigan University explored issues related to this topic by conducting a Web-based survey, which was sent to two librarians—Web services and reference/public services—at 149 academic institutions. Survey findings are discussed, including references to Web departments and committees, priority setting, Web authoring, soliciting input, outsourcing, content management systems, redesigns, and user involvement. The participants’ insights regarding the greatest challenges and what seems to be working or not working well are also outlined, in addition to the authors’ suggestions for future research in this area.     

基于知识管理的特色专题数据库的建设

在知识管理对知识、信息和数据处理过程中不断发展和成熟的工具与技术,为特色专题数据库的建设提供了理论基础和技术支持.笔者以基于知识管理的张謇研究特色专题数据库的建设应用为实例,指出特色专题数据库是国家知识基础设施建设的重要资源和财富.     

Statistical representations from popular texts for the ordinary citizen, 1889–1914

Statistical representations in the popular almanacs published at the end of the 19th century in the Habsburg Empire are an early prototype of visualizing statistical data for popular consumption and informing the public of an ethnically and linguistically differentiated society. The purpose of this article is to analyze these statistical representations using a combination of humanistic and visual analysis methods. The article focuses on the persuasive aspects (rhetoric) of diagrams, how they visualize knowledge and information (pragmatics), and the nature and structure of visual sense making (semantics). The form and content are related to the social context and materiality of images. These early popular diagrams predate functional design defined by positivism and science. They are interpreted as a historical practice of knowledge visualization in the context of a post-Enlightenment information regime (epitomizing rational government and the privileged position of statistics as instrument of increasing the efficiency and social control of the state). The modernist approach shapes the same information regime in information science discourse. The analysis—based on principles of information visualization and functional design requirements—shows that these examples possess a sound visual structure based on functional design criteria, and that they integrate cultural context without distorting the data. The advantages of naturalistic and culturally rich visualizations that enable ordinary citizens to acquire knowledge through leveraging simple visual reasoning skills, reliance on mental models, and narrative conventions are identified.     

基于主题地图的电子政务信息资源组织研究

主题地图是一种新型的描述知识结构、知识与信息资源关联的ISO标准。从知识层面组织电子政务信息资源,主要就是构建电子政务信息资源的主题地图。步骤是:构建实现模型、准备数据资源、生成主题地图并进行校验。     

Are pictures worth a thousand words? The effect of information presentation type on citizen perceptions of government websites

With the increasing disclosure of public information and government data through information and communication technologies, along with the considerable privately generated data now available online, individuals have access to a huge volume of information. This “disintermediation” of (i.e., greater direct access to) public information may improve transparency and facilitate citizen engagement, but it may also overwhelm citizens not only with too much information but also by requiring them to take responsibility for gathering, assembling, and processing information. Despite the importance of effective information processing to successful use of available information, existing studies have not yet fully integrated this consideration into research on citizen use of e-government and open government data. Based on information processing theory—according to which individuals have a finite information processing capacity, which is affected not only by the quantity and quality of information but also by one's preferences for how information is presented—this study examined the effects of information presentation type (infographic versus text) on perceived information overload, along with the consequent effect of information overload on perceived website usefulness. We also investigated whether individual information processing propensity (visual or verbal) moderated the effect of information presentation type on perceived information overload. Our results showed that textual information tended to cause greater information overload, especially for those with a propensity for visual information processing, and that higher information overload was associated with a lower perception of website usefulness. Moreover, individual information propensity moderated the effect of information type on perceived information overload; people with visual information processing propensity were more strongly affected by the presentation of textual information. We discuss the implications of our findings for improving the communication of policy information through government websites.     

Information source and advertising content preferences of American and Japanese youth

This study compared American and Japanese youth preferences for information sources and advertising content within the context of their respective cultures’ relationship and communication values. It found larger parental involvement and smaller media use for Japanese students. In an interesting reversal from cultural expectations, Japanese students ranked advertising as the most important information source and family as considerably less important, while American students did the opposite. Friends, not family, were the important interpersonal information source for the Japanese. Japanese consumers of the ‘90s may be ‘holonic’: able to be both individualistic and in harmony with groups important to them. The Japanese youth preferences for advertising content—indirect, symbolic, visual, emotional, with infrequent brand identification—were more in line with expectations.     

Instructional Interventions Across the Inquiry Process

ABSTRACT

Information literacy aims to develop in students the necessary skills, knowledge, and dispositions to use information to solve problems, make decisions, and generate new knowledge. The literature is replete with examples of guiding students in accessing and evaluating information sources. Less prevalent is processing information—the heart of the inquiry. Analysis, inference, and synthesis are critical thinking skills that take information literacy beyond a bibliographic task. In this liberal arts college setting, librarians team with consultants in quantitative reasoning, writing, and presentation technologies to deliver an information literacy program that supports not only the search, but also the analysis, interpretation, synthesis, and presentation of findings and insights.     

The role of the information specialist in supporting knowledge transfer: a public health information case study

Objectives: To create research bulletins for public health professionals that support knowledge transfer and evidence‐based practice. Methods: The methodology for the bulletins comprises five stages: scoping the topic, searching for relevant literature, selecting and obtaining relevant articles, assessing the quality of articles including evidence grading, producing a comment on quality and implications for practice and writing the research bulletin. An ABC—applicability, brevity and clarity—is considered at each stage to ensure that bulletins meet the needs of their intended audience. Results: Nine research bulletins have been produced on a range of health promotion topics. Bulletins are distributed to Welsh health professionals and are available online. The bulletins have developed since their inception to incorporate evaluation and feedback. Most significant among these developments has been introduction of an Implications for Practice section to promote uptake of research. Conclusions: Research bulletins support busy health professionals in evidence‐based practice by assigning a level of evidence, highlighting implications for practice and providing a comment on quality. The bulletins further develop the extended role for information professionals in knowledge transfer and dissemination.     

一种通过挖掘研讨记录来促进学生思考的在线督导系统

为促进学生思考并提高响应速度,提出一种从历史研讨记录中挖掘相关信息的在线问答推荐方法。该方法包括建立技术词汇层次树、提取任务词汇、文本段落划分、特征抽取、主题识别过滤和计算文档得分6个步骤。通过设计两个实验来评估所提出的方法:第一个实验比较TF-IDF、TF-IDF+主题过滤以及TF-IDF+LSA+主题过滤三种推荐方法,结果表明使用TF-IDF+主题过滤的算法可以获得最好的推荐效果;第二个实验将系统用于一个学期的在线课程研讨中,现场评估结果表明,文档推荐系统可以促进学生研讨,并且有较高的感知有用性和易用性。本研究表明,中等相关程度的历史研讨记录可以被自动挖掘出来,并且向学生提供这些信息可以促进学生思考和研讨。     

XTM的主题相关度的量化机制研究

主题图XTM作为一种用于描述信息资源知识结构的工具,在信息和知识资源的整合领域有着广泛的应用前景。然而,在XTM技术框架中只定义了主题之间的关联,并没有给出相应的相关度评价方法,而且关联只局限在彼此有直接关联的主题之间,并没有定义间接关联。因此有必要为主题图引入相关度的评价,进而更清晰地理解主题图的语义结构。针对这一问题,本文在对XTM中主题关联语义结构的分析的基础上,通过划分主题关联种类,从XTM抽取出其树形的语义层次结构。在此树形结构的基础上,引入语义距离的概念进行对主题图的二级关联扩展和关联间语义相关度的计算。并在在相关算例的验证过程中,得到了较好的计算结果。     

Crowdsourcing—an Introduction: From Public Goods to Public Good

“Crowdsourcing” is a practice that combines the concepts of “the crowd” and “outsourcing.” Introducing two articles on crowdsourcing in this issue, Nancy Proctor argues that—although we associate crowdsourcing with Web 2.0 and the social media revolution—its origins stretch back to the nineteenth century. Crowdsourcing is examined for its usefulness in creating radical new relationships between museum constituents, users, and institutions—putting the “wisdom of the crowd” in dialogue rather than in competition with formal institutional knowledge.     

信息时代的"全球定位系统"--主题地图

作为一项新的ISO标准(ISO／IEC 13250),主题地图(Topic Maps)被称为“信息时代的全球定位系统”,也是知识管理的一种实现技术。尽管主题地图能够表示复杂的知识结构,但是它的基本概念——主题、联系和事件(TAO)还是很容易掌握的。简单介绍了主题地图的概念及其背景,详细阐释其基本构成,并将它与我们熟悉的信息管理联系起来,还描述了主题地图未来的一些可能应用。     

研究主题的知识流动测度及其实证分析——以H指数研究为例

[目的/意义] 通过量化计量指标对研究主题的知识扩散进行测度与分析,客观地展现研究主题所包含的知识单元的扩散路径及其扩散规律。[方法/过程] 以Web of Science（SCI-E&SSCI）数据库核心合集为数据来源,通过被引参考文献检索方法,以J.E. Hirsch 2005年首次提出H指数概念的文献为被引文献,检索2005-2015间引用该文献的施引文献,得到样本数据。借助信息可视化分析工具CiteSpace分别进行关键词共现与文献共被引分析。将分析结果通过本文所提出的双阶知识扩散度指标Q算法进行计算,得到指标Q量变情况,并进一步分析H指数研究领域的演化扩散状况。[结果/结论] H指数研究主题的知识扩散的相关性随着流动阶层的增加而降低;H指数研究主题一、二阶知识扩散文献的主要研究方向不同,二阶文献更侧重于应用领域的拓展,这也是该研究邻域知识流动的新增长点;通过对H指数研究主题的分析,证明了本文所提出的双阶知识扩散度指标Q的准确性及科学性。     

用户视角下社会化问答社区信息可信度评价研究

[目的/意义] 基于用户角度,对信息可信度评价进行研究,分析用户可信度评价行为,探索用户可信度评价指标体系,对信息可信度评价理论研究具有重要意义。[方法/过程] 采用扎根理论方法,从信源、信息内容和结构、媒介3个维度对问答社区语境下用户信息可信度评论进行编码,分析用户在真实情境下的可信度评价决策。[结果/结论] 用户更倾向于使用信息内容维度评价指标对信息可信度进行评价。单项指标使用频率较高的是准确性、逻辑性、客观性;联合指标是准确性与客观性、准确性与合理性。专业知识背景影响用户的可信度评价深度,专业背景与话题的相关性越高,可信度评论的影响力越大。     

知识管理:情报学研究领域的回归和变革

知识时代使得知识和知识管理成为人们竞相研究的课题 ,在情报学领域更是将其列为新世纪学科发展的重点之一。本文从情报学发展的理论基础、演变轨迹两方面 ,分析了知识管理和情报学的关系 ,并对情报学在知识管理领域中应着重解决的问题进行了初步探讨。     

从信息管理到知识管理

本文通过信息、信息管理、知识、知识管理之间概念的辨析 ,论述了知识管理与信息管理的区别与联系 ,阐述了知识管理在管理的对象、管理的方式和技术以及管理的目标上的拓展、改进和深化。最后得出结论 :知识管理是信息管理适应知识经济时代发展的必然结果 ,知识管理是信息科学发展中新的增长点。     

Understanding student article retrieval behaviors: Instructional implications

This study evaluates the use of full-text databases amongst 425 undergraduate and graduate students in western New York. A review of literature implicated convenience, time issues, article retrieval option knowledge, and the appreciation and understanding of research article quality as potential predictors of full-text reliance. These variables were then evaluated via survey response and frequency counts, by conducting correlations, a one-way ANOVA, and stepwise regression analyses. The findings suggested that convenience, appreciation and understanding of research quality, and time management issues played a significant role in the prediction of student full-text reliance. These findings as well as the relationships among independent variables are discussed. Implications for instruction are then addressed.     

Beg,borrow, and steal: Formal and informal access to the scholarly literature at U.S. master's universities

This study investigates the methods by which faculty obtain scholarly articles, books, and chapters. It focuses on full-text retrieval rather than discovery, drawing on a survey of 529 full-time faculty at U.S. colleges and universities in the Carnegie master's—large and master's—medium categories. When seeking articles, faculty rely mainly on their home-institution library collections, freely accessible online resources, and interlibrary loan. The situation is different for books, however; faculty most often purchase the books they need. Despite the continuing importance of formal access mechanisms (home-institution library collections and interlibrary loan), faculty rely on other sources of full text—informal access mechanisms—for 50% of the articles and 66% of the books they use. Nearly 25% get more articles from the open web than from any other source, and substantial minorities report heavy reliance on other sources. In particular, faculty sometimes use other libraries, often relying on current or past affiliations (e.g., part-time teaching) or on the user accounts of family, friends, and colleagues. Many are critical of their university library collections, but most are satisfied with freely accessible online resources and interlibrary loan.     

The relationships between university students' information-seeking strategies,social-media specific epistemological beliefs,information literacy,and personality traits

Due to doubts about the reliability of information in social media environments, and the epistemological beliefs of individuals who use these media, questioning the source of information and the perception of knowledge structure, is an important research topic. A structural model was constructed to explore structures associated with epistemological beliefs (justification for knowing) and online information-seeking strategies. The model included personality traits and information literacy. Data were collected from 190 university students. PLS-SEM was implemented in the analysis of the data. Analysis revealed that there was a significant relationship between epistemological beliefs specific to social media and information-seeking strategies, and information literacy structure has a direct effect on information-seeking strategies. Agreeableness and neuroticism were related with several dimensions of social media-specific beliefs. It was found that the personality trait which has the greatest effect on online information-seeking strategies is conscientiousness.     

Key issues in data center security: An investigation of government audit reports

The rising volume of electronic data, the growth in cloud computing and the need for secure and affordable large-scale data storage all contribute to the increasing reliance on data centers in society. This paper provides an overview of security issues relevant to data centers. We offer an aggregation and exploratory analysis of four audit reports of government data centers operating in the United States. Using the information security common body of knowledge to categorize audit findings, we identify the key issues from the reoccurring findings in the reports, particularly in regards to operations security, data center management, physical security, and disaster planning. The security of data centers has become a paramount concern for both government and the information technology industry. Both practitioners and academics can benefit from our research results because it provides insight into the key security issues facing modern data centers.