Historical case study: A research strategy for diachronic analysis

History and case study are two diachronic research strategies commonly used to study political discourse as it relates to public libraries. Though suitable for some studies, these strategies are inexhaustive. A new, blended research strategy is therefore needed to accomplish what history and case study alone cannot. This hybrid strategy, historical case study, must analyze cases from the distant past to the present, using eclectic data sources, in order to produce both idiographic and nomothetic knowledge. To develop historical case study, the universal components of diachronic analysis are first identified. A general research design for historical case study is then introduced. Finally, historical case study is tested in an actual research project. Findings from this project reveal that historical case study is a successful diachronic research strategy. Historical case study is a new and valuable research design suitable for addressing questions related to change, continuity, development, and evolution.     

The role of the information specialist in the systematic review process: a health information case study

There is an increasing body of literature on the information specialist's role in supporting evidence-based health care. In particular, the information component in systematic reviews has received considerable attention in recent years. Information professionals have evolved from simply acting as 'evidence locators' and 'resource providers' to being quality literature filterers, critical appraisers, educators, disseminators, and even change managers. This paper describes ten possible roles for information professionals in the systematic review process, using a case study of a review of the health information needs of visually impaired people carried out by the Centre for Health Information Management Research (CHIMR) at the University of Sheffield. This health information review was undertaken entirely by a team of information professionals. The ten roles identified are: project leader, project manager, literature searcher, reference manager, document supplier, critical appraiser, data extractor, data synthesiser, report writer and disseminator. This review has also identified an eleventh possible role for information professionals; that of primary researcher. Finally, the implications for evidence-based health care and evidence-based health informatics are discussed.     

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.     

Evaluation of distance learning delivery of health information management and health informatics programmes: a UK perspective

The aim of the article is to review evaluations of distance learning programmes in health information management, in order to identify the critical success factors for such programmes and discuss future directions. The emphasis is on the UK experience, based partly on reflections on the experience of one programme at University of Wales Aberystwyth (now over 10 years old), and partly on a policy review conducted for the NHS Information Authority and the NHS Information Policy Unit. The methods are, as far as possible, those of a systematic review of existing research, with, additionally, an overview of relevant policy developments for lifelong learning. The topics covered include the aims, objectives and educational philosophies of the programmes. The evidence, combined with the UWA experience, indicates the importance of face-to-face interaction, to complement distance or virtual learning. A student-centred approach to curriculum design and delivery is essential.     

The Journey Project: a case study in providing health information to mitigate health disparities

The Journey Project, part of the Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries' Social Work Information Specialist in Context Fellowship, was designed to merge social work and consumer health librarianship skills in order to improve the provision of health information to patients. A resource notebook was created encompassing the many dimensions of cancer health information. A social work informationist distributed the notebooks and provided individualized consultations with respect to patients' health information needs. Areas of congruence as well as key differences between social work and consumer health librarianship emerged during the course of the project. Merging the two professions into the role of a social work informationist increased the ability to attend holistically to clients' health information needs.     

A case study: planning a statewide information resource for health professionals: an evidence-based approach

Question:

What is the best approach for implementing a statewide electronic health library (eHL) to serve all health professionals in Minnesota?

Setting:

The research took place at the University of Minnesota Health Sciences Libraries.

Methods:

In January 2008, the authors began planning a statewide eHL for health professionals following the five-step process for evidence-based librarianship: formulating the question, finding the best evidence, appraising the evidence, assessing costs and benefits, and evaluating the effectiveness of resulting actions.

Main Results:

The authors identified best practices for developing a statewide eHL for health professionals relating to audience or population served, information resources, technology and access, funding model, and implementation and sustainability. They were compared to the mission of the eHL project to drive strategic directions by developing recommendations.

Conclusion:

EBL can guide the planning process for a statewide eHL, but findings must be tailored to the local environment to address information needs and ensure long-term sustainability.     

Genetic research and genetic information: a health information professional's perspective on the benefits and risks

BACKGROUND: The completion of the Human Genome Project, and recent breakthroughs in identifying the genes both directly responsible for and contributing to the severity of specific diseases and disabilities in humans offer great potential for future health care. AIM: The aim of the paper is to inform the health information community of these developments in order to foster debate over their wide-reaching implications. METHODS: The article outlines recent research in this area and explains how our growing understanding opens the way for improved diagnosis of disease, detection of possible predisposition to specific diseases, the interaction between genetics and environmental aspects such as diet, as well as enabling gene therapy and preventative actions. This new knowledge also opens the way for the use of pharmacogenetic information to enhance the efficacy of pharmaceuticals and to avoid toxic reactions. RESULTS: These advances have significant social, legal and ethical implications. Most countries have limited legislative control over the use and protection of genetic information about individuals. CONCLUSION: There is a role for health information professionals to play in promoting wider public knowledge of genetic research and its implications, in fostering public debate on key issues, and in seeking clearer policies in the health sector concerning the use of genetic information about individuals.     

Clarifying identity in information behavior research: A conceptual analysis

Using a conceptual analysis approach, how identity has been theorized in the information behavior literature was explored. Findings indicate that researchers have employed five approaches when conceptualizing identity: identity as personal project, identity and social groups, identity as self-presentation, fragmented discursive subjects, and intersectional, hybrid and global identities. Structure and clarity are brought to a complicated concept often used to understand people's information behaviors. The findings contribute to the identification of the key factors of information behavior and suggest areas for future research.     

Qualitative and quantitative factors concerning scientific information in agricultural research: A case study of South Eastern Nigeria

The aim of the study is to measure the effects of information resources and services of a regional information resources centre (NR CRI Library, Umudike), on the work of agricultural scientists within South Eastern Nigeria. The adequacy and relevance of resources and services were also examined.One hundred and forty-one copies of a structured, self-administered questionnaire were sent to 140 scientists and one Head Librarian. Ninety-nine (70%) were retrieved and analysed. Data were also generated from intervies and a randomly selected sample, from documentary sources and observations. Analysis focused on library use, resources, services, effects of use on performance, relevance and adequacy of resources and services. Simple analytical tools such as graphs, charts and tables were used to elucidate library use, operations, benefits, effects of use on performance, relevance and adequacy of resources and services.Results showed that research objective (20%) was the most common reason why scientists sought information and that information “effectively improved” the work of 73% of scientists. It also showed that among six other technical determinants that are essential for agricultural research, the importance attributed to the contribution of information to the success of research varied between groups of scientists. This trend was also observed in the amount of work achieved by scientists with the use information. The highest (20·4%) showed respondents who accepted that 31–40% of their research work was achieved with the use of information. The     

Biomedical and health informatics in Peru: significance for public health

Introduction

This issue of the feature column reports on developments in Peru on the use of information and communication technologies to improve public health. The authors describe how cell phones and hand‐held devices are being deployed to monitor diseases. Recent concerns about the spread of swine flu highlight the importance of robust public health systems in developing countries. 1 Jeannete Murphy

Reference

1 Swine flu could be a disaster for weak public health systems in developing countries . British Journal of Healthcare Computing and Information Management , 30 April 2009. http://www.bjhcim.co.uk/news/2009/n904046.htm (accessed 18/05/09).     

Information and the information approach: from informatics to globalistics

Information is understood as a universal attribute of matter and is generally viewed as reflected diversity. It is asserted that informatics is the science of information and the laws of its existence, transfer, and development. It is supposed that the information approach forms a distinct branch of informatics, i.e., information globalistics, an essentially new trend of global research.     

美国图书情报学硕士教育与培养模式研究:研究方向实证分析

本文运用实证方法,研究了2007年美国大学图书情报学专业排名前32所院校的硕士教育,着重分析了美国图书情报学硕士教育的培养目标、模式及研究方向,依据详细的调查数据,总结了美国图书情报学硕士教育与培养特点。     

Process mining applied on library information systems: A case study

Process mining techniques have already been studied in a wide range of sectors, revealing useful information on the processes. In this study, a five-step methodology is applied to an integrated library system (ILS) for the first time. Given two event logs from two different organizations the ILS, a process mining tool is used for process discovery and data analysis. The findings reveal that although both of the organizations were using the same system, there were differences in the activities, sequences, and approaches followed by each one in daily tasks. The results of this kind of analysis can be used to highlight best practices and improve processes. In addition process model comparisons can then be made across various systems and organizations.     

Benchmarking local public libraries using non-parametric frontier methods: A case study of Flanders

Being faced with significant budget cuts and continual pressure to do more with less, issues of efficiency and effectiveness became a priority for local governments in most countries. In this context, benchmarking is widely acknowledged as a powerful tool for local performance management and for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of local service delivery. Performance benchmarking exercises are regularly carried out using ratio analysis, by comparing single indicators. Since this approach offers only limited assessments in absolute terms, it is difficult for decision-makers to track and improve overall performance. Therefore, the use of non-parametric frontier methods, namely free disposal hull (FDH) and data envelopment analysis (DEA) is presented as an alternative technique for benchmarking the performance of organizations in relative terms. The potential applications and strengths of these non-parametric frontier methods for benchmarking the efficiency of local public services are highlighted by applying FDH and DEA techniques to the local public libraries in Flanders. Incorporating all possible paths of expansion – both in space and in time – enables a focus on sustainability within efficiency benchmarking.     

基于信息服务生态链的图书馆信息流转

基于信息服务生态链理论在图书馆领域的研究,探讨图书馆信息服务系统中信息流转方式、特点。通过分析图书馆信息流转效率的衡量标准,提出优化图书馆信息流转效率的有利措施。     

情报学多学科研究之评价和超越——关于研究方法论的尝试性反思

目前情报学研究领域的主流范式是多学科研究视角。但多学科研究视角在保持情报学学科的学术独立性,促进学科的理论严密性,整合研究兴趣的多元性等方面存在缺陷和不足。因此,有必要通过分解情报学的研究层次,选择学科研究方法论,构建学科理论结构框架,培植特定的学科文化等方式,最终形成独立的情报学学科范式。     

A current perspective on medical informatics and health sciences librarianship.

OBJECTIVE: The article offers a current perspective on medical informatics and health sciences librarianship. NARRATIVE: The authors: (1) discuss how definitions of medical informatics have changed in relation to health sciences librarianship and the broader domain of information science; (2) compare the missions of health sciences librarianship and health sciences informatics, reviewing the characteristics of both disciplines; (3) propose a new definition of health sciences informatics; (4) consider the research agendas of both disciplines and the possibility that they have merged; and (5) conclude with some comments about actions and roles for health sciences librarians to flourish in the biomedical information environment of today and tomorrow. SUMMARY: Boundaries are disappearing between the sources and types of and uses for health information managed by informaticians and librarians. Definitions of the professional domains of each have been impacted by these changes in information. Evolving definitions reflect the increasingly overlapping research agendas of both disciplines. Professionals in these disciplines are increasingly functioning collaboratively as "boundary spanners," incorporating human factors that unite technology with health care delivery.     

Mobile social networking as information ground: A case study

Mobile messaging systems, particularly those that incorporate social networking capabilities, affect how individuals socially interact and how they exchange information. This paper reports the impact of a mobile-device-based social networking service that enables users to form groups and send both text and photos to co-members. Survey and system usage data from 19 participants over 16 months were analyzed using information ground theory, which focuses on how people share everyday information in informal social settings. This study was novel in applying the theory to an online environment. In addition to how the mobile system functions as an information ground, the results highlight the types and usefulness of information shared, the role of information shared in everyday life, and how the system fits into participants' communication and social “ecosystem.” Usage analyses describe message sending frequency and system participation levels in relation to other factors, such as length of time in the system. Findings are discussed in the context of the information ground framework's seven propositions, to which we propose adding an emergent concept: “information capital,” i.e., an individual's capacity to access information based on his/her information grounds extent, and degrees of social capital and information literacy.     

XML环境下图书信息系统集成

随着我国信息化的推进，需要将不同阶段、不同技术平台的信息资源进行整合，消除“信息孤岛”，使之集成于一个统一的、开放的构架之中。本文首先阐明了XML文档成为新一代Internet应用中通用的数据格式，崔分析了Web Service技术之后，提出了一种以Web、XML、SOAP技术为核心的异构和分布式的图书信息系统框架，最后给出了一个基于XML文档数据交换的应用实例。