Search

Increasing dependency on digital technologies introduces queries related to well-being–when and how digital technology poses a threat, or when it is the most appreciated by users? People have some expectations before using technology, which sometimes may be met, but there might be a mismatch at other times. Nevertheless, the digitalization of services advances and companies modify existing or produce new technologies that do not satisfy users' demands, putting their well-being at risk. Through an empirical inquiry, the present research explores experiences with technologies to shed more light on the main factors that enrich or diminish technology value and influence well-being. Exploiting the circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic that fast-forwarded technology use and development, an online inquiry was conducted to assess positive and negative experiences of technologies, focusing on the contexts of work, learning, entertainment, information-seeking, and health. The findings from 578 participants indicate that depending on the role of technologybeing a substitute for certain activities or an opportunity to perform them differently–consequences on well-being can more or less follow expectations. The results are discussed in the context of past research and practical implications for, e.g. technology design or managerial changes that could help overcome users' current challenges.

The metacognitive sense of confidence can play a critical role in regulating decision making. In particular, a lack of confidence can justify the explicit, potentially costly, instrumental acquisition of extra information that might resolve uncertainty. Human confidence is highly complex, and recent computational work has suggested a statistically sophisticated tapestry behind the information that governs both the making and monitoring of choices. However, the consequences of the form of such confidence computations for search have yet to be understood. Here, we reveal extra richness in the use of confidence for information seeking by formulating joint models of action, confidence, and information search within a Bayesian and reinforcement learning framework. Through detailed theoretical analysis of these models, we show the intricate normative downstream consequences for search arising from more complex forms of metacognition. For example, our results highlight how the ability to monitor errors or general metacognitive sensitivity impact seeking decisions and can generate diverse relationships between action, confidence, and the optimal search for information. We also explore whether empirical search behavior enjoys any of the characteristics of normatively derived prescriptions. More broadly, our work demonstrates that it is crucial to treat metacognitive monitoring and control as closely linked processes.

RESUMO Analisa o perfil das demandas por levantamento bibliográfico no Serviço de Referência da Biblioteca Hospitalar. Trata-se de pesquisa retrospectiva, com amostra de 189 formulários de levantamento bibliográfico solicitados entre 2016 e 2021. Entre os solicitantes do levantamento bibliográfico predominou o sexo masculino (50,8%), o tempo médio gasto para realização foi de 6,5 (±7,1) dias. As especialidades que mais solicitaram o serviço foram ginecologia (12,2%), mastologia (11,6%) e cirurgia geral (11,6%). As abordagens mais procuradas se relacionaram ao tratamento (48,1%), diagnóstico (34,4%) e aspectos cirúrgicos (28,6%), principalmente estudos no idioma inglês e na Base de dados PubMed®. O levantamento bibliográfico é um serviço essencial da Biblioteca Hospitalar para auxiliar a equipe médica na tomada de decisão sobre tratamento, diagnóstico, abordagem cirúrgica, entre outros aspectos. O inglês foi o idioma predominante nas publicações de saúde, sendo o PubMed® a base de dados mais requisitada para o levantamento bibliográfico. Treinamento em base de dados e proficiência na língua inglesa são requisitos essenciais ao Bibliotecário Clínico para a realização de levantamento bibliográfico. Uma entrevista de referência adequada com o médico é essencial para compreender a necessidade de informações em saúde e realizar uma pesquisa de banco de dados satisfatória. ABSTRACT It analyzes the profile of the demands for a Literature Search in the Hospital Library Reference Service. This is retrospective research, with a sample of 189 Literature Search forms requested between 2016 and 2021. Among the requesters of the Literature Search, males predominated (50.8%), the average time spent to perform it was 6.5 (±7.1) days, specialties that most requested service were gynecology (12.2%), mastology (11.6%) and general surgery (11.6%). The most requested approaches were related to treatment (48.1%), diagnosis (34.4%) and surgical aspects (28.6%), mainly studies in English and in the PubMed® database. The Literature Search is an essential service of the Hospital Library to assist the medical team in making decisions about treatment, diagnosis, surgical approach, among other aspects. English was the predominant language in health publications, with PubMed® being the most requested database for bibliographic research. Database training and English language proficiency are essential requirements for the Clinical Librarian to carry out a Literature Search. A proper referral interview with the physician is essential to understanding the need for health information and performing a satisfactory database search.

Der vorliegende Bericht stellt die Ergebnisse einer Online-Befragung vor, die im WiSe 2021/22 unter Erstsemesterstudierenden des IBI durchgeführt wurde. Die Zielgruppe der Umfrage umfasste dabei zum einen Personen, die im WiSe 2021/22 im ersten Fachsemester des Bachelorstudienganges am IBI studierten, sowie zum anderen Personen, die sich zu diesem Zeitpunkt im ersten Fachsemester des Masterfernstudienganges am Institut befanden. Inhaltlich fokussierte sich die Umfrage auf das Verhal-ten bei der Informationssuche vor Studienbeginn am Institut, wobei vor allem untersucht werden sollte, welche Informationsangebote die Studierenden genutzt haben, um sich vor Beginn ihres Studi-ums über dieses zu informieren und als wie hilfreich diese wahrgenommen wurden. Für die Analyse konnten insgesamt 63 erhobene Datensätze berücksichtigt werden. Damit nahmen gut ein Drittel der Bachelorstudierenden und etwa ein Viertel der Masterfernstudierenden an der Umfrage teil. Die Ana-lyse der Daten zeigt, dass die befragten Studierenden beider Studiengänge vor allem auf universitäre Informationsangebote zurückgegriffen haben, um sich vor Beginn ihres Studiums über dieses zu infor-mieren. Am häufigsten wurden dabei Webangebote wie die Websites von HU und IBI sowie zentrale Informationsquellen wie die Studien- und Prüfungsordnungen und das Vorlesungsverzeichnis genutzt. Beide Gruppen schätzen den Großteil der universitären Informationsangebote überwiegend als (eher) hilfreich ein. Eine Nutzung von Informationsangeboten aus dem schulischen Bereich wurde von keiner Person angegeben und nur etwa ein Zehntel der befragten Bachelor- und etwa ein Fünftel der Master-fernstudierenden gaben an, andere Informationsangebote in Bezug auf das Studium am IBI genutzt zu haben. In diesem Zusammenhang wurden von den befragten Bachelorstudierenden vor allem weitere Websites mit Informationen zu Studiengängen sowie die Studien- und Berufsberatung der Agentur für Arbeit als genutzte Angebote genannt. Die befragten Masterfernstudierenden gaben hingegen mehr-fach die Nutzung von fachlichen Mailinglisten an. Alle genutzten anderen Informationsangebote wur-den überwiegend als (eher) hilfreich bewertet., This report presents the results of an online survey that was conducted among first-semester students of the IBI in the winter semester 2021/22. The target group of the survey comprised students in the first semester of the bachelor's program as well as in the first semester of the distance executive master's program. The survey focused on the students’ information seeking behavior before starting their stud-ies at the IBI. The main aim was to find out which sources the students used to inform themselves about their studies and how helpful these sources were perceived to be. A sample of 63 data sets were ana-lyzed which comprised a good third of the bachelor's students and about a quarter of the master's students. The analysis shows that the students in both study programs primarily used university sources to obtain information about their studies. Web offerings such as the HU and IBI websites and central information sources such as the study and examination regulations and the course catalog were used most frequently. Both groups consider most of the university information sources to be (rather) helpful. None of the respondents indicated that they had used information sources provided by schools, and only about one-tenth of the bachelor's students and about one-fifth of the master's students indicated that they had used other information sources. In this context, the bachelor's students primarily men-tioned other websites with information on study programs as well as the study and career counseling services of the employment agency. The master's students, on the other hand, mentioned the use of specialized mailing lists several times. All other information sources used were predominantly rated as (rather) helpful.

This work proposes a structural model highlighting the research skills of undergraduate students. Due to the stages in their research project implementation, mentoring students becomes a crucial initiative in higher education institutions. Despite substantial progress in the literature linking mentoring and skills development, there is a lack of greater emphasis on research skills, especially for undergraduate students facing research work for the first time. Consequently, the direct relation between mentoring and research skills may not be straightforward. Thus, driven by social learning theory, the proposed model highlights the mediating effects of information literacy constructs and competency development on the relationship between mentoring and research skills. An empirical study of 539 participants via Partial Least Squares–Structural Equation Modeling supports six of the seven hypothesized paths. Three major theoretical contributions arise from the findings. Firstly, mentoring improves information-seeking skills and information-sharing behaviors and facilitates students’ competency development due to the technical knowledge transfer from the faculty mentor to student mentees. Secondly, information literacy constructs and competency development promote research skills, emphasizing that students with those behaviors and capacities will achieve enhanced research skills. Finally, our findings suggest that mentoring does not directly translate to improved research skills; instead, information-seeking and sharing behaviors and competency development fully mediate such a link. Thus, mentors must shape these behaviors for mentoring to develop students’ research skills. Theoretical and practical insights are outlined from these findings for university leadership to inform the design of mentoring initiatives for undergraduate students.

Abstract. Background: Health challenges can cause feelings of uncertainty that individuals intend to reduce, increase, or maintain. Those goals are connected to different information seeking and avoidance behaviors, building four uncertainty preferences. Aims: We aim to understand what drives people to seek or avoid information through a more differentiated look at the underlying uncertainty preferences and their determinants. Our starting point to explain different uncertainty preferences are stable, individual traits determining individuals’ efficacy assessments. Method: We conducted a secondary analysis of an online survey among the German public in a sample with stratified demographic characteristics ( N = 3,000). The questionnaire measured different uncertainty preferences as well as coping efficacies and communication efficacy. Regression analyses determined the relevance of these predictors for the four uncertainty preferences. Results: The considered efficacy assessments explained a greater amount of variance in uncertainty preferences applying information seeking than information avoidance, but the influencing patterns are similar. Only health literacy as a communication efficacy was positively associated with both preferences applying information seeking and negatively associated with both preferences applying information avoidance. Limitations: The concept of uncertainty preferences should be critically assessed concerning its completeness. The low explanatory power of efficacy assessments for preferences underlying information avoidance strategies shows that further research is needed to identify relevant predictors. Conclusion: The findings suggest that efficacy assessments provide cognitive resources for goal-oriented uncertainty management, but a deeper understanding of specific underlying mechanisms of the different preferences requires further examination.

Objective Health literacy and communication skills are necessary for family caregivers who often work in pairs, known as collective caregiving. Health literacy management is a relational process where communication between caregivers can be a barrier or pathway to improving or co-creating health literacy. The purpose of this study was to examine how collective caregivers manage health literacy. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted separately for 42 caregiving pairs (n = 84). The interview guide was developed using a cancer caregiver health literacy framework. Caregiving pairs were placed into one of three collective caregiving communication patterns (absolute concordant, semi-concordant, absolute discordant). Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and a thematic analysis was performed by independent coders. Results The analysis revealed three different health literacy management approaches: a defined approach where caregiver roles were clearly designated (absolute concordant pairs); a contrasting approach where one caregiver was the health literacy expert (semi-concordant pairs); an independent approach characterized by individual information seeking, processing, and patient/provider engagement (absolute discordant pairs). Conclusions Health literacy support should address aspects of the family system such as caregiver-caregiver communication which influence variance in health literacy management. Practice implications Our study can inform provider communication and healthcare interventions aimed at supporting health literacy for caregivers.

Parents commonly seek information about infant development and play, yet it is unclear what information parents find when looking in popular sources. Play, Milestone, and Development Searches in Google identified 313 sources for content analysis by trained researchers using a standardized coding scheme. Sources included websites, books, and apps created by professional organizations, commercial entities, individuals, the popular press, and government organizations/agencies. The results showed that for popular sources: (1) author information (i.e., qualifications, credentials, education/experience) is not consistently provided, nor is information about the developmental process, parents’ role in development, or determining an infant’s readiness to play; (2) milestones comprise a majority of the content overall; (3) search terminology impacts the information parents receive; (4) sources from the Milestone and Development Searches emphasized a passive approach of observing developmental milestones rather than suggesting activities to actively facilitate learning and milestone development. These findings highlight the need to discuss parents’ online information-gathering process and findings. They also highlight the need for innovative universal parent-education programs that focus on activities to facilitate early development. This type of education has potential to benefit all families, with particular benefits for families with children who have unidentified or untreated developmental delays.

This instruction guide aims to provide librarians with an understanding the basics of fanfiction including a glossary of terms, an introduction to the information seeking behaviours of fanfiction readers, and some search tips on a popular general fanfiction archive for helping both librarian and patron find the reading experience they are looking for.

While the rise of online job portals and corporate websites have allowed for easier collection of digital candidate CVs, much of the candidate identification and assessment process—also known as talent search—still requires manual work from recruiters. Recruitment is a professional search domain that has been largely overlooked in IR research, even though better support of recruiters in finding more high-quality candidates could have a big impact on job seekers, companies and society as a whole. Such recruiter support can only be built on top of a more thorough understanding of the information seeking behavior of recruiters when trying to identify the most relevant candidates for open job postings.In this paper, we present the results of a log-based study of the information seeking process of recruiters at one of Scandinavia’s largest job portals and recruitment agencies. We analyze the behavior of recruiters at different search stages according to the model by Vakkari [24] and distinguish between different types of recruitment tasks. In addition, we contextualize the results of our log analysis using the findings from earlier conducted contextual inquiries to help explain our findings. Our results show that both matching and recruiting talent search is a complex task: recruiters usually submit multiple queries during sessions that can last for hours. We also find that the search behaviour of recruiters during a recruitment task changes over time: recruiters tend to use more filters, formulate longer and more diverse queries, and spend more time assessing candidates near the end of a session than in the beginning. We also observe some differences in search behavior between the different recruitment tasks.

This study examines relationships between demographic attributes of older adults, information challenges surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, and skepticism about the efficacy of COVID-19 preventative measures (social distancing, mask wearing, good hygiene). A 12-question survey was distributed on the Amazon Mechanical Turk platform in late June 2021, receiving 400 responses. Findings indicate that gender, political affiliation, relationship status, family closeness, and perceived family control over one’s information source preferences are the greatest predictors of elevated gaps in information and skepticism towards COVID-19 prevention. Specifically, in this study, married, conservative men with close family ties often expressed elevated inadequacy of information and COVID-19 skepticism., Cette étude examine les relations entre les attributs démographiques des adultes plus âgés, les difficultés en recherche et la découverte de l'information entourant la pandémie de COVID-19, et le scepticisme quant à l'efficacité des mesures de prévention du COVID-19 (distanciation sociale, port de masque, bonne hygiène). Une enquête de 12 questions a été distribuée sur la plateforme Amazon Mechanical Turk à la fin du mois de juin 2021 et a reçu 400 réponses. Les résultats indiquent que le sexe, l'affiliation politique, le statut relationnel, la proximité familiale et le contrôle familial perçu sur les préférences de la source d'information sont les plus grands prédicteurs de lacunes élevées en matière d'information et de scepticisme envers la prévention du COVID-19. Plus précisément, dans cette étude, les hommes mariés, conservateurs et ayant des liens familiaux étroits ont souvent exprimé un manque d'information et un scepticisme élevé à l'égard du COVID-19.

The current experiment investigated whether counter-attitudinal information can alter a pre-existing attitude and the accompanying confirmation bias. Sixty-three non-clinical children (9–12 years) were shown pictures of a positive animal (quokka) or a dangerous-looking animal (aye aye). For both animals attitudes and information seeking patterns were obtained. Next, they received counter-attitudinal information of each animal; attitudes and seeking patterns were reassessed. We found that the aye aye was perceived as more dangerous and less kind compared to the quokka. A negative confirmation bias was observed for the aye aye, more negative than positive or neutral information was requested. For the quokka this pattern was absent, more positive and negative than neutral information was selected. The counter-attitudinal information decreased the scariness of the aye aye, but did marginally alter that of the quokka. Additionally, for the aye aye counter-attitudinal information increased search for positive and neutral information and decreased search for negative information. For the quokka the counter-attitudinal information only increased search for neutral information. The animals no longer differed from each other and no clear confirmation bias patterns were present. These results indicate that it is possible to change pre-existing values and their accompanying information search patterns.

This article presents a re-classification of information seeking (IS) tasks, concepts, and algorithms. The proposed taxonomy provides new dimensions to look into information seeking tasks and methods. The new dimensions include the number of search iterations, search goal types, and procedures to reach these goals. Differences along these dimensions for the information seeking tasks call for suitable computational solutions. The article then reviews machine learning solutions that match each new category. The paper ends with a review of evaluation campaigns for IS systems., Comment: Accepted to ACM TOIS in Nov 2021

This study conducted a cross-sectional online survey (N = 865) to determine whether self-ratings of depression and anxiety, perceived peer support, and perceived health benefits of social media predicted mental health–related information seeking and sharing behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hierarchical regression models showed only depression self-ratings, anxiety self-ratings, and perceived health benefits predicted information seeking, whereas depression self-ratings, anxiety self-ratings, perceived peer support, and perceived health benefits all predicted information sharing. There was a statistically significant positive interaction of anxiety self-ratings and perceived peer support on information sharing. Participants’ experience of COVID-19 predicted both information seeking and sharing. Mental health–related information seeking and sharing differed across social media platforms, with YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram used most for information seeking and Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter used most for information sharing. Findings suggest social media mental health–related seeking and sharing behaviors have the potential to facilitate coping surrounding mental health.

Studies have shown differences in how parents respond to children's questions across diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. Differences in these interaction patterns have the potential to set the stage for a mismatch between children's approach to asking questions and behaviors privileged in formal school settings. In the current study, we explored question, response follow-up language interactions in socioeconomically diverse preschools. We compared interaction patterns across 20 preschool classrooms (10 low-SES; 10 mid-SES). Results indicated that children across both settings asked a similar proportion of information seeking questions. There were no differences in the number of explanatory responses children received, however, teachers from low-SES classrooms were significantly less likely to turn the question back than teachers serving children from mid-SES background — resulting in differences in children's follow-up. Children from low-SES classrooms were more likely to repeat their original question than any other type of follow up; whereas children from mid-SES classrooms were more likely to generate their own explanation. These findings have important implications for understanding how children across diverse preschool settings navigate the types of interactions they will likely be expected to engage in and learn from during formal schooling.

The aim of this paper is to describe some of the key findings of studies on university students’ mental health information seeking. It also presents an interdisciplinary study aimed at investigating how university students in Croatia search for information about mental health and what sources of information they use. The study used the quantitative method, i.e., university students completed an online questionnaire. The results of the study show that the respondents mainly use the internet to search for information about stress and anxiety. Respondents sometimes or rarely search for information about mental health. Although most of the respondents have faced mental health difficulties in the past academic year, they have not sought psychological counseling. Listening to music and being with family or friends are the most common ways respondents cope with mental health difficulties. This study can help to support the mental health of university students by integrating some psychological content into higher education.

Diese kumulative Dissertation untersucht die Rolle mobiler Geräte im Informationsverhalten junger Kinder aus verschiedenen Perspektiven. Einerseits wird erforscht, ob informationsbezogene Aktivitäten Teil der Nutzung mobiler Technologien durch junge Kinder sind. Andererseits wird untersucht, ob Aspekte des kindlichen Informationsverhaltens bei der Sichtweise von Eltern und Kinder auf die Nutzung von mobilen Geräten eine Rolle spielen. Die erste in dieser Arbeit vorgestellte Studie bietet einen explorativen Einblick in die Nutzung mobiler Geräte durch junge Kinder anhand von Interviews mit Eltern von Kindern im Alter von ein bis sechs Jahren. Basierend auf einer Sekundäranalyse der Interviewdaten wird im Rahmen der zweiten Studie erforscht, wie Eltern die Nutzung von Mobilgeräten durch ihre Kinder wahrnehmen und medienpädagogisch begleiten und diskutiert, wie dies das Informationsverhalten der Kinder beeinflussen könnte. Unter Anwendung eines Uses-and-Gratifications-Ansatzes wird in der dritten Studie untersucht, was Kundenrezensionen für ein Kinder-Tablet über die Nutzung des Geräts und die Erwartungen von Familien aussagen. In der vierten Studie wird anhand eines multimethodischen Ansatzes ein besonderer Fokus auf die Einbeziehung der kindlichen Perspektive gelegt und erforscht, wie Kinder im Alter von vier bis sechs Jahren mobile Geräte nutzen und ob Aspekte des kindlichen Informationsverhaltens eine Rolle bei der Sichtweise von Familien auf die Nutzung spielen. Insgesamt zeigen die Ergebnisse, dass mobile Geräte definitiv eine Rolle im Informationsverhalten von jungen Kindern einnehmen können, wobei ihr Potenzial für die Entdeckung von Informationen oftmals nicht im Vordergrund der Wahrnehmung durch Eltern und Kinder steht. Mit diesen Erkenntnissen leistet die Arbeit einen wichtigen Beitrag zur Adressierung bestehender Forschungslücken im Bereich des Informationsverhaltens junger Kinder im Allgemeinen sowie im spezifischen Kontext der Nutzung mobiler Geräte., This cumulative doctoral thesis examines the role of mobile devices in young children's information behavior from different perspectives. On the one hand, it explores whether information-related activities are part of young children's use of mobile technologies. On the other hand, it investigates whether aspects of children's information behavior play a role in parents' and children's perceptions of mobile device use. The first study presented in this thesis gains exploratory insight into young children's use of mobile devices through interviews with parents of families with children aged one to six years. Based on a secondary analysis of the interview data, the second study examines how parents perceive and mediate young children's use of mobile devices and discusses how this might influence children's information behavior. By applying a uses and gratifications approach, the third study investigates what customer reviews for a tablet for children reveal about the use of this device and expectations of the families. Using a multi-method approach, the fourth study places a particular focus on the inclusion of children's perspectives and investigates how children aged four to six years use mobile devices and whether aspects related to children's information behavior play a role in families' perceptions of this use. Overall, the results show that mobile devices can clearly play a role in young children's information behavior, although their potential for children's information discovery is not always prominent in parents' and children's perceptions. With these findings, this work makes an important contribution to addressing existing research gaps regarding young children's information behavior in general as well as in the specific context of mobile device use.

Background The internet is increasingly being used as a source of medicine-related information. People want information to facilitate decision-making and self-management, and they tend to prefer the internet for ease of access. However, it is widely acknowledged that the quality of web-based information varies. Poor interpretation of medicine information can lead to anxiety and poor adherence to drug therapy. It is therefore important to understand how people search, select, and trust medicine information. Objective The objectives of this study were to establish the extent of internet use for seeking medicine information among Norwegian pharmacy customers, analyze factors associated with internet use, and investigate the level of trust in different sources and websites. Methods This is a cross-sectional study with a convenience sample of pharmacy customers recruited from all but one community pharmacy in Tromsø, a medium size municipality in Norway (77,000 inhabitants). Persons (aged ≥16 years) able to complete a questionnaire in Norwegian were asked to participate in the study. The recruitment took place in September and October 2020. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, social media was also used to recruit medicine users. Results A total of 303 respondents reported which sources they used to obtain information about their medicines (both prescription and over the counter) and to what extent they trusted these sources. A total of 125 (41.3%) respondents used the internet for medicine information, and the only factor associated with internet use was age. The odds of using the internet declined by 5% per year of age (odds ratio 0.95, 95% CI 0.94-0.97; P=.048). We found no association between internet use and gender, level of education, or regular medicine use. The main purpose reported for using the internet was to obtain information about side effects. Other main sources of medicine information were physicians (n=191, 63%), pharmacy personnel (n=142, 47%), and medication package leaflets (n=124, 42%), while 36 (12%) respondents did not obtain medicine information from any sources. Note that 272 (91%) respondents trusted health professionals as a source of medicine information, whereas 58 (46%) respondents who used the internet trusted the information they found on the internet. The most reliable websites were the national health portals and other official health information sites. Conclusions Norwegian pharmacy customers use the internet as a source of medicine information, but most still obtain medicine information from health professionals and packet leaflets. People are aware of the potential for misinformation on websites, and they mainly trust high-quality sites run by health authorities.

The proposed study will examine the relationship among belief in fake news and information seeking. In an online study, participants will see fake and real news headlines, report whether they think the headline is real or fake, and indicate the level of confidence in their decision. They will then have the option to see more information, in the form of the original online article, before deciding on the veracity of the headline.

anonymized raw data for the GUSoM Grand Rounds project

BACKGROUND: Sexually transmitted diseases and infections continue to disproportionately affect young adults in the United States, with half of all new STIs annually occurring in young adults between the ages of 15 and 24. Advances in digital technologies have allowed for the facilitation of fast and discreet information about sexual health but remains understudied in the context of newer technologies. There is limited research on the effectiveness of Home Assistant Devices as channels to facilitate the information seeking process in young adults. To address this gap, this study explored whether Home Assistant Devices can facilitate the sexual health information seeking process in young adults between the ages of 18 and 26 who already use the internet to search for health information. The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the perspectives of young adults to understand the depth of their sexual health information needs and whether a user-centric designed HAD can be a suitable alternative for fulfilling those information needs. METHODS: Informed by the Theory of Motivated Information Management and Technology Acceptance Model, this qualitative study used the Design Thinking framework to understand young adults’ information needs and created a prototype voice skill to address that need. In-depth interviews were conducted virtually on Google Meet or Zoom and were recorded. This qualitative study occurred in three phases: in the first phase, 10 young adults were interviewed about their information seeking needs, current gaps, and how they thought Home Assistant Devices could fill that need. Insights from those interviews were then analyzed and used to create a prototype that would address sexual health information needs. The prototype was then tested with a new group of ten young adults, and their reactions to the prototype was recorded via interviews. In the third phase, the prototype was refined based on feedback from the previous group, and then re-tested with a new group of 10 young adults. In total, in depth interviews were conducted virtually with 30 young adults to understand information needs and create a prototype voice skill that could serve to facilitate the transfer of sexual health information in a convenient and relevant manner. Inductive thematic analysis was conducted to identify emergent themes. RESULTS: Overall, the sample (n=30) was 63% female, 43% White, with 53% having completed a bachelor’s degree, and 47% having owned a Home Assistant Device for over 12 months. The average age of the sample was 24 years old. After analyzing interviews through inductive thematic analysis in NVivo, four themes that were noted in the first phase as it related to Home Assistant Devices and information needs: the use of HADs as a means of convenience, preferring to use screen-based devices for research, tradeoffs between privacy and functionality, and the ability to emergency triage users for medical attention based on symptoms. Three main themes emerged in the second phase after reacting to the first version of the prototype, including anxiety and frustration when experiencing the unknown, pre-existing positive perceptions of Home Assistant Devices, and negative perceptions of Home Assistant Devices. In the third phase, two main themes emerged: a desire to share visuals to build comfort and bridge the information gap, and an ambivalence towards privacy. DISCUSSION: Privacy concerns remain prominent with Home Assistant Devices when engaging with them for information seeking purposes. These concerns are sometimes met with ambivalence by young adults, who were willing to trade some of their privacy for added features or functionality that could improve their user experience. Furthermore, challenges remain with voice search and screen-based devices are perceived to be easier to use. Lastly, the sexual health information seeking process is sensitive, and many young adults in this sample expressed wanting to have a more personalized experience that acknowledged their specific situations. To the author’s knowledge, this is the first study that explored the factors contributing to the sexual health information seeking process using Home Assistant Devices among young adults between the ages of 18 and 26. The results of this study have several implications for public health practice and research, especially as it relates to the Design Thinking approach for public health voice skill development, as well as addressing a new approach to providing sexual health information to young adults that may be more discreet and relevant to them. The findings from this study contribute to the emerging literature base on the use of Home Assistant Devices to address sensitive health information seeking behaviors.

Este artículo sostiene la necesidad de desarrollar nuevos enfoques en la educación en alfabetización mediática e informacional (AMI) para responder a la búsqueda de información en YouTube. El estudio se basa en los datos de una encuesta realizada a adultos australianos (N=3.510), centrada en sus actitudes, experiencias y necesidades en materia de alfabetización mediática. Un subconjunto de estos datos se centra en los encuestados que utilizan YouTube para buscar información con algún fin. El texto indaga sobre quiénes utilizan YouTube para acceder a la información cuando necesitan tomar una decisión; cómo se comparan las disposiciones críticas de estos adultos con las de las personas que no utilizan YouTube para buscar información; y qué nivel de competencia mediática tienen en comparación con otros grupos. El 45% de los australianos adultos acudió a YouTube en busca de información o para tomar una decisión durante el mes anterior a la realización de la encuesta. Aunque este grupo compartía una disposición crítica hacia los medios de comunicación y la información, carecía de confianza en sus propias habilidades mediáticas. Se argumenta que es preciso desarrollar un nuevo planteamiento de la AMI para ayudar a este colectivo. Además, se considera que este grupo es más propenso a responder a las iniciativas de alfabetización mediática e informacional que están disponibles en el propio YouTube y que es improbable que busque la alfabetización mediática e informacional en instituciones comunitarias como bibliotecas o centros cívicos., This article argues that it is necessary to develop new approaches to media and information literacy (MIL) education to respond to information seeking on YouTube. The article draws on data from a survey of adult Australians (N=3,510), focusing on their media literacy attitudes, experiences, and needs. A subset of this data focuses on respondents who use YouTube to seek information for a purpose. The article interrogates the data to ask who uses YouTube to access information when they need to make a decision; how these adults’ critical dispositions compare to people who do not use YouTube to seek information; and what level of media ability they have compared to other groups. A total of 45% of adult Australians had used YouTube to seek information and make a decision in the month prior to completing the survey. While this group shared a critical disposition towards media and information, they lacked confidence in their own media abilities. We argue that it is necessary to develop new MIL approaches to assist this group. In addition, we argue that this group is more likely to respond to MIL initiatives that are available on YouTube itself and are unlikely to seek MIL learning in community institutions like libraries or community centres.

This qualitative study investigates people's media use and engagement on social media. By combining prompts material and qualitative interviews with theories such as the social mediated crisis communication model (Austin et al., 2012) and uses and gratifications theory (Katz et al., 1973; McQuail, 1984), it is delimited to drawing insights into how people themselves seek information in crisis situations but also how they prefer to get information about different crises mainly to national and local levels. These perspectives enhance the study and cover perspectives in people's behaviour regarding crisis information through different perspectives on people's media usage and behavior concerning information seeking about crises in different environments such as social media but also traditional media. Moreover, this study is centred around social media use, information seeking, information vetting, and information sharing. Further, misinformation, information sharing by influential people and organisations on digital platforms are also brought up and discussed in this study, which gives background to tendencies of motivation to people’s behaviour concerning perceiving and seeking information in a digital landscape versus traditional media. In addition, the current state of digitalisation has provided new ways of extending mass communication than more traditional communication methods such as television, radio, and newspapers (McQuail, 2010; Lindgren, 2017). In crisis, the digital landscape therefore presents an opportunity to spread and receive information, including crisis information, through means such as the Internet and social media platforms (Eriksson, 2018; Lindgren, 2017). This makes it a useful tool for organisations when it comes to crisis communication, providing more timely and punctual communication to a wider audience and stakeholders. Thus, it is important for authorities, organisations and society to understand how civilians receive and interpret the meaning of crisis information, recognising that digitalisation has evolved ways in which people receive and interpret information (Castells et al., 2007; Lindgren, 2017; McQuail, 2010). By understanding how crisis information is perceived and interpreted by individuals in the digital landscape, it enables development of effective crisis communication strategies to emerge, making it an important aspect within crisis communication research (Austin et al., 2012; Jin & Pang, 2010; Vigsø, 2016). Denna kvalitativa studie undersöker människors medieanvändning och engagemang på sociala medier. Genom att kombinera stimulimaterial och kvalitativa intervjuer med teorier som social mediated crisis communication model (Austin et al., 2012) och uses and gratifications theory (Katz et al.,1973; McQuail, 1984) avgränsas den till insikter om hur människor själva söker information i krissituationer men också hur de föredrar att få information om olika kriser på nationell och lokal nivå. Dessa perspektiv förstärker studien och täcker in perspektiv i människors beteende kring krisinformation genom olika perspektiv på människors medieanvändning och beteende kring informationssökning om kriser i olika miljöer såsom sociala medier men även traditionella medier. Denna studie är centrerad kring användning av sociala medier, informationssökning, informationskontroll och informationsdelning. Misinformation, informationsdelning av inflytelserika personer och organisationer på digitala plattformar tas också upp och diskuteras i denna studie vilket ger bakgrund till underliggande tendenser av motivation till människors beteende när det gäller att uppfatta och söka information i ett digitalt landskap kontra traditionella medier i kontext av kris. Dessutom har digitaliseringens nuvarande tillstånd gett nya sätt att utvidga masskommunikation än mer traditionella kommunikationsmetoder som TV, radio och tidningar (McQuail, 2010; Lindgren, 2017). I kris ger det digitala landskapet därför en möjlighet att sprida och ta emot information, inklusive krisinformation, genom medel som Internet och sociala medieplattformar (Eriksson, 2018; Lindgren, 2017). Detta gör det till ett användbart verktyg för organisationer när det kommer till kriskommunikation, vilket ger mer läglig och punktlig kommunikation till en bredare publik och intressenter. Därför är det viktigt för myndigheter, organisationer men även samhället att förstå hur människor tar emot och tolkar innebörden av krisinformation, med insikt om att digitaliseringen har utvecklat ett nytt sätt för människor i hur de tar emot och tolkar information (Castells et al., 2007; Lindgren, 2017; McQuail , 2010). Genom att förstå hur krisinformation uppfattas och tolkas av individen i det digitala landskapet, möjliggör den därför utveckling av effektiva kommunikationsstrategier i kris, vilket gör den till en viktig aspekt inom kriskommunikationsforskning (Austin et al., 2012; Jin & Pang, 2010; Vigsø, 2016).

Recent studies indicate that participants copy the choices of others in exploration/ exploitation environments. However, so far it has not been investigated whether an influencer’s exploration strategy (information seeking vs. exploitative) has an impact on the target’s exploration strategy beyond simple copying of choices. To investigate this question, participants play a nine-armed restless bandit task. The participant’s strategies are disentangled using a Kalman learning model accounting for exploration and copying.

Repository for the data, code, and analysis of the manuscript "Suboptimal Choice: A Review and Quantification of the Signal for Good News (SiGN) Model"

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PurposeThe massive amount of available information and functionality of the Internet makes selective information seeking effortless. This paper aims to understand the selective exposure to information during a health decision-making task.Design/methodology/approachThis study conducted an experiment with a sample of 36 students to examine the influence of prior attitude, perceived threat level and information limit on users’ selective exposure to and recall of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination information. Participants were assigned to two conditions with or without an upper limit of the number of articles to be examined, and this study collected the number of articles read, the number of articles included in the report and recall score of the articles after one day of the experiment.FindingsThis study found that (1) participants with a negative attitude were more inclined to view attitude-consistent information and recalled attitude-consistent information more accurately, while participants with a positive attitude viewed more balanced information; (2) participants perceiving higher health threat level recalled attitude-consistent information more accurately; and (3) an upper limit on the number of articles to be viewed does not have any impact on selective exposure.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings of this paper pinpoint the disparity of influence of positive and negative attitudes on selective exposure to and selective recall of health information, which was not previously recognized.Practical implicationsVaccination campaigns should focus on reaching people with negative attitudes who are more prone to selective exposure to encourage them to seek more balanced information.Originality/valueThis is the first paper to explore selective exposure to COVID-19 vaccination information. This study found that people with a negative attitude and a higher level of perceived health threat are more prone to selective exposure, which was not found in previous research.

Communicating complex information about environmental health risks in a single message is impossible. Thus, message designers hope that risk messages encourage people to think more about the message and risks, look for more information, and ultimately make behavior changes. The presentation of information about environmental risks using threat appeals is a common message design strategy thought to increase message engagement and influence attitudes, information seeking, and risk reduction behaviors. We compared lower threat messages, which did not include explicit statements about susceptibility and severity of a risk, to higher threat messages, which did. We combined predictions from the extended parallel process model with dual-process theories of persuasion to examine whether people respond to these types of messages differently. In an online experiment, participants (N = 892) were randomly assigned to a message condition (higher or lower threat) and topic condition (arsenic, bisphenol A, or volatile organic compounds). Overall, participants exposed to higher threat messages (regardless of risk topic) reported experiencing higher levels of fear. Higher levels of fear were associated with more positive thoughts about the message (in alignment with the message advocacy) and fewer negative thoughts about the message (against the message advocacy), both of which influenced message attitudes. Finally, message attitudes were associated with increased information seeking and intentions to engage in risk reduction behaviors.

This article discusses the emerging presence of online livestreaming programs for computer coding education. The typologies of motivations from a user-gratification perspective were explored from live coding streaming platforms such as “Twitch.tv” and “LiveEdu.tv”. Categories of motivations were identified from the literature. Content analysis was used for analyzing the distribution of motivation categories in “Twitch.tv,” as well as blog posts on “LiveEdu.tv” guided by Gratifications Theory. From the literature, five types of motivations were identified: 1) Cognitive; 2) Affective; 3) Social Integration; 4) Personal Integration; and 5) Tension release. In live coding streaming communities, the content analysis of 256 streams and twenty six discussion posts indicated that the primary motivation is cognitive related information seeking, followed by social integration such as community outreach, and then personal integration such as personal recognition. Through content analysis, the authors found that the audience's psychological state while watching online livestreaming of coding practice is mainly focused on learning and information seeking, emotional connectedness, and social interactions. Based on the findings, an empirical motivation model in live coding streaming was also developed. The findings for researchers and practitioners alike in programming education can apply respective motivation characteristics in programming education.

Objectives Online health-seeking behaviour (OHSB) such as information- and support-seeking encompasses a range of motivations and outcomes, but few studies consider the nuances of OHSB. The current study aimed to (1) develop and provide an initial validation of an OHSB measure, and (2) explore the role of demographic variables in OHSB among adult Internet users. Design The study was a quantitative, cross-sectional online survey. Methods The study consistent of two data collection waves, including 451 general Internet users (aged 18-73) and 204 online health groups users (aged 19-78) who completed online questionnaires. Result Exploratory Factor Analysis and Item Analysis in the two samples resulted in a final 37-item measure. The scale comprises three distinct factors: Support seeking (α = .97); information seeking (α = .89); and the Internet as a supplement or alternative to offline medical care (α = .88). Multiple regression analyses indicated that younger age, a higher number of people living in the household, and presence of a chronic condition significantly predicted all three aspects of OHSB. Poorer perceived health also predicted support-seeking online, while being male, employed and a general Internet user (vs. online health group member) also predicted using the Internet as a supplement or alternative to offline medical care. Conclusion The study presents a useful scale for future research to explore more complex psychosocial, contextual and health-related variables as potential contributors to health-seeking in the online domain.

The purpose of this study is to identify different sources used for seeking cultural heritage information. The paper aims to study the most vital sources used to seek cultural heritage information and examine the significant difference between sources and demographic variables. The study is conducted among youth of the Tangkhul tribe from Manipur state, India. The study used a structured questionnaire to collect data. Data screening, examining validity and reliability were conducted before analysis. SPSS version 20 was used for data analysis. An independent samples t-test and one-way ANOVA test were carried out to check the significant differences. The study reveals that elders are the most prominent sources used for seeking cultural heritage information. The findings also expose that there is a significant difference between gender and Internet sources (p-value=0.040), similarly between marital status and electronic sources (p-value=0.028), likewise between education qualification and electronic sources (p-value=0.005), also between education qualification and audiovisual source (p-value=0.042) and between the current place of residence and audiovisual sources (p-value=0.049). The findings revealed that youth used different sources for seeking cultural heritage information and the most desired sources are elders (mean score=4.02), followed by the Internet (mean score=3.48) and social media (mean score=3.46). The authors reflect the study’s unique in conducting the research design. It acknowledged the gaps in the literature and the study proposed to fill the existing holes. The study also identified the most sought source used for seeking cultural heritage information, thereby adding research value.

This study offers a critical review of selected studies. A point of departure is the focus on the methodology used and the related issue of whether the inferences drawn are justified by the methodologies used. This is thus meant to be potentially useful for researchers in the broad area of information –seeking behaviour of the users in a digital environment. Eleven studies were selected for a deeper understanding of their users’ information needs and information-seeking behaviour and to make suggestions on how to enhance the effectiveness of library services and their efficient utilisation. The libraries selected for the present study are diverse–college libraries, university libraries, public libraries and a Government Department library. Our review is based on the results obtained through critical study and examination of the literature with the main focus on the Information Seeking Behaviour of the users. There is a diverse range of libraries and users covered by these studies, and several interesting hypotheses could be statistically validated. Without statistical validation of hypotheses, the inferences lack robustness. This is a striking weakness of the extant literature-including the sample examined here. However, some constructive suggestions are made. These include a focus on special libraries, methodological extensions and refinements, and a broadening of the hypotheses and validation of inferences. We believe our review fulfils an important gap as scant attention is given to analytical rigour.

Copyright is under contest in Australia amid growing digital cultures of sharing. Using metaphor as a frame for analysis, this study applies internet search data (Google Trends) methods to visualise Australian online information-seeking patterns for metaphors related to copyright and sharing. An overview of legal metaphors of online copyright (‘piracy’, ‘war on copyright’) and metaphors of digital sharing (‘sharing is caring’, ‘sharing economy’) leads to a critical examination of the ‘metaphor struggles’ between the rhetoric of copyright infringement and sharing cultures promoted by social media. Key findings presented are of decreased information seeking for copyright metaphors and increased information seeking for sharing metaphors. Online information-seeking patterns, as visualised by internet search data, represent a form of public mobilisation. Visualisation of these patterns of public information seeking for metaphors of copyright and sharing demonstrates shifting conceptions of copyright in contemporary digital cultures. This article concludes by raising a potential relationship between rising ethics of online sharing norms and diminishing legitimacy of online copyright, as the legal metaphor of copyright appears to transition through the metaphor cycle.

Based on the risk information seeking and processing model, this study examines socio-psychological variables that influence the American public’s information seeking and information sharing at dif...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss whether preprint servers are a disruptive technology for science, librarians or information seeking among the general population. Design/methodology/approach This column explores what preprint servers are, how they are used in the world of science, how their usage changed in response to the deluge of COVID-19 related research papers and how they might impact the work of librarians and society in general. Findings Preprint servers are not a highly disruptive technology, but they do challenge both scientists and librarians to understand them better, use the information they find on them with care and educate society in general on topics such as peer review and the importance of using well-vetted, good quality science in making important decisions. Originality/value Up until the past year and a half, only a small segment of the librarian profession needed to be concerned with preprint servers. With the increasing presence of references to non-peer-reviewed articles from preprint servers in popular media reports, most librarians now need to know something about this technology. It is also useful to consider how the technology might benefit and create challenges for their work.

Purpose“Bouncing ideas” is a phrase used colloquially to illustrate a way of advancing ideas in the workplace. While described by some as a key part of their information work, it has remained largely unexplored in the information science literature. As a metaphor used to depict information work, it describes a process of working on ideas in conjunction with others. This paper examines how early career academics use the term when describing their academic work.Design/methodology/approachThis paper reports on one of the findings from a larger, in-depth study that examined the information behaviour of early career academics undergoing career transitions, which was carried out using constructivist grounded theory (CGT). CGT provides both a framework for the systematic collection (that included multiple interviews and check-ins with 20 early career academics) and analysis of the data (that consisted of multiple rounds of iterative, inductive coding).FindingsThe findings identify the component parts of bouncing ideas, which include three component in-formation activities – information seeking, information sharing and information creation – and are undertaken as cooperative information work (joint work for a shared purpose, but the benefits of the work may not be equal between participants).Originality/valueBouncing ideas is proposed as a complex information practice, defined as engaging in a temporary cooperative effort that involves social information exchange in order to gain help and/or support for an intellectual endeavour to create new information. The work identifies that more research into bouncing ideas is needed to more fully explore the distinct component behaviours that take place whilst bouncing ideas and the social conditions that foster this collaborative exchange.

PurposeThis study aimed to examine the relationships between different uses of Internet modes and political participation, focusing on political information behaviors, including political information seeking and forwarding.Design/methodology/approachThis study used secondary data from the 2016 Korea Media Panel Survey conducted with 8,439 Korean adults.FindingsThe results indicated that political participation is generally associated with the use of online news forums, online communities, online services and online information production, but not with the use of social networking sites (SNSs). Additional analyses revealed that the use of different Internet modes has an indirect effect on voting intention through political information seeking. The analysis also showed that a number of sociodemographic characteristics influence political participation.Originality/valueAs one of the first studies to focus on active information behaviors in examining the influence of Internet use, this study enhances the understanding of how human behaviors are shaped by digital technology. By providing guidelines for the use of different modes of the Internet, the findings of this study also have practical implications for efforts to encourage political participation.

Religious leaders involved in social justice activities (SJC) exist at the junction of two information communities—religious leaders and social justice activists—possessing unique information needs and information-seeking behaviors. There are no existing studies focusing on the information needs of SJC, but much can be gleaned from the explorations around the information seeking behaviors of clergy, religious leaders, and activists. SJC information behaviors can be viewed through the lens of a variety of information systems and frameworks but particularly within the encountering of information in information grounds. Due to the diversity of SJC, many of their information grounds exist in online communities utilizing social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook. There is a need for further research on the information-seeking behaviors of SJC, to further understand their information needs so information professionals can provide better assistance to this unique information community.

BackgroundMany patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss may seek hearing health information and social support online, although little is known about the online information seeking behaviour.ObjectiveThe present study aimed to examine the discussions around sudden sensorineural hearing loss in Reddit posts.MethodA total of 526 Reddit posts about sudden sensorineural hearing loss were extracted and analysed using qualitative and quantitative methods.ResultsThe content analysis identified eight main categories. Most of the posts were on topics of: sharing personal experiences (34 per cent), describing symptoms (31 per cent), discussing treatment options (36 per cent) and discussing possible causes (19 per cent) of sudden sensorineural hearing loss. The sudden sensorineural hearing loss Reddit posts varied significantly in terms of linguistic variables when compared to baseline Reddit posts. Reddit posts by individuals with sudden sensorineural hearing loss had significantly higher engagement, higher authenticity and made more references to their body when compared to other users.ConclusionThe study results provide insights that can be helpful for professionals during clinical interactions.

As the global COVID-19 pandemic has been concurrently labelled an “infodemic,” researchers have sought to improve how the general public engages with information that is relevant, timely, and accurate. In this study, we provide an overview of the reasons why people engage and disengage with COVID-19 information. We use context-rich semi-structured interviews which invited participants to discuss online COVID-19-related content they encountered. This qualitative approach allows us to uncover subtle but important details of influences that drive online engagement. Participants both engaged and disengaged with content for individual and social reasons, with seven themes emerging connected to their engagement including actions in response to information, reasoning for engagement, content, motivating concerns, frequency of engagement with information, site of exposure, and given reason for not engaging. Many of these themes intersected and informed each other. Our findings suggest that researchers and public health communicators should approach engagement as an ecology of intersecting influences, both human and algorithmic, which change over time. This information could be potentially helpful to public health communicators who are trying to engage the public with the best information to keep them safe during the pandemic.

In Canada, people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds are at a greater risk of developing a chronic illness, and are more likely to experience adverse health effects and challenges in accessing high-quality care compared with Canadian-born individuals. This, in part, has been attributed to having inadequate access to information and resources needed to manage their illness(es). A qualitative descriptive design and inductive content analysis were used to explore the information needs of 24 CALD patients with chronic illnesses. Participants identified medical, lifestyle, and psychosocial information needs. How much information was needed depended on such antecedents as illness trajectory, severity, and perception. Most information needs remained unmet. A number of communication strategies were identified to bridge language barriers that go beyond translation and are based on effective health education strategies. Findings can help health care professionals better identify CALD patients’ information needs and provide strategies that go beyond translation.

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted educational institutions around the world. Public health authorities have been at the forefront of the crisis launching public health campaigns to c...

Aim: This study aims to study the information seeking behavior of the respondents from various information sources and credibility of the information regarding TNAU released rice varieties. Study Design: Ex-post facto research design. Place and Duration of the Study: The present study was conducted in two blocks namely Melur and Madurai East blocks of Madurai district in Tamil Nadu. The study was conducted during July and August 2021. Methodology: 120 paddy growers from Melur and Madurai east blocks were randomly selected and interviewed using a pre-tested interview schedule to study the information seeking behavior of the farmers for the adoption Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) released rice varieties. Results: Outcomes showed that cent percent of the respondents are getting information from their friends regarding newer varieties. 96.67 percent of the respondents seeks information from Agricultural Officers (AOs) whereas only 5.83 percent seek information from Agricultural Scientists. In recent days, farmers have started using various mass media sources like TV, Portals, websites, mobile apps and Kisan Call centers. The highest credibility of 93.33 percent score were obtained from Friends in personal localite source and 84.21 percent credibility was noted for the information from AOs in cosmopolite source. Also, cent percent credibility noted for Kisan call center amongst the respondents and less credibility observed for internet sources like websites and portals.It could be interpreted that the majority farmers was technologically illiterate to use e-sources like mobile apps, portals etc. as they had very less years of formal education. Conclusion: It can be concluded that the information sources can be designed based on farmers needs and preferences. And information gap should be reduced.

Background During the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been significant variations in the level of adoption of public health recommendations across international jurisdictions and between cultural groups. Such variations have contributed to the dissimilar levels of risks associated with this world-changing viral infection and have highlighted the potential role of culture in assigning meaning and importance to personal protective behaviours. The purpose of this study is to describe the cultural factors during the COVID-19 pandemic that shaped protective health behaviours in the Chinese-Canadian community, one of the largest Chinese diasporas outside of Asia. Methods A qualitative descriptive design was employed. Content analysis was used to analyze the data from semi-structured virtual interviews conducted with 83 adult Chinese-Canadian participants residing in a metropolitan area in the Province of Ontario, Canada. Findings The cultural factors of collectivism, information seeking behaviour, symbolism of masks, and previous experience with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) emerged as themes driving the early adoption of personal protective behaviours within the Chinese-Canadian community during the first wave of COVID-19. These protective behaviours that emerged prior to the first nation-wide lockdown in Canada included physical distancing, mask use, and self-quarantine beyond what was required at the time. Conclusion These findings have implications for the development of future public health interventions and campaigns targeting personal protective behaviours in this population and other ethnic minority populations with similar characteristics.

Over the past decades, technological advancement and the mass digitization of information resources have led to the development of a range of digital resources for academic scholarship. Understanding the needs of scholars when employing digital resources for their work can lead to the building of digital infrastructure that not only enables access to the required information but also has the potential to transform scholarship through having a positive effect on the whole scholarly workflow. Through this article, we show how the design of digital libraries and resources can be improved to enhance information discovery and use in art history, while also benefiting other key areas of the research process. By employing an ethnographic approach to the study of scholarly practices, we developed a sound understanding of art historians’ behaviour when interacting with information at different stages of the scholarly workflow. Our results show that scholars exhibited highly creative behaviour when conducting core scholarly activities, such as information seeking and use. Yet, the challenges they often encountered showed that there is still more work to be done to improve digital infrastructure and tools for scholarship in the field. Part of this article will focus on the user requirements for designing systems that facilitate discovery, encourage creative use of information, and trigger inspiration.

PurposeThis study investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the types and sources of information sought by older adults along with their motivations in the Midwestern United States.Design/methodology/approachInterviews were conducted with 30 older adults residing in rural communities around the Midwestern United States during late-summer (July/August) 2020, using a protocol based on Dervin's Sense-Making Methodology. The resulting data was analyzed using standard content analysis procedures, guided by the theoretical frameworks based on Dervin's Sense-Making and Williamson's Ecological Model of Information Behavior. Implications of COVID-19 for the normative behaviors described in these models are discussed.FindingsFindings show that older adults were concerned primarily with health and political information during this period, but that this information was not necessarily sought only to address an informational need, but also to satisfy the need to maintain social and emotional connections in coping with isolation and loneliness. Sources of information that allowed for social interaction with people were favored. Wider personal networks (community members) were strained by the social distancing measures and closures. These findings have theoretical and practical implications for considering the impact of social restrictions on information seeking behaviors of older adults in a time of crisis.Originality/valueThis study is the first, known to the authors, that applied the two adopted theoretical frameworks to explore information seeking behaviors of older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.