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Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the nature of knowledge sharing and what is experienced as being shared as knowledge sharing unfolds. In particular, the paper explores affect as a key aspect of knowledge sharing in an organisational context. Design/methodology/approach: A practice theoretical approach is applied to the study combined with a phenomenological research methodology that focusses on the "lived experience" of participants. Findings: Knowledge-sharing practice was found to encompass cognitive, social, bodily and affective dimensions. Affect was found to be a significant component of the practice as revealed by participant emotion and the use of conversational humour. Research limitations/implications: In light of the findings, the researcher recommends a focus on participant sensings in practice theoretical research, in combination with sayings, doings and relatings. Originality/value: The approach to the study is significant in that, in contrast to previous practice-based research in information studies, it applied a methodology adapted from phenomenology. This combination of approaches opened the investigation to the multi-dimensional experiential nature of knowledge-sharing practice highlighting the significant role of affect in knowledge sharing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the analysis of the NET architecture, this paper studies the human resource enterprise information management system for the current situation. First of all, through the analysis of the current situation and the demand of human resource information management in enterprises, this paper puts forward the reasonable architecture mode of constructing the system, and constructs the human resource information management system by means of NET. This paper studies object-oriented and component development of a combination of design methods, with human resource enterprise information management system for visual modeling, which is from the system requirements, system design, system implementation and other aspects of human resource information management system for a specific analysis and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the information needs of researchers regarding the creation and manipulation of research data, which is an understudied aspect of information needs research. It reports findings from an interview study with archaeologists and cultural heritage professionals, that four categories of paradata are needed to meet information needs on research data creation for research data reuse: scope, provenance, methods, and knowledge organization and representation paradata.

Open-source event data sets frequently used for social science analysis rarely provide any transparent explanation of the credibility of sources or the validity of data thereby obtained. We develop a sample Source Evaluation Schema for the purpose of operationalizing measures of open-source event validity at the case, source, and variable levels. Based on our findings, we argue that explicitly incorporating and disclosing credibility and validity levels allows for greater flexibility in tailoring the inclusion of cases for researchers' specific analytical requirements. By facilitating more transparent analyses, the inclusion of such measures in similar datasets can result in more defensible conclusions, especially in highly charged political and security contexts such as those surrounding terrorism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose TrustSVD, a trust-based matrix factorization technique for recommendations. TrustSVD integrates multiple information sources into the recommendation model in order to reduce the data sparsity and cold start problems and their degradation of recommendation performance. An analysis of social trust data from four real-world data sets suggests that not only the explicit but also the implicit influence of both ratings and trust should be taken into consideration in a recommendation model. TrustSVD therefore builds on top of a state-of-the-art recommendation algorithm, SVD++ (which uses the explicit and implicit influence of rated items), by further incorporating both the explicit and implicit influence of trusted and trusting users on the prediction of items for an active user. The proposed technique is the first to extend SVD++ with social trust information. Experimental results on the four data sets demonstrate that TrustSVD achieves better accuracy than other ten counterparts recommendation techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The research surveyed the relationship between information literacy and use of electronic information resources for academic purposes by postgraduate students of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. Samples of 300 of postgraduate students within seven out 13 faculties were randomly selected. Data were collected using questionnaire designed to elicit response from respondents and data were analyzed using descriptive statistics methods percentages, mean, standard deviation, analysis of variance, correlation analysis and regression analysis. Low level of usage of electronic resources, in particular, full texts data bases is linked to lack of search techniques skills by many postgraduate students of the university to access the myriad of e-resources. There was significant relationship between information literacy skills and use of electronic information resources at a = 0.05 (P =0.34). Lack of adequate skills of postgraduate students resulted into the non encouragement of the expected research-led enquiry in using electronic information resources (EIRs) in this digital age. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) course be part of the curriculum of every postgraduate programme, with emphasis on e-information literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organisms may reduce uncertainty regarding how best to exploit their environment by collecting information about resource distribution. We develop a model to demonstrate how competition can facilitate or constrain an individual's ability to use information when acquiring resources. As resource distribution underpins both selection on information use and the strength and nature of competition between individuals, we demonstrate interdependencies between the two that should be common in nature. Individuals in our model can search for resources either personally or by using social information. We explore selection on social information use across a comprehensive range of ecological conditions, generalizing the producer--scrounger framework to a wide diversity of taxa and resources. We show that resource ecology--defined by scarcity, depletion rate and monopolizability--determines patterns of individual differences in social information use. These differences suggest coevolutionary processes linking dominance systems and social information use, with implications for the evolutionary demography of populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the applications of Web 2.0, social networking sites continue to proliferate and the volume of content keeps growing; as a result, information overload causes difficulty for users attempting to choose useful and relevant information. To resolve this problem, most researches only utilize users’ preferences, the content of items or social influence to make recommendations. However, people’s preferences for items may be affected by social friends, personal interest and item popularity. Moreover, each factor has a different impact on each user. In this work, we propose a novel recommendation method based on different types of influences: social, interest and popularity, using personal tendencies in regard to these factors to recommend photos in a photo-sharing website, Flickr. The personal tendencies related to these three influences are regarded as personalized weights to combine influence scores for predicting the scores of items. The experimental results show that our proposed methods can improve the quality of recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. This paper reports on an interview-based citation behaviour study, part of a wider study of trust in information resources, investigating why researchers chose to cite particular references in one of their publications. Their motivations are explored, with an emphasis on whether they regarded the reference as an authoritative and trustworthy source, and, if so, to what extent and why. Method. Semi-structured critical incident interviews were carried out with eighty-seven researchers from the UK and the USA. Analysis. The answers were analysed using qualitative techniques and then grouped under descriptive headings of the types of reasons for citation provided. These were then used to create a table of these types of reason and the frequency of their use. Results. The motivations for citing were found to be complex and multi-faceted but, in nearly all cases, researchers do regard the authority and trustworthiness of the cited source as an important factor in choosing to cite it. This suggests that citation is at least partly an acknowledgement of the intellectual influence of the content of the cited source. It was also found, however, that researchers have strong social networks of trust and collaboration. They make considerable use of these in receiving and gathering information for research and thus context is also important in their eventual citation decisions. Conclusions. Citing behaviour does include an acknowledgement of useful intellectual content, but this process cannot be separated from the researcher's position in networks of trusted social and research influence. The digital transition has provided tools to help maintain and develop these social networks and it has also made it easier for researchers to investigate the credentials of the sources of documents. This suggests that the current distinction in the literature between normative and constructionist theories of citation behaviour may not capture the nuanced and complex relationship between these two factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Access to the most up-to-date evidence is an important cornerstone for veterinarians attempting to practice in an evidence-based manner; therefore, an understanding of what and how information is accessed is vital. The aim of this study was to identify what resources the UK veterinary profession access and regard as most useful. Based on questionnaires received from veterinarians, the Veterinary Times was nominated as most often read journal or magazine by respondents (n=3572, 79 per cent). In Practice (n=3224, 82 per cent) and the Veterinary Record (n=165, 34 per cent) were seen as most useful by clinicians, and nonclinicians, respectively. Google was the most often nominated electronic resource by all respondents (n=3076, 71 per cent), with Google (n=459, 23 per cent) and PubMed (n=60, 17 per cent) seen as most useful by clinicians and non-clinicians, respectively. The abstract and conclusion sections were the most read parts of scientific manuscripts nominated by all respondents. When looking for assistance with difficult cases, colleagues were the common information choice for clinicians. Different sections of the veterinary profession access information, and deem resources useful, in different ways. Access to good quality evidence is important for the practice of evidence-based veterinary medicine, and therefore, researchers should think about disseminating their findings in a targeted way for optimal use by the profession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jesuit Franτois Pomey's 1671 description of a danced sarabande from his French-Latin Dictionnaire royal augmentΘ has served as an important interpretative source for present-day musicians and dancers specializing in 17th- and 18th-century music. This article uncovers the source from which Pomey lifted his definition and description, Georges de ScudΘry's 1661 novel Almahide, ou l'esclave reine, and explores the transformations and omissions that Pomey introduced as he revised the text for inclusion in his appendix of descriptions for his dictionary, including, most significantly, the regendering of the dancer, who was female in ScudΘry's text but male in Pomey's description. In addition, Pomey's dictionary, rather than being a source unique to the 17th century, remained in print into the 18th century and also had a life in German-language publishing, where it was reprinted as late as 1760. At the same time, ScudΘry's novel also circulated internationally, with late 17th-century English and German translations that each went through at least one re-edition. Thus, the sarabande description circulated more widely and for longer than has previously been considered in scholarship that invokes Pomey's description. A close look at Pomey's transformations of ScudΘry's texts suggests further questions and broadens our understanding of the various meanings of the sarabande as a theatrical dance in 17th- and early 18th-century Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we describe young students' actions at point of difficulty in reading and examine changes in their strategic use of sources of information. We examined errors from running records of first graders who entered Reading Recovery ( RR) in the fall and ended the year reading at the first-grade level compared with RR first graders who did not reach this level by the end of the year. We examined differences between the two groups in use of contextual and/or graphic information across text levels 5-12. Results demonstrated that all readers decreased their use of only contextual information and increased their use of graphic information and a combination of graphic and contextual information. More important was the finding of two new categories of error episodes: single actions and action chains. Single-action errors occurred when students made an error and kept reading. In contrast, action chains occurred when students executed three or more actions at error. We identified four typical action chains found in many students' running records; all typical action chains included monitoring and self-correcting. We found other flexible action chains. Nearly 50% of the flexible action chains included decoding, and all included making multiple attempts. Of the 1,362 error episodes examined in the study, 45% were typical and flexible action chains. RR students who ended the year reading at the first-grade level increased their use of these action chains, whereas RR students who ended the year reading below this level did not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Social media are becoming a vital source of information in disaster or emergency situations. While a growing number of studies have explored the use of social media in natural disasters by emergency staff, military personnel, medical and other professionals, very few studies have investigated the use of social media by members of the public. The purpose of this paper is to explore citizens' information experiences in social media during times of natural disaster. Method. A qualitative research approach was applied. Data was collected via in-depth interviews. Twenty-five people who used social media during a natural disaster in Australia participated in the study. Analysis. Audio recordings of interviews and interview transcripts provided the empirical material for data analysis. Data was analysed using structural and focussed coding methods. Results. Eight key themes depicting various aspects of participants' information experience during a natural disaster were uncovered by the study: connected; wellbeing; coping; help; brokerage; journalism; supplementary and characteristics. Conclusion. This study contributes insights into social media's potential for developing community disaster resilience and promotes discussion about the value of civic participation in social media when such circumstances occur. These findings also contribute to our understanding of information experiences as a new informational research object. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. This study examined whether user ratings, expert ratings and the purpose of the use of a book on a user-generated site influenced the credibility of the book. It also examined whether the effects of user ratings and expert ratings on credibility judgments of the book varied according to the purpose of information use. In addition, this study examined whether the co-existence of user ratings and expert ratings influenced people's credibility judgments of user ratings, and vice versa, on a user-generated content site. Method. Data were collected using both an experiment and a survey. The experiment took the form of a 2x2x2 factorial design, involving user ratings of a book (high or low ratings), expert ratings (high or low ratings) and purposes (academic or casual reading). A total of 233 college students participated in the study. Analysis. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test the research hypotheses and answer the research questions of the study. Correlation analyses were performed for the exploratory findings. Results. Expert ratings influenced the credibility of the book while user ratings did not. The effects of user ratings and expert ratings did not vary according to the purpose of information use regarding the credibility of the book. However, when expert ratings were high, the respondents perceived higher user ratings as more credible than lower ones. On the other hand, when expert ratings were low, the respondents perceived lower user ratings as more credible than higher ones. Conclusions. Expert opinions are important in the credibility judgments of the book and the credibility of user ratings on a user-generated site. The results provide practical implications for user-generated content designers and librarians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Along with leading to growth in the numbers of people doing information work, the increasing role of information in our contemporary society has led to an explosion of new information professions as well. The labels for these fields can be confusing and overlapping, and what does and does not constitute an information profession has become unclear. Method. We have available a body of theory and analysis that can form the basis of a review of this new professional landscape, and enable us to clarify and rationalize the array of emerging information professions. Analysis. Work by the author and others on the philosophical nature, and core elements, of the information professions is drawn upon and applied to the current professional scene. The nature of information itself and of information-related activities are defined and closely analysed to produce models of the disciplines and the work elements within the disciplines of information. Results. The analysis makes possible the incorporation of popular new information disciplines into an overarching framework that includes pre-existing fields as well. Conclusions. The analysis provides a perspective that clarifies the relationships among the information disciplines as well as their relationship to other professional activities in society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. World population is ageing at unprecedented rate. Little is known about the information behaviour of persons in the fourth age (also known as ill-derly or disability zone), most of whom are very old. The study explored the everyday life information needs of these people, the sources and processes they used to meet those needs, and their continuing ability to use computers and the Internet for meeting those information needs. Method. Employing an interpretivist/constructivist worldview, this two-year, largely qualitative study employed semi-structured interviews and observation to study the information behaviour of 25 participants residing at two independent-living retirement communities. Analysis. Interviews were taped and transcribed; observation notes were taken and transcribed. The interview transcripts and observation notes were analysed for themes and categories. Results. The major information needs were: the health and wellness of themselves and their families and friends, pharmaceuticals, personal income and finance, assistive devices, safe mental challenges, legal matters, consumer goods, and benefits and services. Information sources included: caregivers, intimate social networks, wider social networks, mass media, small world sources, and outside professional and institutional sources. Proxy information seekers became increasingly important. Conclusions. Information needs, sources and processes inevitably decline as individuals proceed through the fourth age. However, by providing opportunities to engage in favoured activities and offering outside support, that decline can often be slowed or even temporarily reversed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. This paper investigates techniques used by children in year 4 (age eight to nine) of a UK primary school to reformulate their queries, and how they use information retrieval systems to support query reformulation. Method. An in-depth study analysing the interactions of twelve children carrying out search tasks in a primary school lesson; including observations, search recordings, post-task interviews and teacher interview. Analysis. The search screen recordings were analysed for task performance. The queries were categorised using both Broder's taxonomy (2002) and query reformulation type schemes. The interviews and observations were analysed inductively using thematic analysis. Results. Children reformulated queries by switching information retrieval system, extracting information from search results, and by using 'did you mean' and autocomplete functionality. The children also reformulated queries by using previous queries, correcting errors, and making their queries more specific. The type of query reformulation support the children used varied according to the type of query entered, with children submitting both question queries and broad-based topic queries. Conclusions. The children mostly reformulated queries based on their interactions with information retrieval systems, rather than their prior knowledge. Search systems could further support children by (1) tailoring tools to the type of query (question or broadbased) entered, (2) making suggestions for the narrowing of queries as the children found this particularly difficult (3) accommodating children's linear scanning of search results as this led to unnecessary query reformulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. An online health community is not a closed information environment; rather, it connects with other online sources through links. Nevertheless, little is known about users' link sharing behaviour and, thereafter, the overall information environment of the community. The current study is to fill this gap. Method. One hundred eighty five posts that contain links (100 were posted by frequent contributors and 85 by occasional contributors) and associated comments, were selected from a data set of messages from a large online diabetes community. Analysis. The content analysis method was used to identify types of sites that the links led to, the format and content of the linked information, roles that the links served in posts, as well as peers' reactions to the links. Results. The majority of the links were posted by frequent contributors. Frequent contributors were more likely to post general Web-pages providing diabetes-related knowledge and evidence-based articles, whereas occasional contributors were more likely to post events, programmes and diabetes-related products. The latter were also more likely to leave e-mail addresses for private communications. Peer users appreciated the links. They read, evaluated, reflected on, or discussed about the linked content. Conclusions. Some users of online health communities were information brokers, linking other online sources to the communities. Links served as objects that enable users' reflections on information and foster social interactions among them. A link hub could be constructed to facilitate access to disease-related information and to promote user interaction and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. This paper discusses the person-in-environment framework, which proposes the inclusion of environmental factors, alongside personal factors, as the explanatory factors of individual-level information behaviour and outcome. Method. The paper first introduces the principles and schematic formulas of the person-in-environment framework. It then presents the findings of an empirical verification study. Analysis. A multi-way ANOVA test was conducted to verify the person-in-environment framework. The main and interaction effects of eight individual and information environment variables on individual academic performance were tested. Results. Four main effects (baseline academic grade, outcome expectation, home computer resources, and public library usage) and two interaction effects (home computer resources x public library usage; public library usage x neighbourhood public library resource level) were significant. Conclusions. The the person-in-environment framework framework can help identify significant environmental interaction effects that would have been missed in studies that included only personal factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. This paper examines how mobile devices have influenced patterns of information behaviour in tourism activities. Method. As a conceptual paper we map the alignment of mobile information services to the three stages of travel activity. Analysis. The paper asserts that there has been shift towards an in situ mode of information access and consumption to support tourism planning activity. Conclusions. The paper contends that mobile devices have had a concertina effect on tourism activity, with many activities that had been conducted by people in the pre-trip stage (related to searching for information and booking and paying for tourism products) and the post-trip stage (such as capturing information and recording of vacation experiences) are now being carried out in the during-trip stage. Mobile devices potentially allow access to a range of context-based services that previously were unavailable to the tourist, however are now easily accessible during a trip. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. This study explored how information mediated by formal (health professionals) and informal (family, friends and others) interpersonal relationships is used and made valuable for personal health management. Findings draw on women's experiences as they responded to, made sense of and used uncertain and evolving health information. Method. Semi-structured interviews with 28 women were conducted using narrative and elicitation approaches. Findings were illuminated by interviews with 12 health professionals. Investigations were rooted in a social constructionist approach and an active, process-oriented view of information seeking. Analysis. Findings were inductively analyzed using directed content analysis and grounded theory's constant comparative approach. NVivo 8TM facilitated analysis. Results. Interpersonal face-to-face interactions provided important opportunities for constructive processes. Meaning and plans for action were created between people; narratives and story-telling helped participants construct sense from their experiences and information seeking. Formal interpersonal contacts were valued for expert medical knowledge; trust and collaborative communication styles mediated participants' confidence in and use of health information from professionals. Sex and gender played a role in women's perception of clinician communication styles. The experiential and biomedical knowledge of informal interpersonal contacts was important to participants; women viewed their experiences through the lens of their mothers' health experiences. Conclusions. Findings situated interpersonal information behaviours as a critical means of constructing meaning and facilitating health management decisions. The study supports channel complementarity theory and has implications for patient-clinician relationships and for relational dimensions mediated by other information environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. This paper reports on an extensive research project which aimed at exploring information sharing activities in a scholarly context. The paper presents and synthesises findings from a literature review and three qualitative case studies. The empirical setting is a geographically distributed Nordic network of design scholars. Method. The project is characterised by an explorative approach encompassing semistructured interviews, document studies, and ethnographically oriented participatory observations. Apart from addressing the empirical question of how, where, when, and why the researchers in the network share information, the paper elucidate the reciprocal relationship between information sharing and the wider practice of design research. Analysis. The research questions are addressed through close reading and interrelated analysis of four previous studies. Results. When scholarly information sharing takes place organizational structures are sometimes complemented, or substituted, by flexible communities of practice such as those in the investigated network. Information sharing appears as a means to reach collective understanding, also regarding issues that stretches beyond the immediate information practices, for instance about how to act as a design scholar. Conclusions. This research clarifies and provides examples of how information sharing is embedded in and intertwined with a range of other activities, such as writing, reading and information seeking. It also presents information sharing as a contributor to the enactment of a discipline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Everyday health information literacy refers to the competencies needed to find relevant information, evaluate its reliability, and use it to make decisions concerning health in everyday life. More evidence is needed of the determinants of health information literacy to better understand how it is acquired and through which mechanisms it influences health. This study seeks to examine the associations between sociodemographic variables and everyday health information literacy among young men. Method. The empirical data were collected using a questionnaire survey (n=630) conducted at the Finnish Defence Forces call-ups in September 2012. Analysis. Statistical analyses included cross-tabulation with Pearson's chi squared test and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results. Among young Finnish men, compulsory or vocational education, father's manual labour occupation, and mother's associate professional occupation decreased the odds of having high everyday health information literacy. Conclusions. The study makes a novel contribution to the existing literature by providing information on the everyday health information literacy of young, generally healthy individuals in relation to their socio-demographic background. Future studies are needed to investigate the practices through which everyday health information literacy is acquired in different social contexts during the course of people's lives. Moreover, the associations between perceived everyday health information literacy and directly tested abilities as well as health behaviour and physical health could be investigated. The health information literacy screening tool can be further developed and used as a basis of tailoring and targeting health communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Social media are increasingly popular and emerging as important information sources. The study investigates how users' sex and problem-solving style affect their use and evaluation of social media in two contexts. Method. A Web survey including the problem solving inventory (problem solving inventory) was used to collect data. Over 1,000 undergraduates in the United States participated. Analysis. For each context, two-way ANOVAs were conducted with sex and problem solving inventory score as independent variables and the frequency of using different social media platforms and the frequency of taking different evaluative actions as dependent variables. Results. In academic contexts, significant sex effects were found in the use of wikis, blogs and internet forums. Significant effects of problem-solving style were found in the use of social networking sites, user reviews, blogs and microblogs. An interaction between sex and problem-solving style was found in the use of social networking sites and microblogs. In everyday life contexts, sex effects were found. Males used wikis and internet forums whereas females used social networking sites and microblogs frequently. As for problem-solving styles, ineffective problem-solvers used internet forums frequently. Regarding the use of evaluation strategies, females with effective problem-solving styles checked other users' reactions frequently while males with ineffective style did so in academic contexts. In everyday contexts, effective problem-solvers used most of the evaluation strategies frequently. Conclusions. Social media use and evaluation behaviours varied depending on contexts, sex effects remained significant when problem-solving style has been taken into account. Findings suggest that effects of sex on information behaviour may need to be examined along with other psychological and sociocultural factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present lessons and best practices for conflict data collection from the experiences of the ICOW project. Lessons include the development of a search strategy for potential events, the consultation of a broad range of sources, and recognition of the limitations of these sources. More general best practices address the development of detailed instructions for coders, detailed descriptions for data users, and strategies for managing research assistants and preserving project documentation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study investigates the copyright issues that arise when course instructors aggregate digital resources in an e-learning platform, and how copyright concerns among instructors influence the approaches used by them in aggregating such resources. The objective of the study is to explore how the aggregation of digital resources in an e-learning platform may be optimized without infringing copyright in the digital content. The study was set up in a Malaysian public research university which had introduced an e-learning platform to its academic staff since 2003. It involved the following data collection techniques: survey questionnaires that were distributed to course instructors in various faculties of the university; semi-structured informal interviews with instructors; and observation of instructors' participation in training workshops on the use of the e-learning platform. Findings indicate that most course instructors have a general awareness of the copyright issues that are involved and, to some extent, this has influenced the approaches which they adopted when aggregating digital resources for their students. It was found that the use of linking and embedding were ways of aggregating digital resources in e-learning platforms which are consistent with copyright law. In addition, this paper suggests that institutions of higher learning should set up a website to provide guidance on possible approaches that could be adopted to aggregate digital resources in e-learning platforms in accordance with copyright law. The website should include information on how the fair dealing provision in the Copyright Act 1987 may be utilized in the teaching process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to align information literacy (IL) instruction with changing faculty and student needs, librarians must expand their skills and competencies beyond traditional information sources. In the sciences, this increasingly means integrating the data resources used by researchers into instruction for undergraduate students. Open access data repositories allow students to work with more primary data than ever before, but only if they know how and where to look. This paper will describe the development of two IL workshops designed to scaffold student learning in the biological sciences across two second-year courses, detailing the long-term collaboration between a librarian and an instructor that now serves over 500 students per semester. In each workshop, students are guided through the discovery and analysis of life sciences data from multiple sites, encouraged to integrate text and data sources, and supported in completing research assignments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. In recent years, the introduction of social question and answer services and other Internet tools have expanded the ways in which people have their questions answered. There has been speculation and debate over whether such services and other Internet tools are replacing library virtual reference services. Method. Most previous research on the comparison between social question and answer services and virtual reference has been conducted from the perspectives of libraries or library users, and research based on social question and answer services users' viewpoints has not yet been explored. This study surveyed Yahoo! Answers users on their awareness, use, and evaluation of the social question and answer services site and virtual reference. Analysis. The survey data from multiple-choice questions, fill-in, and open-ended questions were analysed using SPSS for a quantitative summary. Results. The findings of this study show that social question and answer services and virtual reference have their own strengths and weaknesses in serving various user needs and in meeting the expectations of an online or virtual service, based on important user-identified considerations. Conclusions. The notion that social question and answer services will take over virtual reference is not supported. As they stand, virtual reference and social question and answer services have great potential for collaboration in meeting user information needs. The practical implications of the findings to virtual reference are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Using Stebbins's concept of 'serious leisure' and Savolainen's concept of 'everyday life information practices', this study explores the information behaviour of music record collectors. Method. An ethnographic approach was used for the study; the main data collection instrument was in-depth, semi-structured interviews with eight record collectors based in and around London, carried out in participants' homes, combined with photographs of their collections and observation of their use of preferred Websites. Analysis. Qualitative analysis was carried out on the survey, with triangulation through conversations with other record collectors, visits to record shops, and examination of some Websites named by participants. Results. The results reveal distinctive information behaviour for record collectors, with specialist knowledge, and a variety of information sources. The Internet has had, and continues to have, a profound effect on both information gathering and acquisition. Conclusions. The study shows that record collectors are exemplars of serious leisure practitioners, with distinct information behaviour. The results add to the knowledge of serious leisure as a topic for study within information science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. This paper examines information seeking in a city administration. We analyse the relationship between information source use and task complexity, and the connections between sources and information types. Method. Data were collected through pre-task and post-task questionnaires completed by six city administration employees during their normal workdays. The data set was collected on fifty-nine tasks chosen by the participants. Analysis. The pre-task and post-task forms of the same underlying task were joined together and each task was assigned an aggregated complexity estimate based on the estimates made by the participants. Expected (pre-task) and materialised (post-task) information types and sources were classified and finally, quantitative analysis methods and statistical tests were used to find trends in information source use by task complexity. Results. Five information source types (the Web, organizational information systems, email, human sources, other) were recognised in the data. Task complexity affected the use of some sources more than others. Increasing task complexity reduces the use of organizational information systems and increases the use of Web resources, respectively. Conclusion. We found that task complexity is an important factor explaining information seeking behaviour, and specific source types are used when seeking for specific information types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Building upon an ongoing, arts-informed, visual research project about the nature of information, an existing set of original drawings of information were examined for insights into information behaviour. The study explored the questions: What can drawings of information suggest about information behaviour? What role can images of this kind play in information behaviour research? Method. The draw-and-write technique was used. Research participants were asked to draw a response to the question What is information? on one side of a 4" by 4" piece of paper and to complete the phrase Information is… in words, on the back side. 293 drawings, coined iSquares, were collected. Analysis. Analysis occurred in multiple stages and focused on the drawings. First, an iSquare of relevance to information behaviour was operationalized as one that contained a whole or partial human being. 126 iSquares qualified and were recast as information behaviour squares, or ibSquares. Then, thematic analysis was performed on the ibSquares in the light of the aforementioned research questions and the major concepts in information behaviour. Results. Drawings of information frequently illustrate information behaviour. The most common visual themes were: the hands, the brain, a person thinking, an individual in a context, a twosome in information exchange and an information-rich social world. The themes embody central tenets of information behaviour. Conclusions. TA limitation is the difficulty of discerning specific types of information activity in the drawings. Otherwise, the ibSquares provide an accessible, fresh perspective on information behaviour research and pedagogy, and expand the visual vocabulary of information behaviour beyond models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. The paper presents an approach and possible methods for eliciting mental models of the bibliographic universe for music resources and comparing them to Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR), a conceptual model of the bibliographic universe. A small pilot study using these methods is also presented. Method. There are several viable methods for eliciting mental models such as card sorting, concept mapping, and graph selection. Card sorting and concept mapping were used to conduct the pilot study. Conclusions. The pilot study shows promising results, allowing us to continue with the full-fledged research, which hopes to contribute to a better understanding of the perceptions and needs of users, specifically for music resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. The aim of the research was to map how members of the general public in Brazil find, access, evaluate and use health information found on the internet. Method. A survey of structured questions was made available online using Limesurvey, the same instrument being used as a protocol for face-to-face structured interviews with members of the public randomly selected. Analysis. The collected data underwent statistical analysis, performing simple correlations with variables of age, gender and occupation. Adapting the monitoring tool developed by Niemelä et al., a score for the participants' degree of everyday health information literacy was generated based on the participants' own perceptions of how they carry out certain daily information tasks. Results. Although participants obtain health information from medical and/or scientific sources, overall they lack confidence in their own skills to retrieve information and assess its reliability. Perceived credibility of health information sources on the Internet was higher for scientific articles, although only a quarter of participants in fact use these. Many participants claim to have used, or would use, health information found on the Internet in the decision-making process, including to change doctors. Conclusions. There was an identified latent desire to use more reliable information understood in this research as being that of scientific, peer-reviewed and open access origin - in everyday health issues. Participants' relatively low estimation of their health information literacy skills could be tackled with public programmes directly aimed at minimising this perceived lacuna. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. This paper describes an empirical study in which two separate groups of respondents were questioned as to their preferred sources of information when working with software. Method. Respondents were asked to imagine working with software and to indicate how much interest they would have in accessing six distinct sources of information about its functioning. This question was asked four times, corresponding to four different situations in which information could imaginably be required. Analysis. A relational database was created to store the data, which could then be queried in many different ways. Results. The results imply that in general, users of software have a preference for information sources that take little effort to access. This does not, however, mean that software users 'do not read the instructions', as has been suggested in the academic and professional literatures. Conclusions. Software users are quite willing to use documentation as and when required. It is then up to the designers of user documentation to make this worth their while. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Information sharing has recently become an area of interest within the information behaviour literature. Yet, limited published empirical research can be found. This paper reports results concerning the information sharing behaviour of a group of female academics in Saudi Arabia. Method. The data for this paper were collected via semi-structured interviews, informed by the critical incident technique, and diaries between May-September, 2013 to gather data from 24 female academics. Eight of whom kept a diary for a two-week period. Analysis. Thematic data analysis was undertaken to analyse different aspects of information sharing, motivation and strategies for sharing information. Results. Information sharing was an embedded aspect of the participants' information behaviour and exhibited in both the work and everyday life context. A tendency for retaining and withholding information was also identified. The analysis allowed different types of information sharing to be distinguished and helped to explain why and how the participants shared information in relation to a range of situations that related to their daily life. Conclusions. The study indicated the complexity of information sharing and identified why people shared or withheld information; the information sharing process; the situations where information was shared and the nature of their information sharing and adds to our understanding of information sharing. Nevertheless, further distinctions are likely to be identified in the course of further analysis and placed in the broader context of information behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. A framework is introduced for examining interaction in which information and knowledge is shared, used and created in organizational settings. Method. A qualitative approach was applied to examine the phenomenon of knowledge creation by focusing on the events of interaction. The data are the notes from semistructured observation and video recordings from a collaborative work context between seven schools and a city library participating in the Joy of Reading Programme in Finland. Analysis. The data were analysed based on the study's theoretical framework and multimodal content analysis was conducted to study the use of information and knowledge and the factors enhancing the creation of knowledge in interactive events. Results. Factors identified were diversity, familiarity, equality, time, shared rules and shared goals. Goal centeredness was linked with the time as a limited resource. This shaped the interaction and the modes of being in the event: seriousness and full presence in the event were ways to use the available time effectively. The use of information and knowledge to create new knowledge was tightly linked with the goals of the community. Additionally, information and knowledge sharing in the interactive events was emphasised in research data. Conclusions. The proposed framework based on a consistent view of human being and interaction provided by the hermeneutic phenomenology has potential for studying knowledge creation in organizational settings further. In future, the framework should be applied in other contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examined the demographic variables as correlates of lecturers research productivity in Faculties of Law in Nigerian universities. The descriptive survey research design was adopted. The multistage sampling technique was used to select 414 out of 905 lecturers from 16 faculties of Law in 29 federal and state universities across the 6 geo-political zones of Nigeria. A questionnaire was used. Three research questions were answered and one hypothesis was tested at 0.05 level of significance. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson product moment correlation and multiple regression. Based on multiple regression analysis the result shows that demographic variables such as age, designation, and years of experience have significant positive relationship with research productivity of law lecturers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The documentary criteria that researchers and professionals think are essential for assessing Internet information sources and for implementing these sources in news libraries are presented. Results of a Delphi study conducted in 2013 with eight experts in news librarianship and a survey of 81 news librarians working in Spanish media are discussed. Aspects such as the impact of digital sources on news libraries, their frequency of use, the type of resource searched, and the consequences for professional routines in these centres are analyzed. 86.4% of respondents use the Internet every day to search for information. Documentation centres of the Spanish mainstream media have not established a policy for the selection of information sources on the Web. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to determine the use of information sources by recently graduated physicians of Lima, Peru in 2011, a survey was conducted among graduated physicians at seven universities. They were asked about the use of search engines in the health area during their year of medical internship [last year of medical school]. Regular use was defined as the source being used once a week or daily. For 490 respondents, regularly used information sources were SciELO, accessed by 173 (36.4%); PubMed 165 (34.4%); HINARI 117 (25.5%); UpToDate 98 (22.3%); Cochrane Library 94 (20.6%); LILACS 91 (19.8%); a hospital institutional library 70 (15.0%); LIPECS 39 (8.7%); and Peru BVS 42 (9.3%). Only a minority regularly accessed information sources related to health. It is necessary to improve capacity in the efficient use of various resources of scientific information in a continuous way and that reaches students and health professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, we examined how gaze guidance is affected by immediately available information in the periphery and investigated how search strategies differed across manipulations in the availability of scene context and object content information. Across 3 experiments, participants performed a visual search task in scenes while using a gaze-contingent moving-window paradigm. Extrafoveal information was manipulated across conditions to examine the contributions of object content, scene context, or some combination of the two. Experiment 1 demonstrated a possible interaction between scene context and object content information in improving guidance. Experiments 2 and 3 supported the notion that object content is selected for further scrutiny based on its position within scene context. These results suggest a prioritization of object information based on scene context, such that contextual information acts as a framework in the selection of relevant regions, and object information can then affect which specific locations in those regions are selected for further examination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the most authoritative journals in the field of quantitative linguistics, the Journal of Quantitative Linguistics has just passed its 20th birthday. In this paper, we collect information from the 20 volumes of this journal published so far (1994–2013) to build a corpus, then extract different categories of information using corpus tools. By quantitative analysis of the corpus data, complemented with information extracted from abstract and citation index databases such as Scopus and Web of Knowledge as important references, we aim to explore the objects, aims and methodologies of quantitative linguistics, its focuses and shifts in different periods, representative achievements in the past 20 years, and possible directions for the future. During the process, the role of JQL both in the development of quantitative linguistics and the wider scientific community are located and evaluated with quantitative-based evidence. The findings are that JQL contributes greatly to the development of quantitative linguistics and is in many aspects representative of changes in this field, keeping close pace with trends in the discipline and the ever-evolving characteristics of quantitative linguistics over the years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

User study are of great importance since they provide a substantial body of specific knowledge, facts and conclusions that are of great value for the development of new facilities. It requires a significant amount of time and effort. The understanding of user behaviour can be gained through a particular user study. This paper highlights the perspectives of users in libraries in the current electronic environment where libraries are faced with new challenges brought by the digital revolution and rapidly developing new information technologies. It also examines the importance of understanding user behavior and changing information needs and their satisfaction with the quality of the services libraries provide to meet the changing requirements. From the study we find that textbooks and journals are the most popular sources of information the students used in the library. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kernel smoothing methods can be used to visualise complex point event data that are distributed geographically. The visualisations generated by these methods allow users to observe trends in the data which may not be apparent from numerical summaries or by visualising the point data themselves. Crime data in the UK has recently been made available to the public for the smallest postal delivery areas in the country (postcodes). Visualisations of the number of recorded events at each postcode for a given area are provided online. In this paper we apply some widely used kernel smoothing methods to this data, to assess the use of kernel smoothing methods as applied to open access data. Kernel smoothing methods are applied to crime data from the Greater London metropolitan area using freely available packages for the open source R program. We also investigate the utility of using simple methods to smooth the data over time. The kernel smoothers used are demonstrated to provide effective and useful visualisations of the data, and it is proposed that these methods should be more widely applied in exploratory data visualisation in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of social cognitive theory has involved a number of inquiries, notably one of which concerns the formation and development of self-efficacy beliefs. Social cognitive theory indicates that we form our self-efficacy beliefs from four major sources of information: enactive performance accomplishments, vicarious experiences, verbal persuasion and emotional and physiological states. We advance this tenet by exploring across four occasions, and the four sources of information in the context of elementary school learning. Two cohorts of participants, at level 2 (N = 352 3rd–4th grade students) and level 3 (N = 264 5th–6th grade students), answered a Likert’s-scale inventory that we developed and used in a previous study. We proposed and tested a number of a priori models using LISREL 8.80. Furthermore, factorial invariance analyses of the inventory were performed, a posteriori, to determine the stability/instability of the four sources of information. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Introduction. This paper reports a study on information-seeking behaviour of prospective geography teachers at the National University of Lesotho based on their experiences during teaching practice. It is part of a larger doctoral study on information needs and information-seeking patterns of secondary level geography teachers in Lesotho. Method. The study used a questionnaire survey of the prospective geography teachers, which yielded a 74.2% (46/62) response rate. Analysis. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences to provide descriptive statistics. Results. It was found that the scope of the information needed by prospective geography teachers covers content that has to be delivered in class, teaching methods, educational policies and learners' assessment. Various styles of information-seeking such as collaborative and serendipitous were used. The teachers experienced a lack of information sources at schools. They preferred traditional information sources such as books, personal knowledge and other teachers in host schools. Modern electronic sources such as the internet were hardly used, probably due to unavailability and teachers' limited information literacy skills. Conclusion. Realising the value of information in learning and teaching, more needs to be done to improve availability of information resources and teachers' information literacy skills in least developed countries such as Lesotho. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. We investigated how online news consumers select content in an explicitly social scenario using uses and gratification theory (UGT). Method. Participants (n=30) browsed an online news Website and selected three items. In a post-task interview, participants rated articles on interest, intellectual curiosity, and likelihood to share, and articulated their motivations for choosing each item. Analysis. The article (n=90) was the unit of analysis. Structured content analysis of the interview data involved classifying motivations according to UGT's categories of surveillance, social utility, personal identity, entertainment, and habit. We quantitatively examined interest, intellectual curiosity and willingness to share ratings. Results. Participants employed different strategies in selecting content. The prospect of making conversation influenced many participants to select content with broad appeal, and some made use of social features of the news Website to accomplish this. Surveillance and social utility motivations dominated selections; entertainment was a minor consideration. However, more personal considerations such as interest, a desire to keep up to date with world events, and alignment with point of view played an important role in selecting content. Conclusions. When seeking information to share with others, personal interest and curiosity play an important role in selection, but a wide range of situational factors and goals also come into play. Participants articulated nuanced considerations of how information could be used to forge connections with others, construct social interactions, and make an impression on others. Information seeking as a means of satisfying social needs is an area ripe for exploration in information behaviour research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. This study investigates how Europeans seek information related to healthy eating, what determines their information seeking and whether any problems are encountered in doing so. Method. A survey was administered through computer-assisted on-line web interviewing. Respondents were grouped by age and sex (n=3003, age +16) in Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Poland, and the UK. Analysis. Descriptive statistics and regression analysis were used to analyse the influence of social, demographic, psychological and economic characteristics on the information seeking of the respondents. Results. Nearly half of those surveyed do not know where to look for information on healthy diets. Men, less well educated, poorer and sicker person know less about where to look for such information and are less likely to attempt finding it. Most of the respondents searching for information on the Internet use Google as a search tool. Conclusions. Individual and environmental factors affect information behaviour and should be taken into account in public campaigns aimed at changing eating habits of the population to increase their effectiveness. More emphasis should be placed on raising health information literacy of the information-poor, men, the uneducated, and the economically disadvantaged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. This paper examines the role of individual and combined human-information interactions in sense-making activities involving document collections that are linked to map-based visualisations. In this paper it is assumed that sense-making in map-based visualisations of documents involves developing a cognitive map of interrelated semantic, geographic, social, and personal working spaces, their structure and relationships. Understanding these is facilitated not only by perception of their structure and relationships, but also by the user's continuous interaction with them. Elaboration. The paper presents, defines, and examines concepts dealing with the design of interaction for map-based visualisations using an example prototype system, VICOLEX (VIsual COLlection EXplorer). Our examination of interactions is analytical and supported by empirical evidence. Results. The main contribution of this paper is an analytical demonstration of the role that a set of interactions can play in supporting users' understanding of spaces and their formation of cognitive maps when working with map-based visualisations. Viewed in isolation, any given interaction may seem insignificant, yet when analysed and combined together, they can reduce the overall efforts of users and significantly facilitate sense-making activities. Significance. The ideas presented in this paper are useful for understanding and making sense of document collections and the design of tools and interfaces that help users explore any kind of structured information with geospatial properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Digital information environments such as Websites and search engines have the potential to support serendipity: to spark and nurture positive, unexpected interactions with information and ideas with valuable outcomes. But we have few tools to measure how well they support serendipity and thus no data-driven way to guide their development. Method. Grounded in prior research, facets of a serendipitous digital environment were identified together with a pool of items that could be used in the creation of a self-report scale. To assess the content validity of the preliminary scale or the extent to which a measurement reflects the content domain it is intended to capture, we conducted two successive studies: an expert review by eight experts; and an analysis of variance approach involving a Web-based study of 107 university students. Analysis. Qualitative and quantitative approaches were used to analyse the data. Results. The items of the serendipitous digital environment scale were revised and the scale's content validity confirmed. Conclusion. Five facets of a serendipitous digital environment were identified and defined and a 37-item scale was developed in preparation for future studies that will reduce and refine the scale and test its construct validity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]