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The article reports phase 2 of a two-year study, dubbed the Smart Information Use project, the focus of which was appropriate seeking and use of information by students at various stages of their high school education, along with the avoidance of plagiarism. In four Australian high schools, teacher librarians and classroom teachers developed and trialed strategies to teach students how to avoid plagiarism. Each school used action research and one of two pedagogical approaches, referred to as "instructional practice" and "inquiry learning." University researchers undertook evaluation using an interpretivist/constructivist framework. Students, teachers, and teacher librarians were interviewed, mostly in focus groups. The strategies used in both approaches are described, along with the findings of the evaluation. Both approaches were found to help students to avoid plagiarism. The discussion section includes student and teacher predictions about changes in future practice, the importance of student engagement with topics, and assessment issues. The conclusion discusses the lessons learned, focusing particularly on the need for a whole-school policy if plagiarism is to be counteracted. Good collaboration between teachers and teacher librarians is crucial. The two pedagogical approaches, taken together, provide a powerful repertoire of ideas that can be implemented over time in any secondary school anywhere. (Contains 2 tables.)

The article reports phase 1 of a two-year study that focused on seeking and use of information by students at various stages of their secondary education. The project used a large qualitative sample selected from four Australian schools and was undertaken during 2006 as part of a wider project concerned with using information creatively and effectively to minimize plagiarism. The field work included observation of students undertaking an assignment, two interviews with students, and the analysis of the completed assignments. Topics covered and reported, in the context of the available literature, include: preferences for information sources, self-perception of information skills, help from other people, trust in and perceived reliability of sources, attitudes to information seeking, recording and use of information, and attribution of information sources. Criteria for good practice include the avoidance of plagiarism by students, general attitudes to information seeking and use, and awareness of the need for an evaluative, critical approach to information. The responses of the students who plagiarised most are examined towards the end of the article. The discussion and conclusion explore the issues in greater depth, provide recommendations for future improvements, and outline the remaining two phases of the project. (Contains 1 table.)

Introduction: The paper describes an interim model for understanding the influences on information use in relation to plagiarism, with a focus on secondary school students. Available literature mostly focuses on the tertiary level and on quantifying the extent of plagiarism, with limited availability of theory or empirical research focussing on information use, learning and plagiarism. Theoretical context: Possible theoretical bases for the model are considered, and the reasons for choosing Williamson's (2005) modified ecological model, as the basis, are outlined. Empirical Research: The data from a pilot study, using ethnographic techniques in a constructivist framework, contributed to the development of the interim model. The study was undertaken with Year 11 students in an Australian country high school. The data analysis from this study was influenced by constructivist grounded theory. Themes and categories were developed from this analysis. Model Development: The themes and categories, together with the gaps in understanding as revealed by the pilot research experience, were used to modify Williamson's ecological model to provide a diagrammatic representation suited to the topic of information use and plagiarism. The themes, encompassing a number of categories which might provide understanding about influences on information use in relation to plagiarism, are people, practices, attitudes and technology. Conclusion: Developing the model gave the researchers new insights at a crucial stage when they were about to embark on a major study, building on their pilot project. Although the target group for the research is secondary school students, the model is applicable to any group of information users.

The literature speaks of a "deluge" of scientific and research data and the importance of capturing and managing it for use beyond its original creating community, purpose, and time. Data value increases as it is interconnected, networked, shared, used, and re-used. This paper extends the conversation about data sharing to "wild data": that is, data generated and held outside of "academic" or "professional" science, as in the case of environmental voluntary groups (EVGs). Currently, important data generated by these groups are likely to be inaccessible to the academic community, or any community or body outside those often-small EVGs. Although large quantities of data are often generated by EVGs, management of these data may be poor or non-existent; and quality control of data may be haphazard and spasmodic. This article reports on a pilot project which explored the data sought, generated, stored, and shared by members of EVGs. The project also investigated members' views about data management and sharing for the future. Finally, as Australian university libraries are at the forefront of research and practice to promote the better management of data created by research, the paper also explores whether there might be a collaborative role for university libraries in the management of wild data. (Contains 1 figure and 2 tables.)

The article explores the concept of baby boomers as a "crossover" generation, one that embodies characteristics of previous and later generations. The context is the retirement of the baby boomers and its potential impact on the public library. Ethnographic method within a constructivist framework was used, employing the techniques of focus groups and individual interviews. The findings focus on four principal areas: baby boomer characteristics; information needs and resource use; social needs; and the role of volunteering. Comparisons are made with other generations, as appropriate. The conclusion is that, despite some shared characteristics, differences require innovative responses from public libraries. (Contains 1 table.)

This study investigated the news-seeking and browsing behaviours of young adults, partly in the context of everyday life information seeking (ELIS), in order to explore their perceptions of and attitudes towards print and online news media. The study is significant because traditional print newspapers face a steady decline in their readership with the growth of free online content. Therefore, it is important to understand the online news-seeking behaviours of young adults to try and predict changes and trends in this field. A qualitative (interpretivist) approach was adopted and twenty university students were interviewed. Findings indicate that, contrary to expectations, print newspapers were still favoured by young people in this sample and the most successful online news disseminators were the ones who have attached themselves to a popular website. Finally, the impact of newspaper reading and publishing trends on library reading rooms is also discussed.

Information literacy (IL) has been described as a core literacy. However emerging empirical research indicates that the phenomenon will have different characteristics in different contexts and will be played out in culturally different ways. This paper reviews the nature and growth of IL to ascertain how researchers understand the phenomenon in various contexts. It then considers the contradictions across contexts and the importance of context to understanding the complexity of IL. The conclusion is that a focus on various contexts, not yet explored, will result in the need for a new agenda for IL research.

Baby boomers are epitomised by the phrase "wanting it now". This large group of the population is better educated, more technologically literate, generally wealthier than any previous generation and has high expectations of quality services and products. Just as they have led other social revolutions, baby boomers are expected to revolutionise the meaning of ageing and retirement. They are also renowned for their voracious consumption of information in all media, which means that libraries have good reason to be involved in planning and policy development if their services are to be considered relevant and timely. (Contains 4 endnotes.)

This paper reports a research project funded by the State Library of NSW and the National Library of Australia which focuses on the training needs of public librarians for using electronic databases, and the subsequent development of training modules to address them. The paper discusses literature relevant to training issues in database use for public librarians and then presents the method for the project, along with the findings of the initial fieldwork: the results of the observation of skills in a sample group and the investigation of self-perceived skills and training needs in the same group. It concludes with the outline of the training modules which are proposed. These modules will use a "lens" to improve and fast track learning of databases. The researchers believe that, with the aid of the "lens", librarians can master any new database, including its idiosyncrasies, very quickly. In this way, librarians should gain more confidence in working with databases, and feel less stressed by the constant proliferation of interfaces and formats. (Contains 2 footnotes.)

Discusses the role of information which is incidentally or accidentally acquired and reports on a study that investigated the information-seeking behavior of older adults, aged 60 and over, from Australia. Examines the role of telecommunications, especially the telephone; interviews that determined information needs and sources; and the mass media and printed information. Contains 46 references. (Author/LRW)

For the first time, the Information Seeking in Context (ISIC) Conference was held in Australia. This was the sixth of the ISIC biennial conferences, the first of which was held [...]

The project discussed in this article was initiated by the State Library of NSW (SLNSW) and supported by the National Library of Australia (NLA) with the aim of developing the competency of Australian public librarians in using online databases. The article begins with a discussion of the differences between training, education and learning, placing the project within the debates about competency-based training which are associated with this discussion. The interpretivist (interpretative) framework and method for the first stage of the project are described. Twenty-six librarians were involved in fieldwork at SLNSW, Wagga Wagga Headquarters of the Riverina Regional Library, and NLA. They took part in individual interviews, focus group interviews and their skills in database use were observed. The findings of this fieldwork form the basis for the design of two training modules at present being developed. The central, generic tool of both training modules is called a lens which will be used to identify the common elements, problems and the idiosyncrasies of databases. The conclusion relates back to the issues of training, education and learning. It suggests that the interpretative approach to competencies being taken in the project will result in high quality training modules, well related to the needs and contexts of public librarians., 'You program a robot, you train a dog (or possibly a soldier), but for human beings you provide an educational environment.' (1) This statement, although controversial, gives cause to reflect [...]

Abstract Qualitative research investigated the attitudes to, and experiences of, 20 visually impaired people in rural and urban areas of Australia to accessing information via the Internet. The views of [...]