Archive for the ‘Information Seeking’ Category
Friday, February 20th, 2009
Take a brief quiz from the Pew Internet & American Life Project.
From the Web Site:
Do you cringe when your cell phone rings? Do you suffer from withdrawal when you can’t check your Blackberry? Do you rush to post your vacation video to your Web site? The questions below allow you to place yourself in one of the categories in the Pew Internet Project’s Typology of Information and Communication Technology Users. To identify the typology group to which you belong, please answer the questions below. When you press the ‘Calculate My Results’ button, a new page will tell you in which group you fit, along with a description of the general characteristics of that group.
Direct to Quiz
Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project
Posted in Info Management and Retrieval, Information Literacy, Information Science, Information Seeking | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 18th, 2009
A 2008 article by Birger Hjørland.
From the Abstract:
This paper considers “information literacy” as a scholarly skill associated with knowledge about information sources, “source criticism”, critical thinking and theory of knowledge. From the perspective of Library and Information Science (LIS) it should be defined in relation to the research field of LIS: What we can offer and what we should offer in relation to this concept? It is argued that the core issue is the critical understanding of knowledge production and knowledge claims and how to enable users to make rational decisions in the overloaded information ecology. Emphasis should be put on the functions of the scholarly communication system considered from sociological and epistemological perspectives
Source: PRISMA.COM (via d-LIST)
Posted in Information Literacy, Information Science, Information Seeking, Libraries and Librarianship, Scholarly Publishing | No Comments »
Sunday, January 25th, 2009
From the News Release:
The British Library and JISC have commissioned a major new study into the information seeking and research behaviour of young scholars born between 1982 and 1994 – commonly dubbed ‘Generation Y’.
The study will track a number of researchers over a three-year period, analysing their activity and habits in online and physical research environments. The study will also assess their usage of library and information resources, both on and offline. The research subjects will be doctoral students beginning their PhD programme in the academic year 2008/09.
Source: The British Library
Posted in Information Literacy, Information Seeking, Search News | No Comments »
Monday, January 12th, 2009
From the Article:
One of the greatest things about the Internet is that you can find answers to just about everything. One of the worst is that it’s filled with conflicting information, often from dubious sources with no way to figure out who’s being paid to write something, who’s just pontificating and who actually knows something.
Source: Forbes
Posted in Information Seeking | No Comments »
Friday, January 9th, 2009
From the Abstract:
Research is divided about the potential of e-service to bridge communication gaps, particularly to diverse user groups. According to the existing body of literature, eservice may either increase or decrease the quality of service received. This study analyzes the level of service received by different genders and ethnic groups when academic and public librarians answer 676 online reference queries. Quality of e-service was evaluated along three dimensions: timely response, reliability, and courtesy. This study found no significant differences among different user groups along any of these dimensions, supporting the argument that the virtual environment facilitates equitable service and may overcome some challenges of diverse user groups.
Direct to Full Text Article (33 pages; PDF)
Source: Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology (via D-LIST)
Posted in Information Seeking, Libraries and Librarianship | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 6th, 2009
From the News Release/Report:
Online news sites are now second only to recommendations from friends as the nation’s primary trusted source of information, according to new research unveiled today by TNS.
Online news is ‘highly trusted’* by two fifths (40%) of those polled – second only to recommendations from friends which is the most trusted with almost half (45%) of respondents in the study stating that they highly trusted this source. Three quarters (75%) of UK respondents stated that they had ‘looked up the news’ when asked what they had done online in the last month – further emphasising the ascendancy of online news sites. The story of online news seems to be globally widespread with an average of two fifths (40%) across all 16 countries in the report trusting online news in this way.
Source: TNS (via DocuTicker)
Posted in Information Industry, Information Literacy, Information Seeking | No Comments »
Thursday, December 18th, 2008
From the study announcement:
A new study from Knowledge Networks shows that consumers are now bringing their multiplatform media habits – from mobile media to GPS to Internet browsers – to the search for a dentist, lawyer, pizza parlor, or other business. The Y Advantage: Landscape 2008 provides the first scientific look across eight key platforms at how consumers are expanding beyond print forms such as Yellow Pages when researching a business’s products and services.
Nearly half (48%) of consumers report print Yellow Pages as the resource they turn to most often for information on a business or service, and more than three-quarters (77%) use the print Yellow Pages overall. Search engines (49%) are the second most-turned-to source, followed by Internet Yellow Pages (36%), and free or fee-based 411 (30%).
Source: Knowledge Networks
Posted in Information Seeking, Search News | No Comments »
Thursday, December 18th, 2008
From the survey news release:
1 per cent of web users are unaware of how Internet Search Engine results are compiled, according to research released today by Fasthosts Internet Ltd, (www.fasthosts.co.uk), the UK’s number one web hosting company. The study of 1600 UK consumers(1), which focused on the public’s day-to-day use of search engines, found that the vast majority of Britons either have no idea or an inaccurate view of how online search results are determined. The research also found that consumers today have a strong preference for ‘Organic’ or main search engine results as opposed to additional ‘Sponsored’ links which website publishers pay to display, with more than 1 in 3 (38 per cent) choosing to ignore these when they appear.
As our gateways to the Web, Internet Search Engines are the most commonly used websites for the majority of UK web surfers. However, Fasthosts’ ‘Online Search Matters Survey’ found that over two thirds of consumers remain in the dark about how the search engine results they use come about. Whilst 97 per cent of those questioned frequently use search engines, only 29 per cent are aware that search results are ordered according to a combination of relevance to search terms and optimisation techniques used by the individual website owners.
Source: FastHosts.co.uk
Posted in Information Literacy, Information Seeking, Search News | No Comments »
Saturday, November 1st, 2008
Finding and Using the Best Immigration Data Resources
Immigration is a polarizing topic in the United States, with people sharply divided about whether it is a positive or negative force for the country. Underlying these strong opinions are assumptions about the number and characteristics of foreigners living in the United States. What are the data behind these assumptions and how credible is the information?
On Oct. 16, 2008, the Migration Policy Institute and the Population Reference Bureau convened four experts to discuss how to find and use the most accurate and accessible data on immigration, primarily from government sources. They discussed the opportunities and pitfalls of existing data sources such as the statistics on annual immigration flows from the Department of Homeland Security, and data from the decennial census, the Current Population Surveys, and the American Community Survey. Below are links to the webcasts of the presentations.
+ Immigration: Data Matters (PDF; 2.2 MB)
Webcasts, podcasts, PPT presentations also available.
Source: Population Reference Bureau
Posted in Access to Information, Information Literacy, Information Seeking, Papers and Presentations, Source File, Statistics | No Comments »
Saturday, October 11th, 2008
Consumers Warned to Avoid Fake E-mails Tied to Bank Mergers
Online scammers are taking advantage of tough economic times. While e-mails phishing for sensitive data are nothing new, scammers are taking advantage of upheavals in the financial marketplace to confuse consumers into parting with valuable personal information.
The Federal Trade Commission urges caution regarding e-mails that look as if they come from a financial institution that recently acquired a consumer’s bank, savings and loan, or mortgage. In fact, these messages may be from “phishers” looking to use personal information – account numbers, passwords, Social Security numbers – to run up bills or commit other crimes in a consumer’s name.
+ Bank Failures, Mergers and Takeovers: A ‘Phish-erman’s Special
Posted in Business and Economics, Information Seeking, Privacy, Search News | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 30th, 2008
Logging On for a Second (or Third) Opinion
…paging Dr. Google can lead patients to miss a rich lode of online resources that may not yield to a simple search. Sometimes just adding a word makes all the difference. Searching for the name of a certain cancer will bring up the Wikipedia entry and several information sites from major hospitals, drug companies and other providers. Add the word “community” to that search, Ms. Fox said, and “it’s like falling into an alternate universe,” filled with sites that connect patients.
As a result, said Dr. Ted Eytan, medical director for delivery systems operations improvement at the Permanente Federation, “patients aren’t learning from Web sites — they’re learning from each other.” The shift is nothing less than “the democratization of health care,” he went on, adding, “Now you can become a national expert in your bedroom.”
Source: New York Times
Posted in Information Literacy, Information Seeking, Search News, Web Search | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 10th, 2008
From the article:
New research from Indiana University has found evidence that how we search for things, such as our car keys or umbrella, could be related to how we search for more abstract needs, such as words in memory or solutions to problems. “Common underlying search mechanisms may exist that drive our behavior in many different domains,” explains IU cognitive scientist Peter Todd.
Source: SCiSCOOP
Posted in Information Science, Information Seeking, Search News | No Comments »
Monday, August 25th, 2008
From the Computerworld article:
The recent growth of information sources such as blogs, social networks, news aggregators, microblogs like Twitter, instant messaging and e-mail has been exponential. And with broadband penetration among active Internet users expected to break 90% this year, according to Internet marketing firm Website Optimization LLC, there aren’t many people today who haven’t experienced some form of information overload.
Source: ComputerWorld
Posted in Information Literacy, Information Science, Information Seeking, Search News | No Comments »
Thursday, August 21st, 2008
From the intro:
In 2007, 56 percent of American adults-more than 122 million people-sought information about a personal health concern, up from 38 percent in 2001, according to a new national study by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC). Use of all information sources rose substantially, with the Internet leading the way: Internet information seeking doubled to 32 percent during the six-year period. Consumers across all categories of age, education, income, race/ethnicity and
health status increased their information seeking significantly, but education level remained the key factor in explaining how likely people are to seek health information. Although elderly Americans-65 and
older-sharply increased their information seeking, they still trail younger Americans by a substantial margin, especially in using Internet information sources. Consumers who actively researched health concerns widely reported positive impacts: More than half said the information changed their overall approach to maintaining their health, and four in five said that the information helped them to better understand how to treat an illness or condition.
Source: Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC)
Hat Tip: M.Z.
Posted in Information Seeking, Search News | No Comments »
Thursday, August 7th, 2008
From the memo summary:
The percentage of internet users who use search engines on a typical day has been steadily rising from about one-third of all users in 2002, to a new high of just under one-half (49%). With this increase, the number of those using a search engine on a typical day is pulling ever closer to the 60% of internet users who use email, arguably the internet all-time killer app, on a typical day.
Direct to Full Text Memo
6 pages; PDF.
Source: Pew Internet and American Life Project
Posted in Information Science, Information Seeking, Search News, Technology and Internet, Web Search | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 18th, 2008
Information Literacy from the Trenches: How Do Humanities and Social Science Majors Conduct Academic Research? (PDF; 697 KB)
This article examines the ways in which students majoring in humanities and social sciences conceptualize and operationalize course-related research. Findings are presented from an information-seeking behavior study with data collected from student discussion groups, a student survey, and a content analysis of professors’ research assignment handouts. Results indicate that students first use course readings and library resources for academic research and then rely on public Internet sites later in their research process. Students adopt a hybrid approach to course-related research. A majority of students in this study leveraged both human and computer-mediated resources to compensate for their lack of information literacy. In particular, students faced problems with determining information needs for assignments, selecting and critically evaluating resources, and gauging professors’ expectations for quality research.
Source: College & Research Libraries, forthcoming (Alison J. Head)
Posted in Education, Information Literacy, Information Seeking, Libraries and Librarianship, Papers and Presentations | No Comments »
