Hosted  by:  

Information  Needs,  Seeking,  and  Use  (SIG  USE)  

   

In  collaboration  with:  

Social  Informatics  (SIG  SI)  

SIGs  of  the  American  Society  for  Information  Science  &  Technology  

 

SIG  USE  Research  Symposium  

November  7  

2009  This   symposium   will   offer   guided   reflection   on   essential   questions   around  information   behavior   research   and   practice   in   social   and   collaborative  information   environments:   Where   is   collaborative   information   behavior  research  headed?  How  are  we  to  communicate  our  insights  to  researchers  and  practitioners   in   related   areas   of   study   and   design?   How   can   and   should   our  models,   theories   and   findings   inform   the   design   and   delivery   of   collaborative  and  innovative  information  products  and  services?  

Collaborative  Information  Seeking  &  Sharing  

 

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Special  thanks  to  Heather  Barahona  and  Will  Senn  for  their  work.  

 

Printing  Services  provided  courtesy  of:  

   

UNT  College  of  Information  

Word  Cloud  courtesy  of:    

 

 

Wordle.com  

 

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Welcome!  

We  enthusiastically  welcome  the  over  50  registered  attendees,  keynote  speakers,  members,  friends,  and  other  officers   to   the   10th   anniversary   research   symposium  on  Collaborative   Information   Seeking   and   Sharing   of   SIG  USE.    

This   symposium   offers   an   opportunity   for   SIG   USE,   as   well   as   other   SIG   members,   to   reflect   on   essential  questions   around   information   behavior   research   and   practice   in   a   collaborative   context:   What   are   the  fundamental   questions   that   we   should   be   looking   at   in   this   line   of   research?   How   are   we   to  move   towards  making  greater  impacts  on  organizations  and  designers?    

In  an  effort  to  consolidate  research  that  has  been  undertaken  by  attendees,  the  2009  SIG-­‐USE  Symposium  will  engage   in   reflection   on   where   collaborative   information   behavior   research   is   headed.   Examining   the  transformative   relationship  between  people  and  people,  as  well   as  people  and   information,   is  at   the  heart  of  information   behavior   research.   Taking   a   people-­‐centered   focus   to   our   inquiries,   we   have   amassed  understandings  about  the  way  people  work  with  information,   information  systems  and  the  people  with  whom  they  interact  in  the  process  of  information  seeking  and  sharing.    

Communicating   these   insights   to   researchers  and  practitioners   in   related  areas  of   study  and  design,  however,  continues   to   pose   a   challenge   for   our   community.   Thus,   the   reflective   moment   to   be   offered   by   this   year’s  Symposium   will   be   used   to   consider   the   challenge   of   communicating   the   significance   of   USE   research   to  designers  of  products,  systems  and  services.    

This  year’s  symposium  is  also  to  be  used  as  another  opportunity  to  bring  together  researchers  in  two  SIGs  (SIG  USE   and   SIG   SI)   to   explore   potential   synergies   between   the   research   interests   of   the   two   communities.   An  afternoon  session  is  requested  so  that  the  USE  symposium  can  follow  a  networking  lunch  run  jointly  by  SIG-­‐USE  and  SIG-­‐SI  (who  are  running  a  morning  symposium).    

Please  visit  our  wiki  for  updated  information:  http://www.asis.org/wiki/AM09/index.php/Siguse  

Symposium  Organizers:    

Nadia  Caidi,  University  of  Toronto,  Canada  

Guillermo  Oyarce,  University  of  North  Texas  Soo  Young  Rieh,  University  of  Michigan  

 

Stay  connected  with  SIG  USE  during  and  after  the  conference!  SIG  USE  now  has  a  space  in  Second  Life  on  ASIS&T  Island.  Find  colleagues  in  our  Facebook  group  (SIG  USE),  contribute  your  photos  to  our  Flickr  area,  or  follow  us  on  Twitter.  Look  for  upcoming  events  on  our  SIG  USE  web  site,  as  well  as  links  to  all  of  the  above  social  networking  tools:    http://siguse.org.  

 

   

   

 

   

 

   

 

 

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Symposium  Agenda      Saturday,  November  7,  2009  

 12:30  –  1:30   Networking  lunch  with  SIG  SI  (location  TBD)  

1:30  –  1:40     Introduction  and  logistics    

1:40  –  1:55   Award  presentations  

1:55  –  2:10     Talk  by  Ya-­‐Ling  Lu,  2009  Chatman  Research  Proposal  Award  Winner    

2:10  –  2:40   Keynote  speech  1:  Diane  Sonnenwald    

2:40  –  3:40   Small  group  discussion  session  1  and  reporting    

1. How  does  our  research  address  the  transformative  relationship  between  people  and  information?    

2. What  are  the  fundamental  questions  that  we  should  be  looking  at  in  our  research?  

 

3:40  –  4:00   Break  

4:00  –  4:30   Keynote  speech  2:  David  McDonald    

4:30  –  5:30   Small  group  discussion  session  2  and  reporting  

3. How  are  we  to  move  towards  making  a  greater  impact  on  organizations  and  designers?    

4. How  can  or  should  collaborative  information  behavior  research  be  presented  to  translate  effectively  into  the  language  of  other  information  research  communities?  

 

5:30  –  6:00   Wrap-­‐up  by/with  keynote  speakers  and  conclusions    

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Speakers  

Elfreda  A.  Chatman  Research  Proposal  recipient  for  2008:  Ya-­‐Ling  Lu    Children’s  Information  Behaviors  in  Coping  with  Daily  Life  

 This  project  examines  children’s  information  behaviors  in  coping  with  their  daily-­‐life  problems  as  well  as  factors  

that  influence  their  information  seeking  in  this  coping  context.  Data  was  collected  through  semi-­‐structured,  open-­‐ended  surveys.  The  sample  consisted  of  641  children,  including  335  girls  and  321  boys,  in  fifth-­‐  and  sixth-­‐grade  classrooms  from  an  urban  public  elementary  school  in  Taiwan.  This  study  found  that  in  coping  with  daily-­‐

life  problems  nearly  2/3  of  the  participating  children  would  seek  information,  that  6th  graders  were  more  likely  to  do  so,  and  that  gender  did  not  make  information  seeking  more  (or  less)  probable  in  this  coping  context.  Data  from  this  study  also  revealed  five  major  different  information  seeking  behaviors  related  to  coping:  information  

seeking  for  problem  solving,  information  seeking  for  escape,  information  seeking  for  a  transition,  information  seeking  to  change  mood,  and  information  avoidance.  Because  children  aim  at  different  goals,  the  types  of  information  they  need  vary.  

 

Keynote:  Diane  Sonnenwald  Head  of  School  &  Professor  at  School  of  information  and  Library  Studies,  UCD,  Dublin,  Ireland  Collaborating  with  Other  Disciplines:  Joys  and  Perils  

Drawing   on   over   a   decade   of   collaboration   with   computer   scientists,   chemists   and   researchers   in   other  

disciplines  while  conducting  research  on  collaboration  and  the  design  and  evaluation  of  collaboration  practices  and  technology,  Diane  will  share  insights  gained  from  her  research  regarding  the  challenges,  opportunities  and  new  ways  of  conducting  multidisciplinary   research   to   facilitate   information  sharing  and  knowledge   transfer   to  

better   enable   our   models,   theories   and   findings   to   inform   the   design   and   implementation   of   collaboration  technology.  Personal  examples  of  successes  and  challenges  will  be  presented.  

Diane  H.  Sonnenwald  is  Head  of  School  and  Professor  at  the  School  of  Information  and  Library  Studies  at  UCD,  Dublin,  Ireland,  and  an  adjunct  professor  of  computer  science  at  the  University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill.  

She  conducts  research  on  collaboration  and  collaboration  technology  in  a  variety  of  contexts,  including  scientific  collaboration,   industry-­‐academic   collaboration,   and   collaboration   in   emergency   healthcare.   This   research   has  been   published   in   over   90   journal   articles,   conference   papers   and   book   chapters.   She   leads   a   project  

investigating   the   potential   of   3D   telepresence   technology   to   improve   emergency   healthcare.   This   project   has  been   funded   by   the   U.S.   National   Library   of   Medicine,   and   is   a   collaboration   with   the   Computer   Science  Department   and   the   School   of   Medicine   at   the   University   of   North   Carolina   at   Chapel   Hill.   Diane   is   also  

investigating   the   evaluation   of   distributed   collaborative   work.   Previously   Diane   led   the   nanoManipulator  Collaboratory   Design   &   Evaluation   Research   Project   funded   by   the   National   Institutes   of   Health,   and   the  Collaboration   Effort   at   the   National   Science   Foundation   Science   and   Technology   Center   for   Environmentally  

Responsible  Solvents  and  Processes.   In  both  projects   she  and  her   team   investigated  how  new  technology  can  impact  scientific  collaboration  across  distances.  Diane  has  been  a  Fulbright  Professor   in  Finland.  Other  awards  and   recognition   include   a   U.S.   Army   Research   Laboratory   Scientific   Contribution   Award,   UNC   Junior   Faculty  

Research  Award,  ALISE  Research  Methodology  Best  Paper  Award,  and  Bell  Communications  Research  Award  of  Excellence.  

 

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Keynote  David  McDonald    Faculty  at  the  Information  School  at  University  of  Washington,  Program  Director  for  the  Human  Centered  Computing  program  at  the  National  Science  Foundation  

An  Issue  of  Scale:  Moving  toward  a  Paradigm  for  Mass  Participation  Computing  

Wide-­‐spread   access   to   the   Internet   and   networked   communications   technologies   have   opened   a   space   of  applications  that  facilitate  new  forms  of  interaction  and  collaboration.  Inviting  large  numbers  of  participants  into  new   collaborative   applications   creates  many   challenges.  When   online   communities   grow,   ensuring   congenial  

interactions  among  all  of   the  members   is  nearly   impossible.  Differences   in  perspectives,  beliefs,  and  attitudes  ensure  that  the  multivalent  character  of  social  relations  emerges.  Systems  and  infrastructure  rarely  account  for  mechanisms   that   allow   for   the   effective   management   of   conflict.   Handling   challenges   that   result   from   scale  

requires   rethinking   the   way   we   frame   research   questions   about   online   participation   -­‐   a   potentially   new  paradigm.  

Dr.   David  W.  McDonald   joined   the   faculty   at   The   Information   School   at   University   of  Washington   in   January  2002.  Dr.  McDonald  is  currently  serving  as  a  Program  Director  for  the  Human  Centered  Computing  program  at  

the  National  Science  Foundation  (NSF)  in  the  Computer,  Information  Science  and  Engineering  (CISE)  Directorate.  David  has  ongoing  projects   studying  Wikipedia  and   technology  and  media  use   in   the  home.  He  has  published  research  on  collaborative  authoring,  recommendation  systems,  organizational  memory,  and  public  use  of  large  

screen  displays.  His  general  research  interests  span  Computer-­‐Supported  Cooperative  Work  (CSCW)  and  Human-­‐Computer   Interaction   (HCI).  David  earned  his  Ph.D.   in   Information  and  Computer   Science  at   the  University  of  California,   Irvine.  At  UC  Irvine  he  was  part  of  the  Computing,  Organizations,  Policy  and  Society  (CORPS)  group.  

David  has  worked  at  FX  Palo  Alto  Laboratory   in   the  Personal  and  Mobile   technology  group  and  at  AT&T  Labs,  Human  Computer  Interaction  group.    

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Small  Group  Discussion  Session  1      

Group  A   Group  B   Group  C   Group  D   Group  E  

Louise  Limberg   Heidi  Julien   Cecelia  Brown   Theresa  Anderson   Karen  Fisher  

Eileen  Abels   Jonathan  Foster   June  Abbas   Nadia  Caidi   Janet  Arth  

Shelagh  K.  Genuis   Crystal  Fulton   Sanda  Erdelez   Jia  Tina  Du   Leanne  Bowler  

Sean  P.  Goggins   Brandey  Hemmiger   Isto  Huvila     Stephen  Hockema   Helena  Francke  

Min-­‐Chun  Ku   Yaling  Lu   Evelyn  Markwei     Paulette  Kerr   Mamiko  Matsubayashi  

Margaret  Lam   Shen-­‐Tzu  Lin   David  McDonald     Kyungwon  Koh   Michael  Nilan  

Janet  Mumford   Diane  Mizrachi   Makiko  Miwa     Yutaka  Manchu   Guillermo  Oyarce  

Diane    Sonnenwald     Ophelia  Morey   Sanghee  Oh     Eric  Meyers   Theresa  Putkey  

Sandra  Toze   Valerie  Nesset   Anindita  Paul     Katie  O’Leary   Nasser  Saleh  

Rebekah  Willson   Jeanette  de  Richemond   Kathleen  Reed     Saeed  Sharifabadi   Robert  J.  Sandusky  

Borchuluun  Yadamsuren   Stina  Westman   Soo  Young  Rieh   Tiffany  Veinot   Maria  Souden  

    Fred  Stutzman     Carol  Wood   Ruth  Vondracek  

 

 Small  Group  Discussion  Session  2  

 Group  A   Group  B   Group  C   Group  D   Group  E  

Eileen  Abels   Sanda  Erdelez   Eric  Meyers   Tiffany  Veinot   Robert  Sandusky  

Theresa  Anderson   Leanne  Bowler   Nadia  Caidi   Crystal  Fulton   June  Abbas  

Janet  M.  Arth   Jian  Tina  Du   Jonathan  Foster     Shelagh  K.  Genuis     Helena  Francke  

Cecelia  Brown   Karen  Fisher     Stephen  Hockema   Bradley  Hemminger   Yaling  Lu  

Isto  Huvila   Sean  Goggins   Heidi  Julien   Min-­‐Chun  Ku   Paulette  Kerr  

Kyungwon  Koh   Margaret  Lam   Louise  Limberg   Ophelia  Morey   Shen-­‐Tzu  Lin  

David  McDonald   Yataka  Manchu   Evelyn  Markwei   Michael  Nilan   Mamiko  Matsubayashi  

Makiko  Miwa   Sanghee  Oh   Janet  Mumford   Katie  O’Leary   Theresa  Putkey  

Diane  Mizrachi     Guillermo  Oyarce   Valerie  Nesset   Jeanette  de  Richemond   Soo  Young  Rieh  

Nasser  Saleh   Anindita  Paul     Kathleen  Reed   Diane  Sonnenwald   Sandra  Toze    

Saeed  Sharifabadi   Borchuluun  Yadamsuren   Ruth  Vondrcek   Maria  Souden   Stina  Westman  

Carol  Wood       Rebekah  Willson   Fred  Stutzman    

   

 

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2009  SIG  USE  Award  Winners      Best  Information  Behavior  Paper:  $200.00  Tiffany  Veinot,  University  of  Michigan  “A  lot  of  people  didn’t  have  a  chance  to  support  us  because  we  never  told  them…”:  Stigma  management,  information  poverty  and  HIV/AIDS  information/help  networks    Best  Information  Behavior  Poster:  $200.00  Joung  Hwa  Koo  and  Melissa  Gross,  Florida  State  University  Adolescents’  Information  Behavior  when  Isolated  from  Peer  Groups:  Lessons  from  New  Immigrant  Adolescents’  Everyday  Life  Information  Seeking    Honorable  Mention  for  Best  Poster:  Ellen  Rubenstein,  University  of  Illinois  Dimensions  of  Information  Exchange  in  an  Online  Breast  Cancer  Support  Group    Elfreda  Chatman  Award:  $1000.00  Rachael  Clemens  and  Amber  Cushing,  University  of  North  Carolina  Chapel  Hill  Deeply  Meaningful  Contexts:  Probing  the  Boundaries  of  Everyday  Life  Information  Seeking    PhD  Student  Travel  Award:  $500.00  Diane  Mizrachi,  UCLA    Masters  Student  Travel  Award:  $500.00  Margaret  Lam,  University  of  Toronto    Interdisciplinary  Travel  Award:  $200.00  Chirag  Shah,  University  of  North  Carolina  Chapel  Hill  to  attend  the  2010  Computer-­‐Supported  Cooperative  Work  (CSCW)  Conference    Outstanding  Contributions  to  Information  Behavior:  $500.00  Tom  Wilson,  retired  

 

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Join  Us  for  Exciting  Events!    

 2009  is  an  exciting  landmark  in  SIGUSE  history.  We  are  looking  forward  to  celebrating  our  anniversary  with  you.    

 

SIG  USE  10th  Anniversary  Reception  

Saturday,  November  7th,  2009,  6.30pm.      

Happy  Birthday!  2009  marks   the  10th  Anniversary  of  SIG  USE.    We   invite  everyone  to  celebrate  at  an  evening  reception.    Come  reminisce  with  old  friends  and  meet  newcomers  to  SIG  USE.      

 

SIG  USE  Breakfast  Planning  Meeting  

Sunday,  November  8th,  2009,  8am.  Hyatt  Regency  Restaurant.  

We  invite  you  to  get  involved  in  next  year's  SIG  USE  event  planning.    

 SIG  USE  Anniversary  Panel    Celebrating  10  Years  of  SIG  USE:  A  Fish  Bowl  Dialogue  on  Information  Behavior  Research  Past,  Present  &  Future  

Tuesday,  November  10th,  3.30-­‐5pm  

What   will   the   next   10   years   of   Information   Behavior   research   bring?     Are   we   at   a   turning   point   in   studying  

Information  Behavior?    This  panel   reflects  on  the  development  of   Information  Behavior   research  and  explores  future   directions,   featuring   new   doctoral   work,   ongoing   major   research   studies,   and   new   opportunities   for  topics,  partnerships,  and  funding.    

   

 

 

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List  of  Registered  Attendees    

Ms.  June  Abbas   jmabbas@ou.edu   Dr.  David  McDonald   dwmc@u.washington.edu  Ms.  Eileen  G.  Abels   eabels@drexel.edu   Mr.  Eric  Meyers   meyerse@u.washington.edu  Ms.  Theresa  D.  Anderson   theresa.anderson@uts.edu.au   Ms.  Makiko  Miwa   miwamaki@nime.ac.jp  Ms.  Janet  M.  Arth   arth@tc.umn.edu   Ms.  Diane  Mizrachi   mizrachi@library.ucla.edu  Ms.  Leanne  Bowler   lbowler@sis.pitt.edu   Ms.  Ophelia  Morey   otmorey@buffalo.edu  Ms.  Cecelia  Brown   cbrown@ou.edu   Janet  Mumford   jmum@telus.net  Jeanette  de  Richemond   jderichemond@gmail.com   Ms.  Valerie  Nesset   vmnesset@buffalo.edu  Ms.  Jia  Du   jia.du@student.qut.edu.au   Dr.  Michael  S.  Nilan   jlpulver@syr.edu  Dr.  Sanda  Erdelez   sanda@missouri.edu   Ms.  Katie  O'Leary   katieolo@gmail.com  Dr.  Karen  E.  Fisher   fisher@u.washington.edu   Mrs.  Sanghee  Oh   shoh@email.unc.edu  Dr.  Jonathan  Foster   j.j.foster@sheffield.ac.uk   Dr.  Guillermo  Oyarce   oyga@unt.edu  Ms.  Helena  Francke   helena.francke@hb.se   Ms.  Anindita  Paul   ap6v8@mizzou.edu  Dr.  Crystal  Fulton   crystal.fulton@ucd.ie   Ms.  Theresa  Putkey   tputkey@keypointe.ca  Shelagh  Genuis   genuis@ualberta.ca   Kathleen  Reed   kjreed@ualberta.ca  Sean  Goggins   sean.goggins@mizzou.edu   Saeed    R.  Sharifabadi   srezaei@alzahra.ac.ir  Mr.  Bradley  Hemminger   bmh@ils.unc.edu   Ms.  Soo-­‐Young  Rieh   rieh@umich.edu  Mr.  Isto  Huvila   isto.huvila@abo.fi   Mr.  Nasser  Saleh   nasser.saleh@queensu.ca  Ms.  Heidi  E.  Julien   heidi.julien@ualberta.ca   Mr.  Robert  J.  Sandusky   sandusky@uic.edu  Ms.  Paulette  Kerr   pakerr@eden.rutgers.edu   Ms.  Maria  Souden   seramar@umich.edu  Ms.  Kyungwon  Koh     Mr.  Frederic  Stutzman   fred@metalab.unc.edu  Ms  Min-­‐Chun  Ku   minchunku@yahoo.com   Ms.  Sandra  Toze   sandra.toze@dal.ca  Ms.  Margaret  Lam   margaret.lam@gmail.com   Dr.  Tiffany  Veinot   tveinot@umich.edu  Ms.  Louise  Limberg   louise.limberg@hb.se   Ms.  Ruth  Vondracek   ruth.vondracek@oregonstate.edu  Shen-­‐Tzu  Lin   r95126005@ntu.edu.tw   Ms.  Stina  Westman   stina.westman@tkk.fi  Dr.  Yaling  Lu   yalinglu@rci.rutgers.edu   Rebekah  Willson   bwillson@myroyal.ca  Yutaka  Manchu   manchu.yutaka@toshiba-­‐sol.co.jp   Carol  Wood   woodc@daca.mil  Evelyn  Markwei   dedeiaf@yahoo.co.uk   Ms.  Borchuluun  Yadamsuren   by888@mizzou.edu  Ms.  Mamiko  Matsubayashi   mamiko@slis.tsukuba.ac.jp      

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

 

 

 

10    

Position  Papers  Abels,  Eileen.....................................................................................................................................................................................................11  

Anderson,  Theresa...........................................................................................................................................................................................12  

Bar-­‐Ilan,  Judit ...................................................................................................................................................................................................13  

Borchuluun,  Yadamsuren  &  Erdelez,  Sanda.....................................................................................................................................................14  

Brown,  Cecelia  &  Abbas,  June .........................................................................................................................................................................15  

Caidi,  Nadia,  Fiser,  Adam  &  Lam,  Margaret.....................................................................................................................................................16  

Du,  Tina............................................................................................................................................................................................................17  

Foster,  Jonathan,  Wu,  Mei-­‐Mei  &  Lin,  Angela .................................................................................................................................................18  

Fulton,  Crystal ..................................................................................................................................................................................................19  

Genuis,  Shelagh  K. ...........................................................................................................................................................................................20  

Goggins,  Sean  &  Erdelez,  Sanda.......................................................................................................................................................................21  

Hockema,  Stephen...........................................................................................................................................................................................22  

Huvila,  Isto .......................................................................................................................................................................................................23  

Julien,  Heidi......................................................................................................................................................................................................24  

Lam,  Margaret .................................................................................................................................................................................................25  

Limberg,  Louise................................................................................................................................................................................................26  

Lueg,  Christopher.............................................................................................................................................................................................27  

Miwa,  Makiko ..................................................................................................................................................................................................28  

Markwei,  Evelyn ..............................................................................................................................................................................................29  

Meyers,  Eric .....................................................................................................................................................................................................30  

Morey,  Ophelia ................................................................................................................................................................................................31  

Mumford,  Janet ...............................................................................................................................................................................................32  

Nesset,  Valerie .................................................................................................................................................................................................33  

Oh,  Sanghee.....................................................................................................................................................................................................34  

Oyarce,  Guillermo  A.........................................................................................................................................................................................35  

Paul,  Anindita...................................................................................................................................................................................................36  

Phuwanartnurak,  Ammy  Jiranida.....................................................................................................................................................................35  

Reed,  Kathleen.................................................................................................................................................................................................38  

de  Richemond,  Jeanette ..................................................................................................................................................................................39  

Rubenstein,  Ellen .............................................................................................................................................................................................40  

Sharifabadi,  Saeed  R. .......................................................................................................................................................................................41  

Stutzman,  Fred.................................................................................................................................................................................................42  

Willson,  Rebekah .............................................................................................................................................................................................43  

Veinot,  Tiffany .................................................................................................................................................................................................44  

 

 

11    

ABELS,  EILEEN      iSchool,  Drexel  University    

Reference   services   have   focused   on   the   interaction   between   two   people,   the   librarian   or   information  professional   and   the   patron   or   information   seeker.   In   general,   the   interaction   between   the   two   is  more   of   a  conversation   than   a   collaborative   effort.   Some   collaboration   between   librarians   has   occurred   and   with   the  introduction   of   digital   cooperative   reference   services,   there   has   been   an   increase   in   collaboration   between  librarians  to  provide  reference  respond  to  reference  questions  is  not  new.  Margaret  Hutchins  (1944)  encouraged  librarians   to   “call   on   other   [librarians]   for   suggestions”.   More   recently,   the   Reference   and   User   Services  Association’s   Guidelines   for   Behavioral   Performance   of   Reference   and   Information   Service   Providers   (2004)  recommended   multi-­‐librarian   collaboration   for   question   answering.   In   the   RUSA   guidelines,   the   following   is  stated:   “[guideline]   5.4…  Consults   other   librarians   or   experts   in   the   field  when   additional   subject   expertise   is  needed.”  Some  research  findings  suggest  that   librarian-­‐to-­‐librarian  collaboration  during  reference  transactions  may   improve   accuracy   and   augment   performance   (e.g.,  McKenzie,   2003;   Kemp  &   Dillon,   1988;   Nolan,   1992;  Quinn,  2001;  Pomerantz,  2006).    

In   addition   to   question   answering   services   provided   by   libraries,   many   online   Q&A   services   have   emerged.  Despite   the   collaborative   nature   of   many   social   networking   tools   on   the   internet,   reference   services   and  question  answering  services  have  remained  more  or  less  a  one  to  one  or  one  to  many  type  of  interaction  rather  than   a   true   collaboration.   Even   in   question   answering   services   in   which   an   information   seeker   requests   an  answer   to  a  question,   the  different   responses   received  are  generated   individually  and   the   information   seeker  selects  the  best  answer.    

Collaborative  reference  services,   in  which   librarians  and  patrons  collaborate  would  require  a  paradigm  shift   in  current  models  of  reference  services.  There  are  many  questions  related  to  collaborative  reference  services.  The  following   are   just   a   few   examples:   Will   collaborative   reference   service   outperform   “traditional”   reference  services   in   terms  of   the  quality  of   the   responses  and  patron   satisfaction?  What  will   an  effective   collaborative  environment  look  like?  Are  current  reference  service  models  applicable  to  a  collaborative  reference  service?    

References:    Hutchins,  M.  (1944).  Introduction  to  Reference  Work.  Chicago,  IL:  American  Library  Association.    

Jackson,  L.,  &  Hansen,  J.  (2006).  Creating  Collaborative  Partnerships:  Building  the  Framework.  Reference  Services  Review,  34(4),  575-­‐588.  4    

Kemp,  J.,  &  Dillon,  D.  (1989).  Collaboration  and  the  Accuracy  Imperative:  Improving  Reference  Service  Now.  RQ,  29(1),  62-­‐70.    

McKenzie,  P.J.  (2003).  User  Perspectives  on  Staff  Cooperation  During  the  Reference  Transaction.  The  Reference  Librarian,  83/84,  5-­‐22.    

Nolan,  C.W.  (1992).  Closing  the  Reference  Interview:  Implications  for  Policy  and  Practice.  RQ,  31(4),  513-­‐521.    

Pomerantz,  J.,  &  Stutzman,  F.  (2006).  Collaborative  Reference  Work  in  the  Blogosphere.  Reference  Services  Review,  34(2),  200-­‐212.    

Quinn,  B.  (2001).  Cooperation  and  Competition  at  the  Reference  Desk.  The  Reference  Librarian,  34(72),  65-­‐82.    

Reference  and  User  Services  Association.  (2004).  Guidelines  for  Behavioral  Performance  of  Reference  and  Information  Service  Providers.  Retrieved  9  July  2009,  from  http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/rusa/resources/guidelines/guidelinesbehavioral.cfm.  

 

12    

ANDERSON,  THERESA  University  of  Technology,  Sydney  Social  Relevance:  witnessing  personal/interpersonal  interplay  in  collaborative  information  environments  

Relevance   is   a   central   concept   for   information   science   used   as   a   measurement   for   evaluating   information  systems.  However,  it  is  a  concept  that  significantly  extends  far  beyond  this  traditional  domain,  since  it  is  also  at  the  heart  of  the  human  communication  of  meaning.  It  is  an  essentially  human  construct  that  is  embedded  in  the  everyday   practices   of   communication,   information   seeking   and   knowledge   generation.   In   the   context   of  information  behaviour   research,  exploring  human   judgments  of   relevance  overlaps  with  explorations  of  other  core  information  concepts  like  cognitive  authority  and  credibility.   In  each  instance,  research  reveals  rich  layers  of  meaning  and  practice  at  both  personal  and  social  levels  of  human  judgments  of  information.  In  keeping  with  this   year’s   symposium   themes,   this   paper   discusses   the   diverse   social   and   contextual   dimensions   of   such  judgments,   particularly   within   the   complexity   of   computer-­‐mediated   information   activities   in   collaborative  information  environments.  When  examined  from  the  searcher’s  –as  opposed  to  the  system’s  –  perspective,  the  social  and  collaborative  aspects  are  seen  to  be  far  more  embedded  in  these  practices  than  is  accounted  for   in  many   depictions   of   collaborative   information   retrieval.   The   inherently   interactive   character   of   judgments   of  relevance,   credibility   and   cognitive   authority   means   that   social   and   private   aspects   are   interwoven   in   the  seeking  and  gathering  of  information.  Witnessing  the  collaborative  character  of  seemingly  individual  information  seeking  reveals   just  how  embedded  social  communication   is   in  these   judgments.  Equally,  study  of   information  practices  in  social  or  collaborative  contexts  reveals  great  diversity  in  the  individual  responses  to  a  collaborative  context.   Our   understanding   of   collaborative   systems   must   take   into   account   such   ‘real-­‐life’   experiences   of  searchers   and   searcher   communities.   And   yet,   experience   shows   that   it   can   be   difficult   to   translate   this  understanding  of  human  practices  –  at  the  individual  as  well  as  at  the  collaborative  level  –  into  effective  designs  of  collaborative  environments.  This  proposed  paper  builds  on  the  author’s   individual  efforts  to  move  between  information  seeking,  information  retrieval  and  CSCW  communities  to  share  research  findings  on  this  very  topic.  It  discusses  both  a  theoretical  framework  and  case  studies  developed  in  an  effort  to  communicate  this  learning  so  that  it  might  be  effectively  applied  to  the  design,  development  and  evaluation  of  collaborative  IR  systems.  

 

 

13    

 

BAR-­‐ILAN,  JUDIT    Department  of  Information  Science,  Bar-­‐Ilan  University,  Israel  Collaborative  Image  Tagging  

In  a  recently  completed  research  we  studied  the  effects  of  collaboration  on  users’  image  tagging  behavior.  Our  users  were  presented  with  12  images  related  to  Jewish  cultural  heritage.  They  were  asked  to  tag  the  images  in  order  to  facilitate  their  retrieval  by  others.  In  the  first  phase  of  the  experiment  each  user  was  asked  to  tag  the  images  without  seeing  the  tags  assigned  by  others.  In  the  second  stage  the  tags  assigned  by  at  least  two  users  in  the   first  stage  were  shown  to  all   the  participants.   In  addition  the  users  were  encouraged  to   interact   though  a  discussion  forum  set  up  for  each  image.  This  was  the  place  to  try  to  convince  the  other  participants  to  remove  specific   tags  or   to  add  a  new  tag   that   the  user  considered  as  an   important   tag,  but  did  not  appear   in   the   list,  because  he  was  the  only  participant  that  assigned  the  tag  to  the  image.  The  users  were  allowed  to  change  the  tags  assigned  by  them  in  the  previous  phase:  to  delete  existing  tags,  to  edit  them,  to  add  tags  from  the  displayed  list  of  tags  or  to  add  a  brand  new  tag.    

The  experiment  was  conducted  with  three  groups  of  about  40  participants  each.  Our  findings  show  that  in  each  group  the  number  of  assigned  tags  increased  in  the  second  phase  by  more  than  20%  on  average;  the  number  of  distinct   tags   decreased   in   81%  of   the   cases,   and   the  most   popular   tags   became  even  more  popular   after   the  second  stage.    

Our   findings  suggest   that  collaboration  and   interaction   lead  to  convergence  of   image  tags.   In   this  case,   like   in  many  other  Web  2.0  applications,  the  “wisdom  of  the  crowds”  phenomenon  is  at  work.  In  addition,  like  in  many  other  situations,  we  also  witness  the  “rich-­‐get-­‐richer”  phenomenon,  where   initially  popular  tags  become  even  more  popular  after  the  users  are  allowed  to  collaborate.    

This   research  was   supported  by  THE   ISRAEL  SCIENCE  FOUNDATION   (grant  No.  307/07),  and   is   joint  work  with  Maayan   Zhitomirsky-­‐Geffet,   Yitzchak   Miller   and   Snunith   Shoham,   all   from   the   Department   of   Information  Science  at  Bar-­‐Ilan  University.    

 

 

14    

 

BORCHULUUN,  YADAMSUREN1  &  ERDELEZ,  SANDA2    1  Doctoral  Candidate,  School  of  Information  Science  and  Learning  Technologies,  University  of  Missouri    2  Associate  Professor,  School  of  Information  Science  and  Learning  Technologies,  University  of  Missouri    Collaborative  news  reading  behavior    

This  position  paper  presents   the  preliminary   findings   from  an  ongoing   study  on   incidental   exposure   to  online  news   in   everyday   life   information   seeking   context.   The  mixed  method   study  with  web   survey,   interview,   and  think   aloud   sessions  were   conducted   for   this   study.   146   respondents   participated   in   the  web   survey   and   20  people  were   interviewed.  The  preliminary   results   from   the   study   show   that  news   reading   is  not  an   individual  behavior,   but   collaborative  process  of   finding  news   sources,   news   stories,   and   sharing   them  with  others.   The  study   respondents   said   that   the   Internet   provides   numerous   opportunities   for   them   to   share   and   read   news  collaboratively.   It   appears   that  many   respondents’   news   selection  depends  on  what  other  people   read   in   the  given  day.  They  check   the  popular   storied  picked  by   the  digital   crowd  at   the  specific   spots  on  news  websites,  such  as  “Most  e-­‐mailed,”  and  “Most  read.”  They  visit  the  crowd  surfing  websites,  such  as  diggit.com  to  follow  the  selection  of  stories  by  other  readers.  The  respondents  said  that  they  read  the  comments  sections  for  news  stories  and  exchange  their  ideas  and  other  sources  related  to  the  stories.  Social  networking  sites  are  becoming  a  big  avenue   for  collaborative  news  reading.  These   findings   indicate   that  studies  of  news  reading  behavior  with  the   theoretical   lenses   of   Savolainen’s   (1995)   everyday   life   information   seeking   model   and   Erdelez’s   (1997)  Information  Encountering  model   could  address   the  emerging  aspects   for   transformative   relationship  between  news  consumers  and  different  forms  of  news  stories.    

Based  on  the  present  study,  the  fundamental  questions  we  should  be  looking  at  are  the  nature  of  collaborative  news  reading  behavior  and  its  implications  on  designing  the  different  online  news  services.  We  should  closely  study  the  tools  news  consumers  use  to  collaborate  and  share  news  stories  and  how  the  interface  design  and  news  selection  methods  on  news  sites  could  affect  information  behavior  of  users,  who  come  to  these  sites  later.  It  would  be  interesting  to  study  the  types  of  news  readers  who  come  to  the  news  sites  first  and  serve  as  “digital  gatekeepers”  for  future  visitors.  The  places  where  people  share  news  should  be  another  important  venue  for  further  research  in  collaborative  news  reading  behavior.  The  ways  of  sharing  news  with  others  (e-­‐mail,  personal  communication,  conversation,  social  networking  and  special  interest  group  sites)  would  add  much  more  on  our  research  in  collaborative  news  reading.    

Research  on  news  reading  behavior,  including  social  aspects  of  news  reading  and  collaborative  news  reading  behavior  could  have  impact  on  the  design  of  online  news  websites,  social  networking  sites,  blogs  and  many  other  news-­‐oriented  information  systems.  With  the  rapid  technology  development  and  spread  usage  of  the  Internet  in  our  daily  lives,  the  traditional  definition  of  news  is  changing.  People  have  much  broader  definition  of  news,  not  only  focusing  on  stories  coming  from  the  traditional  news  organizations.  Thus,  our  studies  on  social  behavior  of  news  reading  and  collaborative  aspect  in  this  realm  could  have  much  greater  impact  in  terms  of  how  to  design  of  the  news  sites  affects  public  opinion  and  public  communication  in  society.    

In  order  to  effectively  communicate  our  research  on  collaborative  news  reading  to  other  research  communities,  we   should   use   the   language   of   their   field.   Audience   studies   in   mass   communication   with   the   usage   of   the  Dependency  theory,  Gatekeeping  theory  and  Uses  &  Gratifications  theory  could  be  a  good  starting  point  to  see  how  we  could  improve  the  language  to  present  our  research  studies.  On  the  other  hand,  we  should  present  our  paper  for  the  different  research  communities  so  that  they  could  use  the  language  of  our  field.    

 

15    

 

BROWN,  CECELIA  &  ABBAS,  JUNE    University  of  Oklahoma  Scholar’s  Perceptions  of  Institutional  Repositories  for  Collaborative    

Institutions   worldwide   have   created   a   host   of   openly   accessible   online   repositories   populated   with   locally  produced   scholarly   works.   Online   institutional   repositories   (IRs)   are   touted   as   innovative   mechanisms   for  scholars   to   organize   and   store   their   research   related   information   and   for   broad   dissemination   and   long-­‐term  preservation  of  an   institution’s   intellectual  capital.  Provision  of  outlets   for  scholars   to  quickly  and  easily  share  thoughts,   ideas,   and  data  beyond   the   confines   of   traditional   communication   channels   can   transform   the  way  they  communicate  with  one  another  and  hence  advance  understanding  of  the  world  and  create  new  knowledge.  Information  professionals  appreciate  these  attributes  of  IRs  yet  scholars  in  other  fields  who  are  accustomed  to  the   traditional   peer-­‐reviewed   system   of   scholarly   communication   may   not   recognize   the   benefits   of   openly  accessible  IRs.  Yet,  for  an  IR  to  be  successful  and  enduring  it  must  be  considered  beneficial  to,  and  used  by,  the  intended  audience.  Therefore,  as  the  initial  step  in  the  development  of  our  institution’s  IR,  our  research  seeks  to  first   understand   the   perceptions   held   by   faculty   members   in   a   range   of   disciplines   about   the   benefits,  drawbacks,  and  uses  of  IRs  for  their  scholarly  information  seeking  and  sharing.  By  being  informed  and  guided  by  the   information  habits,   needs,   and  desires   of   the   audience   for  whom   the   IR   is   designed,   it   is   hoped   that   the  resultant  IR  will  align  well  with  the  ways  our  users  want  and  need  to  share  and  seek  scholarly  information.  Also,  by  using  the  research  as  an  opportunity  to  convey  the  benefits  of  an  IR  to  the  scholars  whose  information  needs,  uses,   and   desires   we   are   continually   are   striving   to   fulfill,   our   research   will   provide   the   foundation   for   the  creation  of  an  effective  and  sustainable  scholarly  information  service.    

 

 

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CAIDI,  NADIA,  FISER,  ADAM  &  LAM,  MARGARET    University  of  Toronto  Trial  by  Fire:  Teaching  Community  Engagement    

The  potentials  and  challenges  of  collaborative  information  seeking  and  sharing  are  never  as  evident  as  when  one  undertakes  a   ‘real   life’  project   that  entails  working  with  stakeholders.  The  need  to  establish  trust  emerges,  as  issues  of  consensus  building,  defining  what  is  desired  vs.  possible,  what  is  needed  vs.  useful  come  forward.  The  necessary   skills   to  maintain   effective   communication  —   such   as   listening   skills,   creativity   and   even   a   dose   of  humour  —  are  not  honed  nearly   enough  at   our   iSchools.  What   can  we  do   to  prepare   the  next   generation  of  information  professionals  to  work  effectively  in  a  collaborative  context?    

At  the  Univ.  of  Toronto,  the  On-­‐Demand  Book  Service  (ODBS)  project  served  as  the  core  curriculum  material  for  a   course   on   "Information   and   Culture   in   a  Global   Context".   Conceived   in   collaboration  with   the   KO  Research  Institute  (KORI),  the  ODBS  has  the  vision  of  utilizing  ICTs  to  bring  physical  books  into  remote  communities  that  lack  the  access  to  printed  content  that  we  all  take  for  granted.  In  the  process  of  negotiating  the  project  with  the  stakeholders  involved,  students  confronted  the  real  challenges  faced  by  isolated  Northern  native  communities  in  the  form  of  four  teams:  community  research,  digital  contents,  system  design,  and  communication  &  outreach.  Students   experienced   a   ‘trial   by   fire’   mode   of   learning,   while   being   mentored   by   members   of   our   partner  communities   through   recurrent   videoconferencing   and   online   discussions   (odbs.knet.ca).   These  mentors   also  facilitated  community  engagement  at  various  stages  of  the  class.    

By  participating   in  a  real  world  project,  the  students  discovered  for  themselves  the  need  for  collaborative  and  participatory   research.   They   left   a   rich   legacy   consisting   of   surveys,   collection  development   policy,  wireframe  system  design,  promotional  materials  and  final  team  reports.  These  artifacts  represent  not  only  the  groundwork  for  the  future  of  the  ODBS  project,  but  also  the  surprising  outcomes  that  a  community-­‐based  project  can  offer  the  various  stakeholders  of  such  a  course.  

 

 

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DU,  JIA  TINA  Faculty  of  Science  and  Technology,  Queensland  University  of  Technology  Modeling  Web  Searching  Process    

This  paper  outlines  dissertation  research  to  develop  a  sound  Web  search  model  which  can  detail  user’s  cognitive  processes  during  Web  searching.  Web  search  models  are  a  significant  and  important  area  of  Web  research.  Web  search   is   a   complex   behavior   involving   users’   cognitive   efforts.   To  more   deeply   understand   the   dynamic   and  interactive  behaviors  involved  in  the  Web  search,  we  need  to  examine  in  more  detail  important  aspects  of  users’  Web   search   behavior,   such   as   multitasking,   cognitive   coordination   and   cognitive   shifting.   Web   searching  includes   multitasking   processes   and   the   allocation   of   cognitive   resources   among   several   tasks,   and   shifts   in  cognitive,  problem  and  knowledge  states  at  different  levels.  Cognitive  shifting  is  also  an  important  research  area  for  understanding  users’  cognitive  processes  associated  with  Web  searching.  In  addition,  cognitive  coordination  mechanisms   allow   humans   to   manage   dependences   among   information   tasks   and   the   resources   available.  However,   few   studies   have   modeling   the   nature   of   and   relationship   between   multitasking,   cognitive  coordination  and  cognitive  shifts  during  Web  searching.    

According  to  the  pioneering  information  scientists’  statement,  the  key  to  the  future  of  information  systems  and  searching  processes  lay  not  in  increased  sophistication  of  technology,  but  in  increased  understanding  of  human  involvement   with   information.   Modeling   how   users   conduct   Web   search   interactions   from   cognitive  perspectives   has   important   implications   for   the   design   of  Web   search   engines.   The   study   aims   to  model   the  relationship   between   multitasking,   cognitive   coordination   and   cognitive   shifts   during   Web   search.   Research  questions  to  be  addressed   in  this  study  are:   (1)  how  do  users  conduct  Web  searching  on  multiple   information  problems?  (2)  What  are  the  different   levels  of  cognitive  coordination  during  Web  searching?  (3)  What  are  the  types   of   cognitive   shifts   occurring   during   specific   information   problems   searching?   A   preliminary  model   was  developed  based  on   the  pilot   study   results   depicting   the   relationship   that   cognitive   coordination   is   the  hinge  linking  multitasking  episode  and  cognitive  shifts  that  move  users’  through  their  Web  search  interactions.  

 

 

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FOSTER,  JONATHAN1,  WU,  MEI-­‐MEI2  &  LIN,  ANGELA1    1  Department  of  Information  Studies,  University  of  Sheffield,  UK    2  Graduate  Institute  of  Library  &  Information  Studies,  National  Taiwan  Normal  University,  Taiwan  Collaborative  Information  Seeking  and  Sharing  in  Educational  Settings:  Identifying  the  Challenges    

Collaborative  information  seeking  and  sharing  has  rapidly  become  an  established  area  of  study  in  recent  years  with  research  having  now  been  completed  in  a  range  of  domains  and  contexts  (e.g.  Foster,  in  press).  One  of  the  contexts   in  which   studies   have   been   conducted   are   educational   settings.   In   such   settings   students   are   often  presented   with   a   learning   activity   designed   to   motivate   them   to   seek,   evaluate,   and   use   information   on   a  collaborative   basis.   Designing   and   facilitating   learning   activities   that   encourage   collaborative   information  behaviour  transforms  the  relationship  between  students  and  information  by  introducing  the  role  of  the  student  peer  as  an  important  influence  on  the  identification  and  negotiation  of  information  needs,  the  development  of  search  strategies,  and   the  sharing,  evaluation,  and  use  of   the   information  once   retrieved.   In  doing  so  a  set  of  new   factors   enter   into   the   student-­‐information   relationship   that   include   the   deployment   of   social   and  interpersonal  skills,  discussion  skills,  and  the  use  of  technology  that  enables  students  to  search,  share,  evaluate,  and  present  information  together.    

Our  approach  to  understanding  collaborative  information  behavior  in  educational  settings  has  been  to  observe  students’   participation   in   group   learning   activities   that   motivate   students   to   seek   and   use   information   on   a  collaborative  basis.  In  doing  so  we  have  sought  to  understand  the  conditions  that  enable  and  constrain  students’  participation  in  these  activities  and  the  information  tasks  that  are  embedded  within  them.  Enabling  conditions  that  we   have   identified   to   date   include   the   ability   to   identify   different   information   sources;   formulation   of   a  group  focus;  the  deployment  of  discussion  skills  including  the  use  of  collaborative  forms  of  talk;  an  emphasis  on  information   seeking   as   meaning-­‐making   rather   than   the   retrieval   and   use   of   information   per   se;   and   the  utilization  of   technology  that  aids   in   the  organisation,  analysis,  and  presentation  of   information  (Foster,  2009;  Wu  and   Foster,   2009).   Constraining   conditions   and  barriers   include:   the   impact   of   students’   levels   of   domain  knowledge  on  topic  identification;  division  of  labour  and  role  assignment  within  the  group;  the  varying  abilities  of  different  groups  to  search,  share,  organize  and  integrate  information;  students’  levels  of  communication  and  social  skills;  and  group’s  dependence  on/independence  from  the  tutor.    

Educational   tools   that  aid   students   in   the  collaborative   search  and  discussion  of   the   information   that   is  being  sought,   shared,   and   presented,   need   to   be   developed,   implemented,   and   evaluated.   The   facilitation   of  collaborative  learning  activities  and  information  also  impacts  on  tutors  and  their  own  professional  development  needs  should  also  be  addressed.    

From  a  pedagogical  standpoint  there  are  many  educational  benefits  to  be  derived  from  motivating  students  to  engage   in  collaborative   information  behavior.  These   include  developing  their  cooperative  planning  and  search  skills;  and  their  communication,  information  management,  and  social  skills.  The  dissemination  of  these  benefits  can  act  as  a  bridge  to  other  information  research  communities  to  the  involvement  of  other  information  research  communities  in  collaborative  information  behavior  research.  

References    Foster,  J.,  (Ed.)  (in  press).  Collaborative  information  behavior:  User  engagement  and  communication  sharing.  Hershey,  PA:  IGI  Global.    

Foster,  J.  (2009).  Understanding  interaction  in  information  seeking  and  use  as  a  discourse.  Journal  of  Documentation,  65(1),  83-­‐105.    

 

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Wu,  M-­‐M.  &  Foster,  J.  (2009,  October).  Collaborative  information  seeking  strategies  for  group  investigation.  Paper  presented  at  the  Social  Change  and  Library  Services  Conference,  Taichung,  Taiwan:  National  Chung  Hsing  University,  Graduate  Institute  of  Library  and  Information  Science.    

FULTON,  CRYSTAL    University  College  Dublin    

Collaboration   is   now   a   high   priority   for   researchers   across   a   range   of   disciplines,   with   collaborative   efforts  occurring   within   and   between   groups.   The   symposium   offers   an   important   opportunity   to   address   both   our  potential  and  ongoing  collaboration  as  researchers,  as  well  as  insights  we  have/continue  to  gain  from  observing  collaboration  between  individuals/groups  in  the  field.    

As  researchers  of  Information  Behaviour,  we  are  well  positioned  to  take  part  in  new  and  ongoing  collaboration,  not   least   because   of   our   interdisciplinary   tradition   in   LIS,   as  well   as   the   encompassing   nature   of   Information  Behaviour  which  extends  to  a  vast  array  of  topics  and  contexts.  How  we  collaborate  and  manage  collaboration  would  seem  to  be  two  of  the  key  challenges  for  creating  sustained  partnerships.    

For   instance,   what   particular   means   of   collaboration   will   help   highlight   our   research   and   its   potential  contribution  to  research  with  other  individuals  and  groups?    

How   can   and   should   we   lead   collaborative   research?   A   combination   of   our   seemingly   endless   LIS   identity  struggle  and  the  ongoing  lack  of  external  awareness  of  our  area  and  work  mean  that  it  can  be  all  too  easy  to  be  invisible  or  cast  in  a  supporting  role  –  when  we  have  the  potential  to  do  much  more.    

What   lessons   are   there   to   be   learned   from   the   individuals/groups   we   study?   One   of   my   current   research  interests  involves  exploring  how  older  adults  explore  information  together.  While  older  adults  are  often  tagged  as   isolated,   lagging   behind   in   trends   in   technology,   etc.,   some   older   adults   adopt   particular   collaborative  approaches   to   tackling   information   problems.   How   can   the   groups   we   study   inform   our   understanding   of  collaboration  and  own  collaborative  practices?    

 

 

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GENUIS,  SHELAGH  K.    Interdisciplinary  PhD  Candidate,  School  of  Library  and  Information  Studies,  and  the  Faculty  of  Nursing    University  of  Alberta,  Canada    

As  a  new  researcher  in  the  area  of  Information  Needs,  Seeking  &  Use,  my  doctoral  research  focuses  on  the  day-­‐to-­‐day   experiences   of   individuals   as   they   interact   with   and   integrate   health   information   in   situations   where  health  evidence   is  uncertain  and  evolving.  Much  has  been  written  about  evidence-­‐based  practice   (EBP)  within  health   fields,   and   the   challenges   encountered   when   striving   to   translate   medical   knowledge   into   practice;  however,   little   attention   is   paid   to   (1)   the   provisional,   emergent   and   incomplete   nature   of  medical   evidence  (Upshur   2001),   and   (2)   knowledge   translation   (KT)   as   an   personal,   on-­‐going   process   of   social   construction  (Gherardi  2006).  The  dilemma  presented  by  emergent  or  evolving  health  information  is  magnified  for  consumers  making   health   decisions   within   the   context   of   everyday   life.   Within   this   context   individuals   are   frequently  translating,  assimilating  and  responding  to  health  information  mediated  by  a  wide  range  of  formal  and  informal  sources   including  health   professionals,   the  media,   internet   sources,   advertising,   and  personal   contacts.  While  some   of   these   information   sources   focus   on   static   information   provision   and   many   involve   one-­‐on-­‐one  interaction,   social  and  collaborative  environments   (e.g.  online  discussion  groups  and  blogs,  as  well  as   face-­‐to-­‐face  group  environments)  draw  attention  to  (1)  information  encounters  as  reality-­‐constructing,  meaning-­‐making  experiences   and   (2)   health   information   as   something   that   is   “moved   and   shaped   in   unique  ways”  within   the  context  of  the  individual’s  relationships  with  other  people  as  well  as  their  time  and  space  (Dervin  1983,  169).    

While  research  related  to  EBP  and  KT  continues  to  emphasize  the  uptake  of  knowable  reality,  research  related  to   Information  Behavior  and  social/collaborative  environments  has  potential   to  make  valuable  theoretical  and  practical  contributions  to  health  fields  by  bringing  focus  to  the  social  nature  of  KT.  This,  in  turn,  draws  attention  beyond   evidence   as   implementable   ‘fact’   to   a   constructionist   view   of   KT   as   an   active   process   in   which   new  understanding   is   constructed   from   encountered   information,   existing   knowledge   structures,   personal  experience,  and  socio-­‐cultural  environments  (Talja,  Tuominen,  and  Savolainen  2005).  Research  focusing  on  KT  as  a  socially  constructed  process  will  not  only  illuminate  the  transformative  relationship  between  information  and  people,   it   will   inform   development   of   effective   products   and   services   which   will   facilitate   effective   health  information  behaviour.    

References    

Dervin,  B.  1983.  Information  as  a  user  construct:  The  relevance  of  perceived  information  needs  to  synthesis  and  interpretation.  In  Knowledge  Structure  and  Use:  Implications  for  Synthesis  and  Interpretation,  eds.  Spencer  A.  Ward,  and  Linda  J.  Reed,  153-­‐83.  Philadelphia:  Temple  University  Press.    

Gherardi,  S.  2006.  From  organizational  learning  to  knowing  in  practice.  In  Organizational  knowledge:  The  texture  of  workplace  learning,  ed.  S.  Gherardi,  1-­‐44.  Malden,  MA:  Blackwell.    

Talja,  S.,  K.  Tuominen,  and  R.  Savolainen.  2005.  "Isms"  in  information  science:  Constructivism,  collectivism  and  constructionism.  Journal  of  Documentation  61  (1):  79-­‐101.    

Upshur,  R.  E.  2001.  The  status  of  qualitative  research  as  evidence.  In  The  Nature  of  Qualitative  Evidence,  eds.  J.  M.  Morse,  J.  M.  Swanson,  and  A.  J.  Kuzel,  5-­‐26.  Thousand  Oaks:  Sage.    

 

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GOGGINS,  SEAN1  &  ERDELEZ,  SANDA2    1  Drexel  University,  2  University  of  Missouri  Collaborative  Information  Behavior  in  Online  Groups    

We   are   in   an   age  where   social   information,   reference   information   and   situational   information   are   presented  electronically,  quickly,  and  across  contexts.  People  adapt  to  these  changing  information  horizons  (Sonnenwald,&  Wildemuth,  2001)  primarily  as  individuals.  Online  social  network  sites  like  Facebook  and  Myspace  demonstrate  the   potential   for   incorporating   external,   social   feedback  within   the   boundaries   of   an   individual’s   information  horizon.  The  goal  of  our   research   is   to  build   theory   to  explain  how  electronically  mediated   communities’   and  groups’  share,  develop  and  build  information  collaboratively.    

Completely   online   graduate   student   courses   provide   an   especially   compelling   test   bed   for   understanding   the  transformative  relationships  that  are  possible  between  people  and  information.  These  groups  are  distinct  from  more  extensively  researched  online  groups  and  communities  –  Facebook  Groups,  Wikipedia  groups  and  teams  in  the   free  and  open   source   software  movement   (FOSS)  –   in   three   significant  ways.   First,   their  members  have  a  common  organizational  affiliation,  similar  to  work  groups  or  student  groups  in  face-­‐to-­‐face  settings.  Second,  also  like  members  of  face-­‐to-­‐face  groups,  an  organizational  leader  or  instructor  often  assigns  group  members  to  their  groups.  Finally,  like  many  but  not  all  FOSS  and  Wikipedia  groups,  the  groups  we  study  do  not  meet  face-­‐to-­‐face.    

We   learned   that   collaborative   information   behavior   in   technology   mediated   groups   is   challenging   because  members  share  some  information  resources  in  common,  such  as  those  contained  within  the  collaborative  tools  they  use,  but  also  rely  on   information  resources  unique  to  each   individual’s  physical   location  and   internet  use  habits.   Sonnenwald   (1999)   first   identified   these   different   arrays   of   available   information   resources   as  Information  Horizons,  suggesting  that  information  resources  are  used  to  a  greater  and  lesser  extent  depending  how   near   on   ones   horizon   they   are.   How   the   Information   Horizons   of   the   online   group  members   we   study  influence  collaborative  information  behavior  within  these  groups  is  illustrative  of  phenomena  emerging  from  the  use  of  technology  to  establish  and  maintain  online  groups.  Collaboration  around  information  in  these  groups  is  influenced  by  the  specific   information   in   the  group’s   field  of  view,  and  member   information  horizons  similarly  influence  the  group’s  collaborative  information  practices.    

The  goal  of  our  participation  is  to  share  what  we  have  learned  so  far  with  the  SIGUSE  community.    

 

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HOCKEMA,  STEPHEN    University  of  Toronto    

Thanks   to   the   rise   of   digital   “social  media”,   collaborative   information   behavior   is   no   longer   (if   it   ever  was)   a  subset   of   information   behavior   in   general.   For   example,   the  Web   is   transforming   from   its   origins   as   a   place  primarily  to  find  and  access  documents  to  a  place  to  also  interact  with  other  people.  Technologies  that  support  participation   in  online  culture  also  simultaneously  support  and   transform   information  access  by,  among  other  things,  supporting  a  social  process  of  credibility  assessment  for   information  necessary  to  effectively   find,   filter  and  assess  it.  Indeed,  better  understanding  of  these  processes  has  the  potential  to  transform  our  understanding  of   Information   itself,  with  new  forms  of  non-­‐traditional   (e.g.,  non-­‐document-­‐based)   information  being  socially  co-­‐constructed  along  with  group  identities.    

For  example,  when  a  team  coordinates  a  strategy   in  the  massively-­‐multiplayer  online  game  World  of  Warcraft  (as  happens  many  thousands  of  times  a  day,  in  just  one  of  many  related  digital  social  media  contexts),  complex  information  behaviors  take  place  in  real-­‐time  in  which  information  is  shared  and  filtered,  credibility/authority  is  established,   objectives   are   negotiated,   and   information   needs   are   constructed   and   assigned   to   support   the  collective   action,   while   simultaneously,   more   traditional   information   exchanges   (more   grounded   in   the   “real  world”)   are   also   occurring.   Such   environments   are   as   yet   under-­‐studied   in   the   context   of   CIB,   yet   have   the  potential  to  inform  and  refine  theories  that  pertain  to  “more  traditional  information  settings”.    

While   I   expect   that  many  of   the   fundamental  questions   for  understanding   collaborative   information  behavior  will  overlap  with  similar  questions   for   information  behavior   in  general,   the  questions   that  particularly   interest  me  include:    • How   do   group   identity   (and   individual   roles   within   groups)   dynamically   co-­‐evolve   with   the   information-­‐

seeking  goals  and  behaviors  of  the  group?    • How  do   credibility   and   authority   emerge  within   collaborative   teams   and  how   is   this  mediated  by   the   ICTs  

they  use?    • How   are   processes   related   to   the   coordination   of   teams   intertwined   with   their   collective   information  

behaviors?  For  example,  ...    • How   does   the   process   of   recording,   compiling   and   categorizing   group   work   and   decisions   throughout   a  

collaborative  effort  affect  the  group's  collective  information  goals?    • How   does   (real-­‐time   or   delayed,   mediated   or   direct)   communication   among   group   members   about   the  

information  they’ve  found  individually  affect  the  process,  both  in  terms  of  dynamic  filtering  and  the  group’s  evolving  information  goals?    

While   the   World   of   Warcraft   example   above   was   meant   to   illustrate   potentially   “new”   types   of   emergent  information,   there  are  also  myriads  of  more  mundane  ways   that  we  marshal   information  to  work   together   to  solve  problems  and  make  decisions  every  day.  (“What/Where  should  we  eat  for  dinner?”  “Would  you  take  the  401  or   the  Gardiner   to  get   there?”  “What’s  our  policy  on  expense   reports   related   to  alcohol  at  meals?”,  etc.)  Information  practices  must  be  understood  as  embedded  within  these  social/cultural  contexts,  be  they  familial,  organizational,  educational,  etc.  Our  research  cannot  be  independent  of  research  coming  from  sociology  and  the  cognitive   sciences   on   group   decision-­‐making   and   problem   solving.  Management   schools   already   teach   these  topics;  we  need  to  make  it  obvious  how  our  research  integrates  into  this  discourse.    

Designers  understand  that  the  tools  they  create,  even  tools  they  envision  as  being  for  single  users,  are  going  to  be  embedded  in  these  social  contexts  and  often  used  collaboratively  by  groups  (for  example,  an  iPhone  app  for  finding  a  restaurant  being  used  in  a  car  full  of  people).  To  have  an  impact  on  their  practice,  we  need  to  make  the  connections  of  our  work  to  these  common  environments  and  scenarios  explicit  and  clear.    

Note:  Full  abstract  online  at  SIG  USE  wiki  

 

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HUVILA,  ISTO    Uppsala  University    

Generally   speaking,   the  USE   research  may  be  argued   to   follow  very   tightly   the  changing   relationship  between  people  and  information.  Empirical  research  on  actual  user  behaviour  brings  us  close  to  the  transformations  that  are  happening  at  the  very  moment  when  they  are  happening.  I  have  found  numerous  instances  of  evidence  on  that   on  my   research   on   the   information  workaof   various   groups   of   users   including   archaeologists,   corporate  finance  and  cultural  heritage  professionals.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  possible  that  the  more  abstract  level  of  USE  research   that   focuses   on   higher   level  models  may   actually  miss  many  of   the   changes   because   of   the   level   of  investigation.    

A   still   actual   very   fundamental   question   is   the   theoretical   and   practical   applicability   of   our   results.   How   the  evolving   information  practices  and   systems   reflect   the   increased  understanding  of   information  behaviour  and  how   different   individual   studies   contribute   to   a   better   general   understanding   of   the   studied   phenomena.  Another   equally   fundamental   question   is   that   what   do   we   exactly   mean   with   collaboration   and   what  collaboration  means  at  the  present  and  in  the  future.    

An  approach  to  a  greater  impact  of  USE  research  is  to  bridge  the  gap  between  USE  research  and  practice  is  to  translate  out  findings  to  the  language  and  to  the  frameworks  of  organisations  and  designers.  Designers  need  to  know   the   implications   expressed   in   language   of   design   and   in   a   form   that   matches   with   the   instruments  designers   have   in   their   disposal.   A   collaborative   information   system   can   be   used   to   remedy   several   types   of  issues  in  information  interactions,  but  not  all  of  them.  Similarly  management,  organisation,  mentoring  and  other  interventions   are   keys   to   some   types   of   change.   Research   does   not   have   merely   practical   implications,   but  implications  on  many  different  types  of  practices  at  the  same  time  and  that  the  implications  are  not  isolated,  but  need  to  be  concerted.  In  my  own  research  on  cultural  heritage  professionals  I  have  sensed  very  strongly  that  not  only   different   issues   need   to   be   addressed   same   time,   but   it   can   be   very   sensitive   how   and   in   what   order  individual   issues   are   discussed.   The   communicative   problem   between   different   information   research  communities   is   a   complex   issue,   but   one   possible   quite   effective   remedy   could   be   an   increased   inter-­‐branch  research  interest  and  active  seeking  of  implications  of  e.g.  USE  research  to  e.g.  IR,  KO,  DL  or  IA.    

 

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JULIEN,  HEIDI    School  of  Library  &  Information  Studies,  University  of  Alberta    

One  of  the  fundamental  directions  towards  which  our  research  on  collaborative  information  behavior  should  be  moving   is   increased  focus  on  the  social  construction  of   information  behavior.   It   is   increasingly  recognized  that  information   behavior   is   not   only   an   individual   concern   (we   have   decades   of   research   focusing   on   cognitive,  behavioral,  and  increasingly  affective  variables  in  individuals),  but  it  is  also  a  matter  of  social  construction.  That  is,   the   ways   in   which   people   think   about,   access,   evaluate,   use,   etc.   information   are   profoundly   influenced,  shaped,  and  directed  by   their   social   interactions.  To  quote   from   the  most   recent  ASIST   review  of   information  behaviour  (2009,  335),  “McKenzie  (2006)  argued  that  “information  practices,”  specifically  the  use  of  texts,  can  be  contextualized  within   larger   social  practices   to  understand  how   these   texts  mediate   social   relations  within  local   contexts….   Talja   and   Hansen   (2006)   addressed   “collaborative   information   behavior”   as   an   important  component  of   social   information  practices,  especially   information   sharing.”   It   is  evident,   therefore,   that   some  recent  research  in  the  area  is  focusing  on  information  behaviour  as  a  social  construct.  This  is  a  potentially  fruitful  direction   for   the   field.   Fundamental   questions   arising   from   increasing   concern   for   the   social   construction   of  information   behavior   would   include:   What   are   the   social   practices   which   mediate   information   behavior   in  different   situations/workplaces/contexts?  What   are   the   variables   of   interest   in   social   practices,   and   how   do  these  influence  outcomes  evident  in  collaborative  information  behavior?    

References    

Fisher,  K.  &  Julien,  H.   (2009).   Information  behavior.   In  B.  Cronin  (Ed.),  Annual  review  of   information  science  &  technology,  vol.  43  (pp.  317-­‐58).  Medford,  NJ:  Information  Today.    

McKenzie,  P.  J.  (2006).  Mapping  textually  mediated  information  practice  in  clinical  midwifery  care.  In  A.  Spink,  &  C.  Cole  (Eds.),  New  directions  in  human  information  behavior  (pp.  73-­‐92).  Dordrecht,  The  Netherlands:  Springer.    

Talja,   S.   &   Hansen,   P.   (2006).   Information   sharing.   In   A.   Spink,   &   C.   Cole   (Eds.),   New   directions   in   human  information  behavior  (pp.  113-­‐134).  Dordrecht,  The  Netherlands:  Springer.  

 

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LAM,  MARGARET    University  of  Toronto    Alternative  Perspective  on  ISU:  The  Pluralistic  Nature  of  Musical  Knowledge    

As  a  new  comer  into  the  field  as  a  master’s  student  who  draws  from  a  background  in  music,  my  own  research  interest   is   in   exploring   the   issues   around   the   sharing  of  musical   knowledge.   The  pervasive  presence  of  music  makes  it  one  of  the  few  ways  through  which  people  from  different  cultures  make  connections  with  each  other.  Once  you  find  a  common  music  interest  or  passion  with  someone  —  especially  if  it  is  a  rather  unusual  one  —  it  can  turn  into  hours  of  mutual  sharing  and  appreciation.  Much  research  has  been  done  in  the  field  of  information  seeking  behaviour,  information  retrieval,  information  architecture  and  system  design  to  facilitate  the  sharing  of  musical   content.  With   all   the   advances   in   the   field,   there   remains   an   emerging   research   area,   namely,   how  musical  knowledge  is  being  renegotiated  in  the  information  age.    

The  difference  of  scope  lies  in  the  distinction  between  information,  and  knowledge.  A  tension  exists  in  the  idea  that   music   is   somehow   ‘universal’,   yet   culturally   unique.   How   are   individuals   negotiating   this   tension   in   the  context   of   ICTs?   New   user   groups   are   emerging   such   as   the   ‘amateur   teacher’   on   YouTube,   and   online  knowledge   repositories   with   specialized   musical   knowledge   and   databases.   Such   examples   and  many   others  manifest  at  various  levels  of  sophistication  and  effectiveness.    

The  motivation  to  share  one’s  passion   for  music  by  every  means  possible   is  altruistic   in  nature.   It   is   the  same  drive  that  led  to  some  of  the  earliest  examples  of  how  ICTs  can  transform  our  social  fabric,  as  demonstrated  by  Napster,  and  more  recent  counterparts  like  last.fm.  Research  into  the  information  seeking  behaviour  of  music-­‐minded  individuals  from  diverse  cultural  backgrounds  and  musical  traditions  can  bring  a  unique  and  unexpected  perspective  on  the  future  of  the  information  landscape.    

 

 

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LIMBERG,  LOUISE    Swedish  School  of  Library  and  Information  Science,  University  of  Borås    

The   transformative   relationship   between   people   and   information  may   take   its   point   of   departure   in  Michael  Buckland’s   influential   definition   of   information   as   “the   process   of   becoming   informed”.   Becoming   informed  implies   a   change,   i.e.   transformation,   in   a   person.   In   his   definition   of   the   concept   of   information   Buckland  distinguishes  between  information  as  process  and   information  as  thing.  Such  a  distinction   is  a  dualistic  way  of  understanding  the  relationship  between  people  and  information.    

A   sociocultural   perspective   offers   a   different,   non-­‐dualistic   view   of   the   relationship   between   people   and  information,   claiming   that   information   is   constituted   through   the   interaction  between  people   and   tools,   thus  describing   a   mutual   relationship   between   the   two.   Tools   are   physical   (e.g.   Google   or   print   sources)   and  intellectual  (language)  and  are  seen  as  mediating  different  world  views.  In  my  view,  a  sociocultural  perspective  of   information   seeking   is   particularly   appropriate   to   capture   the   transformative   relationship   between   people  and  information,  since  the  theoretical  focus  is  set  on  the  interaction  between  people  and  tools.    

A   sociocultural   perspective   further   emphasizes   that   various   human   activities   can   only   be   understood   as  embedded  in  the  cultural  practices  in  which  they  are  being  carried  out.  Individuals  are  always  related  to  various  forms   of   collective   activities   and   it   is   through   communication   that   individuals   become  members   of   different  communities  of  practice.  This  means  that  information  seeking  should  be  studied  and  understood  as  embedded  in  the  cultural  practice  of  which  it  is  a  part.  The  focus  on  interaction  and  communication  embedded  in  cultural  practices   will   provide   theoretical   and   analytical   means   for   studying   collaborative   information   practices.   I   am  convinced  that  studies  with  such  approaches  may  lead  to  findings  that  have  impact  outside  the  area  of  LIS  user  studies.  My  own  experience  mainly   concerns   the   interaction  between   information  practices   and   learning   and  has  resulted  in  fruitful  collaboration  with  learning  researchers1  as  well  as  professionals  in  educational  contexts  such  as  school  and  higher  education.    

In   our   contemporary   digital   media   landscapes   conditions   for   information   use,   learning,   decision-­‐making   and  collaboration  are  fundamentally  transformed.  Central  research  questions  should  address  the  consequences  on  various  societal  levels  of:    

• a  shift  of  control  from  information  and  knowledge  workers  and  institutions  to  users  (students,  employees,  citizens)    

• a  shift  in  the  relationship  between  users  and  producers  of  information    • the  question  of  how  to  assess  the  authority  and  credibility  of  information  in  social  media    • implications  for  supervision,  control  and  personal  integrity  on  the  internet.  

 

 

27    

 

LUEG,  CHRISTOPHER    School  of  Computing  &  Information  Systems,  University  of  Tasmania,  Australia  Extended  abstract:  Collaborative  Information  Behavior  in  Online  Communities    

Information  and  communication  technologies  (ICTs)   including  computer  networks  have  revolutionized  the  way  data  is  collected,  stored,  distributed  and  accessed,  and  have  enabled  the  "network  society.  Prior  to  the  advent  of  ICTs,  definitions  of  community  focused  on  close-­‐knit  groups  in  a  single  local.  Easy  access  to  ICT  enabled  online  communities  which  are   typically   formed  by  geographically  dispersed  members   (virtual   communities   that  have  existed  well  before  the  rise  of  computer  networks).    

Defining  what  exactly  constitutes  an  online  community  continues  to  be  subject  to  intense  discussion.  One  of  the  reasons  is  that  there  are  multiple  dimensions  that  can  be  used  to  characterize  online  communities.  Technically  minded   researchers   tend   to   focus   on   the   technology   utilized   to   enable   online   communities   a   (distinguishing)  criterion  whereas  more  socially  oriented  researchers  tend  to  be  interested  in  the  social  cohesion  demonstrated  by  online  communities  or  specific  characteristics  of  online  discussions  (eg  Marc  Smith  who  was  invited  speaker  at  the  2007  SIGUSE  forum).    

From  an  'information'  point  of  view  it  is  of  particular  interest  that  online  communities  are  increasingly  popular  (and   intrinsically   powerful)   information   resources   that   are   used   for   purposes   including,   for   not   limited   to,  evaluating  items  to  be  purchased  (consumer  communities  such  as  Choice  in  Australia)  and  planning  a  trip  (travel  communities   such   as   Lonely   Planet's).   Often,   online   communities   are   conceptualized   (and   treated)   as  information   repositories   that   are   functionally   equivalent   to   information   systems.   Often   they   are   accessed   in  ways  similar  to  accessing  data  bases.  Utilizing  the  informational  capacity  of  online  communities  is  not  limited  to  'google-­‐ing'  repositories  they  created  though.  Exploring  the  informational  capacity  of  online  communities,  ie  the  capacity   to   satisfy  an   information   seeker's   information  needs,  we   found   that   the  benefit  of  querying   topically  related  online  communities  as  part  of  an  information  seeking  process  may  go  well  beyond  the  provision  of  up-­‐to-­‐date   or   "complete"   information   by   community   members.   The   main   benefit   of   approaching   an   online  community   for   information  may  be   the   interactive   process   that   is   triggered  by   enquieries   and   that   helps   the  information  seeker  clarify  his  or  her  information  needs.    

For   this  workshop   it   is   of   particular   interest   that   the   interactive   process   that   is   triggered  by   enquieries   often  constitutes   collaborative   information   behavior   in   the   sense   that   online   community   members   observe   what  others  have  contributed  to  addressing  an  inquiry  and  may  take  this  into  consideration  when  contributing  further  information.   In   this   sense   the   situation   in   online   communities   resembles,   to   some   extent,   the   collaborative  information  setting  in  'real'  libraries  documented  by  Twidale  et  al  (1997).    

I   am  particularly   interested   in   this   SIGUSE  workshop   because   of  my   long-­‐standing   interest   in   representations  that  can  be  provided  for  aiding  distributed,  interactive  information  sharing  processes.  The  focus  on  interactivity  and   turn-­‐taking   promoted   in   this   paper   suggests   to   explore   what   kind   of   graphical   and/or   textual  representations   are   particularly   well-­‐suited   for   supporting,   initiating   and   sustaining   mediated   interaction   in  online   communities.   This   shift   in   perspective   also   means   the   focus   of   research   is   not   so   much   on   how  conversations  could  be  "marked  up"  for  efficient  retrieval  in  the  information  systems  sense.    

Note:   References   available   online   at   SIG   USE   wiki.

 

28    

 

MIWA,  MAKIKO    The  Open  University  of  Japan/The  Graduate  University  of  Advanced  Studies    Barriers  to  Knowledge  Sharing  in  Science    

The  inability  to  share  research  findings  among  researchers  engaged  in  an  interdisciplinary  research  project  may  lead  to  a  collapse  of  the  project.  The  failure  in  disseminating  critical  research  findings  in  a  society  may  results  in  rejection  of  obtaining  tax  money  to  future  research  funding.  With  this  serious  consequence  of  failures  in  sharing  scientific   knowledge   in  mind,  we   have   been   conducting   a   case   study   in   order   to   identify   the  mechanisms   of  yielding  such  failures  within  a  framework  of  the  “science  communication”  project.    

Through   semi-­‐structured   interviews   using   a  modified   critical   incident   technique,  we   obtained   75   incidents   of  failures   in  sharing  scientific  knowledge  from  eleven  researchers  representing  a  variety  of  research  areas.  Eight  categories   of   opponents   for   these   failures   were   identified:   researchers,   students,   technicians,   industrialists,  media   reporters,   public   administrators,   school   teachers,   and   citizens.   The   case   level   content   analysis   of  interviews  revealed  possible  sources  of  failures  in  sharing  scientific  knowledge  for  each  category  of  opponents.  Through  discussion  among  the  project  members,  we  categorized  these  sources  into  solvable  problems  through  researchers’  training  and  those  difficult  to  solve  if  not  solvable.    

The  solvable  problems  are:    • Researcher’s  narrow  field  of  vision    • Lack  of  sympathies  on  opponent’s  standpoint    • Difference  in  the  level  of  scientific  knowledge  between  researchers  and  opponents    • Poor  presentation  skills  of  researchers    • Researchers’  use  of  technical  terms  and  jargons    • Difference  in  the  value  of  book  reviews  between  media  reporters  and  researchers    • Different  level  of  safety  standards  between  science  and  engineering    • Limitation  in  information  disseminating  channels  for  citizens    

Difficult  to  solve  problems  are:    • Differences  in  the  style  of  and  requirements  for  journal  articles  among  disciplines    • Difference  in  the  meaning  of  attending  classes  between  natural  sciences  and  social  sciences/humanities    • Simplistic  thinking  of  non-­‐researchers    • Leadership  struggles  between  researchers  and  school  teachers    • Vertical  division  of  administrative  organizations    • Rotation  of  personnel  in  administrative  organizations    • Underestimation  of  uncertainty  in  science  held  by  public  administrators    

We   used   these   results   in   designing   a   new   curriculum   for   training   graduate   students   into   competent   science  communicators  at   the  Graduate  University   for  Advanced  Studies.  We  continue   collecting   cases   from  different  populations  such  as  students,  media  reporters,  and  school  teachers.    

 

 

29    

 

MARKWEI,  EVELYN    PhD  Candidate,  School  of  Library  Archival  and  Information  Studies,  University  of  British  Columbia    

My   research   interest   is   youth   information   seeking   behavior   and   I   am   presently   working   on   the   information  seeking   behavior   of   homeless   youth   in   an   urban   city   (Accra,   Ghana).   Homeless   youths   can   change   their  circumstances   and   succeed   as   adults  with   the   right   kind   of   information.  Governments   and   stakeholders   have  often  prescribed  information  for  them.  The  relevance  of  such  prescribed  information  to  the  youths  is  however  uncertain.  This  study  will  use  in-­‐depth  interviews  and  the  critical  incident  technique  to  investigate  the  everyday  information  needs  of  the  target  group,  how  they  seek  information  to  meet  those  needs,  their  preferred  sources  of  information  and  problems  they  encounter  in  seeking  information.  Findings  from  the  study  should  lead  to  clear  recommendations   to   libraries   and   stakeholders,   for   more   effective   and   focused   information   service   to   the  youths.    

The  theme  of  the  symposium  may  be  expanded  to  include  cross-­‐cultural  collaboration,  to  encourage  researchers  from   two,   or   more   countries   to   work   on   cross-­‐cultural   topics.   That   approach   will   have   several   benefits.   For  example,   literature   on   information   seeking   research   reveals   gaps   in   the   body   of   knowledge   on   information  seeking  of   several   populations   and   groups   from   several   regions  of   the  world.   Cross-­‐cultural   collaboration  will  facilitate   the   closing   of   these   gaps.   Secondly,   findings   from   such   studies  will   inform   designers   of   information  systems  for  the  regions  studied.  Such  knowledge  may  forestall  the  continued  loss  of  millions  of  dollars  through  deployment  of  inappropriate  information  systems  in  developing  countries.  Cross-­‐cultural  collaboration  will  lead  to  diversity  in  research,  exchange  of  skills  and  ideas,  and  increased  research  and  publications  also.    

 

 

30    

 

MEYERS,  ERIC  The  School  of  Library,  Archival,  and  Information  Studies,  University  of  British  Columbia    The  Complex  Ecology  of  Collaborative  Information  Seeking  in  the  Middle  School  Classroom      

Our   interactions   with   others   strongly   influence   how   we   work,   learn,   play,   and   understand   the   world.  Furthermore,  it  is  becoming  clear  that  the  skills  necessary  for  success  in  the  21st  Century  include  the  ability  to  communicate   effectively   and   efficiently   with   others,   to   collaborate   in   solving   ill-­‐structured   problems,   and   to  reflect  on  group  goals  and  processes   (Bereiter  &  Scardamalia,  2006;  Eisenberg,  2008).  Group   learning   is  being  integrated   into   school   curricula,   emphasizing   authentic   tasks   that   bring   students   together   in   collaborative  learning   situations   (Gillies   &   Ashman,   2003;   O’Donnell   et   al,   2006).   Models   of   information   seeking   and  information   retrieval,   however,  which   guide   the  development  of   information   systems,   services,   and   research,  have   historically   been   based   on   the   assumption   that   the   information   seeker   is   an   individual   (Karamuftouglu,  1998;   Talja   &   Hansen,   2006).   The   problems   resulting   from   this   contradiction   are   increasingly   felt   in   K-­‐12  education,   which   has   built   its   information   systems   (print   and   digital)   around   individual   student   learning   and  performance.    

An   emerging   body   of   work   in   collaborative   information   seeking   and   retrieval   does   seek   to   address   this  discrepancy.  Studies  have  identified  manifestations  of  social  information  behavior  in  diverse  contexts  (Bruce  et  al,   2002;   Fidel   et   al,   2004;  Hyldegård,   2006;  Hyldegård  &   Ingwersen,   2007).  None   of   these   studies,   however,  address   how   groups-­‐-­‐compared   to   individuals-­‐-­‐seek   and   use   information,   or   solve   information-­‐intensive  problems.  Nor  have  LIS  studies  examined  the  outcomes  of  group  vs.  individual  problem  solving.  The  efficacy  of  group  work   is   often   assumed,   but   not   (as   yet)   verified.   Furthermore,   these   studies   focus   on   adult   work   and  learning   domains.   Studies   of   youth   or   student   information   seeking   in   K-­‐12   education   have   not   examined   the  products  or  processes  of  groups  and  individual  learners.    

As   part   of   my   participation   in   the   2010   SIG-­‐USE   colloquium,   I   will   discuss   select   findings   from   a   recently  completed  mixed-­‐methods   study   that  explores   the   challenges  of   solving   complex   information  problems  alone  and   with   peer   learners.   120   grade   seven   students   (ages   13-­‐14)   from   four   middle   school   science   classrooms  completed   information   seeking   tasks   on   health   and   wellness   topics   in   two   order-­‐balanced   conditions:  individually,   and   in   small   groups   of   three   students.   Each   student   completed   an   individual   and   group   task,  providing  participants  with  the  opportunity  to  critically  reflect  on  their  work  under  different  conditions.  Analysis  of  the  resulting  student  learning  products  and  perception  surveys  indicate  that  group  information  seeking  may  better   support   some   types   of   inquiry   tasks  while   hampering   others.   This  work   also   suggests   key   intervention  points  for  teachers  and  school  librarians  who  wish  to  successfully  mediate  student  research.    

Note:  References  available  online  at  SIG  USE  wiki.  

 

31    

 

MOREY,  OPHELIA    Associate  Librarian,  University  at  Buffalo  Health  Sciences  Library    

I  have  conducted  a  study  on  where  an  adult  minority  population  located  in  an  inner  city  sought  consumer  health  information.   The   knowledge   that   I   gained   from   that   study   has   led   me   to   consider   how   information   seeking  behavior   is   directly   related   to   low  health   literacy   and  health   disparities.   Since  most   of   the   participants   in  my  study  sought  health  information  from  a  healthcare  provider  I  am  in  the  early  stages  of  gathering  information  for  the  purpose  of  forming  collaborative  relationships  with  healthcare  providers  and/or  community  organizations  to  improve   low  health   literacy  and  the  access  to  consumer  health   information.   In  this  way  I  think  our  research   is  transformative  in  that  it  can  be  used  effectively  to  influence  people  in  diverse  environments/situations.  In  turn,  these  environments/situations  can  be  used  to  study  how  and  why  people  form  collaborations  to  find  and  share  information.    

Since  collaborative  information  behavior   is  a  new  and  emerging  field  I  think  the  following  questions  should  be  addressed  in  our  research:    

• What  are  the  appropriate  methods  for  studying  collaborative  information  behavior?    • What  are  the  challenges  to  conducting  collaborative  information  behavior  research?  And  how  best  can  

we  address  these  challenges?    

I  think  forming  long  term  collaborations  outside  of  our  usual  networks  could  lead  to  making  a  greater  impact  on  organizations   and   designers.   I   am   interested   in   working   with   non-­‐librarians   because   this   will   help   to   gain   a  broader   perspective   on   issues   involving   low   health   literacy   with   the   goal   of   designing   effective   programs   or  services  to  benefit  consumers  and  health  care  providers.    

A   case   study   approach   may   be   an   effective   way   of   presenting   collaborative   information   behavior   research.  Although   case   study   research   can   be   complex   it   is   used   across   disciplines   and   can   allow   for   participant  involvement  in  the  writing  of  the  report.    

Reference:    

Soy,  Susan  K.  (1997).  The  case  study  as  a  research  method.  Unpublished  paper,  University  of  Texas  at  Austin.    

 

 

32    

 

MUMFORD,  JANET    PhD  student,  School  of  Library,  Archival  and  Information  Studies,  The  University  of  British  Columbia    

The   theme   of   the   2009   symposium   of   the   Special   Interest   Group   on   Information   Needs,   Seeking,   and   Use  “Collaborative   Information   Seeking   and   Sharing”   reflects   issues   and   ideas   that   are   highly   related   to  my   PhD  research.  In  a  multidisciplinary  fashion,  I  am  exploring  and  investigating  dilemmas  of  privacy  that  are  provoked  for   young  people,  parents,   and   librarians  when  youth   venture   into   virtual  worlds  of   the   Internet   and   interact  with   others   and   with   information.  My   co-­‐supervisors   include   a   researcher   in   developmental   psychology   and  another   in   intellectual   freedom.  My   committee   is   also   comprised   of   researchers   in   library   services   for   youth,  information  seeking  behaviour  and  information  systems.    

The  collaborative  information  behaviour  theme  of  the  symposium  speaks  to  the  social  nature  of  the  interactions  that  seem  to  be  provoking  tensions  for  and  between  autonomy  seeking  youth,  their  safety  concerned  parents  and   the   teacher   and   public   librarians  who   advocate   for   their   intellectual   freedoms   such   as   privacy   and   their  information  needs  for  healthy  lifelong  development.    

The   collaborative   theme   of   the   symposium   also   resonates   with   the   state   of   the   multidisciplinary   interest   in  research   in   youth,   privacy   and   the   Internet.   Researchers   and   practitioners   from   various   fields   pose   different  questions  about  the  topic  and  use  different  terminology.  We  each  offer  different  perspectives  on  the  issues.  We  are  seeking  solutions  to  work  with  specific  situations  yet  more  and  more,  we  are  interested  in  common  ones.  To  truly  grapple  with  and  understand  the  phenomena,  we  need  to  find  ways  to  research  and  report  on  this  topic  collaboratively.    

The   symposium   also   explores   the   transformative   relationships   between   users   and   information.   This   is   highly  relevant  to  research  regarding  young  people  and  their  privacy  needs  in  virtual  environments.  A  common  theme  in   the   research   across   disciplines   is   the   awareness   of   how  much   youth   love   to   play.   Researchers   from  many  fields  have   long  been   curious   about   this   love  of   play   and  what  happens  when   young  people  play   in  different  physical   environments.   Today,   the   Internet   is   the   playground   that   is   provoking   inquiry   from   and   providing   a  common   ground   for   scholars   and   professionals   from   different   fields.   Researchers   are   wondering   how  interactions  in  virtual  spaces  are  transforming  young  people’s  and  adults’  conceptions  of  and  needs  for  privacy.    

I  believe  that  this  symposium  will  assist  attendees  to  explore  creative  ways  to  bring  researchers  with  common  interests   together   so  we   can  better   share  our   knowledge   so   that   the   information  needs   of   the  people   about  whom  we  devote  our  work  are  best  served.    

 

 

33    

 

NESSET,  VALERIE    Assistant  Professor,  Library  and  Information  Studies,  State  University  of  New  York  at  Buffalo    

It   has   been  my   experience   that   research   into   information-­‐seeking   behavior,   by   revealing   how   different   user  groups/communities   search   for,   evaluate,   and   use   information   in   diverse   contexts,   can   make   a   positive  contribution   to   those   users’   quality   of   life.   My   current   and   future   research   agenda   focuses   on   marginalized  populations  such  as  younger  elementary  school-­‐aged  children,  emotionally  disturbed  young  people,  and  seniors.  These  are  user  communities  that  are  often  marginalized  by  other  segments  of  society  and  do  not  often  seem  to  be  the  focus  of  research  in  LIS.  I  think  it  imperative  that  we  study  such  groups  in  order  to  help  them  to  become  (or  remain)  active,  contributing  members  of  society.  Think  of  the  young  emergent  reader  who  is  asked  to  do  a  project  as  part  of  the  modern  classroom  teaching  approach.  No  longer  is  she  introduced  to  just  print  materials  but  she  now  has  the  enormity  of  the  Web  to  explore.  Yet,  with  the  massive  amounts  of  information  available  on  the  Web,  unless  she  has  learned  some  basic  information  literacy  skills  she  will  not  know  how  to  exploit  the  web  tools  that  will  help  her  to  search  effectively  nor  will  she  understand  how  to  evaluate  the  retrieved  results.  Our  research   into   this   area   can   help   to   inform   age-­‐appropriate   information   systems   and   pedagogy   to   help   these  young   students.   Then   there   are   those   young   people   who   suffer   lasting   emotional   trauma   and   are   often  stigmatized  by   their  peers.  What   information  do   they  need  and  via  which  media?  Could  programs  offered  by  information   professionals   (e.g.   bibliotherapy)   help   them   to   cope   with   their   problems?   And   what   about   our  senior   population?   This   is   a   group   that   is   growing   in   numbers   each   year   and   as  more   and  more   health   and  government  information  is  migrated  to  the  Web,  seniors  are  forced  to  navigate  often  very  complex  websites  in  order   to   find   the   information   they   seek.   Even   if   they   do   have   prior   computer   experience,   it   is   likely   in   areas  specific  to  their  previous  jobs  and  not  useful  in  helping  them  in  a  web  context.    

In  order  to  transform  lives,  we  need  to  ask  such  fundamental  questions  as:    

• How  do  we  identify  the  areas  of  research  that  need  to  be  addressed—what  criteria  should  we  employ?    • What   types   of   methodologies   (i.e.   quantitative,   qualitative,   or   mixed)   are   appropriate   in   certain  

contexts?    • How   important   is   intellectual  development   in   LIS   research  with   children  and  adolescents?   (Related   to  

this   last  question   is   the  dilemma  of   lumping   together   infants   to  18-­‐year-­‐olds   into   the  broad  category,  ‘children’.)    

We  as   researchers   can  make  an   impact  on  organizations  and/or  user   communities  and  designers  by  acting  as  mediators  between  these  two  entities.  We  can  help  the  users  and  designers  talk  the  same  language.  By  bringing  both   sides   together   in   a   collaborative   environment  we   can  work   together   to   design   systems   that   serve  users  well.   Bonded   Design,   a   methodology   for   designing   information   technologies   (specifically,   web   portals)   for  children   using   an   intergenerational   team   approach,   is   a   great   example   of   how  we   can   collaborate   to   design  systems  that  work.   I  hope  to  expand  on  the  Bonded  Design  methodology  (see  references  below)  and  use   it   in  different  contexts  with  different  user  groups  (e.g.  seniors)  to  explore  how  this  approach  can  make  a  difference.  I  hope  to  include  not  only  information  technology  designers  and  users  on  the  team,  but  also  experts  in  health  and  geriatric   issues.   It   is   in  these  collaborative  efforts  with  other  disciplines  that  we  will  move  research  forward  to  design  programs  and  systems  that  can  make  a  real  difference  to  people’s  lives.    

Note:  References  available  online  at  SIG  USE  wiki.  

   

 

 

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OH,  SANGHEE    School  of  Information  and  Library  Science,  UNC-­‐Chapel  Hill  Social  Q&A  as  a  New  Venue  for  Collaborative  Information  Seeking  and  Sharing    

My  primary  interest  of  research  is  people  who  are  willing  to  share  the  information  they  have  or  information  they  find  with  others.  The  particular  context  that  I’m  investigating  is  social  Q&A  services,  which  allow  people  to  ask  and  answer  questions,  thus  sharing  information  and  social  support.    

People  usually  consult  on  their  problems  with  their  family  members  or  friends.  However,  in  social  Q&A,  people  seek   solutions   from   those   who   have   similar   experiences   or   expertise   and   get   benefit   from   the   Wisdom   of  Crowds   (Surowiecki,   2004)1.   Thus,   the   relationship   between   people   and   information   should   be   redefined   by  their   capabilities   to   handle   information   and   evaluated   based   on   their   influence   on   others   in   relation   to  information   and   technology.   If   we   are   to   understand   social   Q&A   in   collaborative   environments,   we   need   to  pursue  a  number  of  research  questions,  such  as:    

• What   are   the  motivations,   attitudes,   situations   and   strategies   of   people   when   they   collaborate   with  anonymous  others?    

• How  do  topics,  genre  and  media  of  information  influence  the  collaboration?    • How  can  the  characteristics  of  people  and  information  be  reflected  in  improved  services?    

The  main  emphasis  of  social  Q&A  designers  is  on  system  development.  Designers  believe  reputation  motivates  contributions,   so   they   facilitate   scoring   systems   that   allow  people   to  earn  points.   In   reality,   people  may  have  different  motivations   and   those  motivations   are   likely   to   influence   the   strategies   they   use   to   seek   and   share  information  and  social  support.  My  current  research  is  collecting  evidence  about  the  reality  of  social  Q&A,  and  eventually   will   contribute   not   only   to   improving   those   services,   but   also   to   encouraging   people   to   be   more  naturally  engaged  in  social  Q&A.    

From   a   broader   perspective,   it   is   important   to   emphasize   that   collaborative   information   behavior   is   a  multidisciplinary   topic  of   research  and   to  ask   information   science   researchers,   as  well   as   researchers   in  other  disciplines,  to  participate  in  this  endeavor.  For  example,  I  have  a  special  interest  in  health  topics  in  social  Q&A.  My  findings  can  influence  our  understanding  of  people’s  real  life  health  problems  and  issues,  and  can  be  used  to  develop  medical  systems  that  provide  better  information  services.  Collaborating  on  this  research  with  scholars  in  health-­‐related  disciplines  will   increase  the  likelihood  that  the  findings  will  be  applied  to  the  development  of  health-­‐related  social  Q&A  services.    

 

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OYARCE,  GUILLERMO  A.    College  of  Information,  University  of  North  Texas,  Denton,  Texas  

Human  Information  Interaction  and  Implications  for  Design  

Human-­‐Computer   Interaction  (HCI)  studies  the  different  factors  that  affect  the  system,  the  user  or  their   inter-­‐relation.  The   literature  shows  no  major   interest  on  the   interaction  that   takes  place  between  the  user  and  the  actual  information  carried  by  interface.  For  the  most  part,  most  of  the  interaction  is  assumed  to  be  taking  place  between  the  user  and  the  interface.  I  have  taken  the  position  that  the  information  presented  to  the  user  via  the  interface  must  be  included  in  the  research  methodology,  or  be  the  object  of  research.  

The  reasoning  goes  along  the  lines  that  the  interface  must  provide  the  user  with  access  to  two  separate  parts  of  the  information  system,  i.e.  the  operating  system  of  the  computer  technology,  and  the  application  that  is  being  used  as  suitable  tool  for  a  particular  task.   In  terms  of  communication,  one  channel  provides  separate  conduits  for  two  discrete  tasks.  There  is  data  to  be  used  and  supplied  by  pure  computer  processes,  but  there  is  also  data  that   is   provided   to   the   interface  and  by   the   interface   that   is   solely   for  human   consumption.  Any  productivity  software  shows  this  dichotomy,  but  the   implication  of  human-­‐information   interaction  (HII)  may  not  always  be  equally  critical  for  all  tasks.  A  family  of  tasks  that  may  be  particularly  affected  by  this  type  of  research  is  any  of  the  several  computer-­‐based  text  processing  tasks,  such  as  text  information  retrieval.  At  one  level,  the  user  must  be   literate   at   the   level   of   text   and   also   at   the   level   of   the   interaction   with   the   retrieval   processes,   such   as  particular   query   languages   or   information   rendering   tools.   The   data   itself  may   have   important   characteristics  emphasized  by  certain  tools  or  presentation  methods  and  de-­‐emphasized  by  others.  

These  are  not  new  ideas,  but  in  this  position  paper  I  want  to  emphasize  that  as  HCI  has  something  to  contribute  to  the  design  of   interfaces,  the  role  of  the  information  being  transmitted  and  presented  to  users  must  also  be  included   for   software   design   at   the   level   of   system   integration.   Current   system   design   takes   information   for  granted,  as  the  quality  of  a  certain  entity  that  is  the  object  of  all  computer-­‐to-­‐computer  interactions  and  internal  processes.  This  definition  of  information  is  expanded  to  also  include  the  final  information  intended  for  the  user  when  it  should  not  be  so.  

It  is  my  position  that  the  information  intended  for  the  user  must  remain  user-­‐bound  and  should  not  be  confused  

with   other   types   of   information   frequently   lumped   together   in   professional   conversations.   One   of   these  examples  is  the  noted  Semantic  Web  that  has  confused  many  light  technology  readers  who  take  it  to  be  a  form  of  human  semantics  rather  than  data  semantics  alone.  On  the  other  side  of  the  coin,  one  could  envision  systems  

that   can   implement   two   clearly   defined   domains:  One  where   computer   cycles   are   used   to   complete   tasks   at  which   computers   excel,   and   another   that   allows   users   to   interact   only  with   the   information.   The   envisioned  interface  would  separate  both  tasks  maximizing  the  user’s  interaction  with  the  system  and  with  the  information.  

 

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PAUL,  ANINDITA  Doctoral  Candidate  School  of  Information  Science  and  Learning  Technologies  University  of  Missouri    Use  of  Web  Analytics  for  Collaborative  Information  Behavior  Research    

My  research  is  on  understanding  the  use  of  web  analytics  to  identify  users’  activities  on  the  academic  library’s  website.  I  am  using  the  academic  library  as  a  context  when  trying  to  investigate  the  usefulness  of  web  analytics  for   them.   In  doing   so,   I   am   looking   at   the   various   analytics  metrics   and   its   usefulness   to   librarians.   Librarians  provide   services   that   satisfy   their   patron’s   information   needs.   Users   that   access   the   library’s   resources   and  services   through   its  website   carry   over   their   online   experience   to   the   library’s  website.   The  web   has   shaped  users   expectation   and   interaction   with   the   library’s   online   resources.   The   advanced   feature   of   the   web   has  enabled  users  to  collaborate.  Among  other  benefits,  increasing  convenience,  and  overcoming  time  and  resource  constraint   by   collaboration,   has   made   online   users   adopt   it   at   a   faster   rate.   Academic   libraries   need   to  acknowledge   their   users   developing   preferences   and   habits,   and   provide   them  with   services   that  meet   their  expectations.    

Academic   libraries  have  started  responding  to  the  changing   information  environment  by  updating  their  online  system   for  efficient  user  access   to   information  services.  They  also  conduct  user   studies  at   regular   intervals   to  address   their   needs.   However,   doing   interviews   alone   does   not   provide   realistic   data   as   users   might   act  differently   then   what   they   say.   Analytics   provides   a   way   to   look   at   the   user   activities   through   its   different  metrics.  The  information  obtained  can  then  be  used  as  supplementary  data  to  conduct  more  qualitative  or   in-­‐depth  studies.  Monitoring  usage  of  the  different  sections,  resources  and  content  elements  of  the  library  website  over  time  can  provide  insight  on  any  transforming  user  behavior  such  as  usage  of  catalogs  over  time,  changes  of  users’  access  habits  with  different  mediums  –  search  engine,  direct  or  referral  link  etc.    

Web  analytics  has  been  mostly  used  by  businesses  for   increasing  their  RoI.  However,  because  of   its  success   in  the  commercial  sector  others  have  also  started  adopting  web  analytics  to  improve  their  online  systems  such  as  online   magazines   or   newspapers,   e-­‐learning   systems,   GIS   systems   etc.   However,   there   still   needs   to   be   a  redefinition  of  the  metrics  in  order  to  apply  to  the  different  contexts.  Further,  appropriate  definition  of  metrics  need  to  be  made  in  order  to  apply  to  the  web  2.0  environment.  The  interpretation  of  the  metrics  depends  upon  the   context   it   is   being  applied   to.   Since  not  many   studies  has  been  done  on   the  use  of   analytics   in   academic  libraries  or  non-­‐commercial  context,  a  major  challenge   lies   in   redefining   these  metrics   to  suit   the  purposes  of  the  library.  In  doing  so,  there  needs  to  be  identification  of  the  drawbacks  of  analytics  in  understanding  usage  in  the  respective  context.    

Organizations  are  driven  by  their  missions  and  goals.  And  using  analytics  to  help  them  achieve  their  mission  can  impact   them.   Pilot   studies   that   show  organizations   the   apparent   value   that   lies   in   analytics,   helping   them   to  achieve  their  mission,  would  be  a  crucial  to  draw  their  attention.  As  analytics  has  been  widely  accepted  in  the  commercial   sector,   it   is   quite   likely   that   other   organizations  would   be   open   to   trying   its  worth   for   their   use,  though  it  still  needs  to  be  interpreted  to  serve  the  particular  organization’s  purpose.    

 

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PHUWANARTNURAK,  AMMY  JIRANIDA    Information  School,  University  of  Washington  Collaborative  Information  Behavior:  Information  Sharing  across  Disciplinary  in  Design    

My  research   interests  are  on   information  sharing   in   interdisciplinary  design  context.   Interdisciplinary  design   is  challenging,   in   large  measure,   because   of   the   difficulty   in   communicating   and   coordinating   across   disciplines.  Many   tools   have   been   developed   and   used   to   support   information   sharing   in   design,   and   the   use   of  WWW  technology   is   becoming   increasingly   important   for   the   sharing   of   information.  Wikis,   in   particular,   have   been  claimed  to  support  collaboration  and  information  sharing.  For  my  dissertation,  I  am  conducting  a  field  study  of  interdisciplinary   design   projects,   seeking   to   discover   how   wikis   enable   information   sharing   in   software  development   projects.   The   findings  will   expand   our   understanding   of   information   sharing   behavior   of   design  professionals.   It  will  also  provide  empirical  evidence  on  the  use  of  wikis   in  design  work,  which  will  be  used  to  develop  guidelines  on  the  effective  use  of  wikis  to  support  design  collaboration.    

Information  sharing  is  a  great  example  of  collaborative  information  behavior.  The  focus  of  Information  Behavior  research  in  Information  Science  has  been  largely  on  information  seeking,  needs,  and  use,  while  little  attention  is  given   to   information   sharing.   Information   sharing   has   often   been   investigated   with   regard   to   information  seeking.   That   is,   information   sharing   occurs   as   part   of   or   a   consequence   of   information   seeking.   Information  sharing   has   been   a   subject   of   study   in   other   disciplines   than   information   behavior   although   they   focused   on  different  aspects  and  different  types  of  sharing.  Organization  studies  and  management  researchers  have  studied  information  sharing  as  part  of  knowledge  management  and  knowledge  sharing;  while  researchers  in  computer  supported   collaborative   work   (CSCW)   have   focused   on   collaborative   technologies   or   at   least   the   coupling   of  people   and   technologies   -­‐   how   technologies   are   or   could   be   used   to   support   information   sharing.   Thus,   my  dissertation  draws  on,  and  aims  to  contribute  to,  these  different  domains.    

One  of  the  goals  of  my  dissertation  is  to  develop  guidelines  on  the  effective  use  of  wikis,  especially  adoption  and  evolving  use.  To  do  so,   I  chose  Cognitive  Work  Analysis  (Rasmussen  et  al.,  1994),  a  formative  approach,  which  focuses  on  identifying  how  the  system  could  behave  under  given  constraints.  The  study  will  reveal  technological  adoption   and   appropriation   practices,   and   in   turn   inform   how   wikis   could   be   designed   and   appropriated   to  support  information  sharing  across  disciplinary  boundaries  during  design  process.    

While  doing  my  dissertation  on  wikis,  I  realize  that  Web  2.0  technologies  (e.g.,  wikis,  blogs,  facebook,  and  other  social   networking   sites)   allow   (perhaps   force?)   people   to   be   involved   in   more   and   more   collaborative  information  behaviors.  However,   they  are   still   carrying  on   their  own   individual   information  activities.   So,  how  can   we   efficiently   transition   between   individual   to   collaborative   activities?   When   and   how   does   personal  information  (often  a  result  of  individual  information  behaviors)  turn  into  group  information  or  vice  versa?    

Reference    

Rasmussen,  J.,  Pejtersen,  A.  M.,  &  Goodstein,  L.  P.  (1994).  Cognitive  systems  engineering.  New  York:  Wiley.    

 

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REED,  KATHLEEN    University  of  Alberta    

As  a  researcher  just  starting  out  in  the  field,  I  see  one  of  the  main  priorities  for  information  behaviour  research  as   exploring   how   information   behaviour   works   in   various   intercultural   settings.   My   current   MLIS/MA  (Humanities  Computing)  work  explores  how   the   social   identities  of   volunteer   tourists   affect   their   information  behaviour  while  they  are  abroad.  Numerous  scholars  have  explored  the   idea  of  a  third-­‐space  or   liminoid  state  (Selstad   2007;   Hottola   2005;   Selänniemi   1996,   2000;   Bhabha   1994),   a   position   in   which   people   are   neither  completely  within  their  home  culture  nor  of  that  of  the  host  culture.  In  this  third-­‐space,  in  which  “moral  codes  of  everyday  life  are  not  valid,  place  and  time  lose  their  meaning  and  tourists’  behaviour  may  differ  significantly  from   their   behaviour   at   home,”   there   exists   a   rich   opportunity   to   study   how   volunteer   tourists   are   socially  positioned   (Selänniemi  1996,   194-­‐200).   Interviews  and  participant  observation  with   volunteers   at   a   Thai   non-­‐governmental  organization  allow  me  to  study  how  old  and  comfortable  social  identities  mix  with  new  and  often  transitory  identities  to  affect  information  behaviours.  At  a  theoretical  level,  this  research  will  contribute  to  the  development  of  information  behaviour  theory  related  to  intercultural  and  culturally-­‐confusing  experiences.  At  a  practical  level,  non-­‐governmental  organizations  will  be  assisted  in  determining  how  to  best  aid  volunteers  when  it  comes  to  distributing  information,  consequently  preparing  workers  for  success  in  the  field.    

A  driving  force  behind  my  research   is  the  desire  to  publish  not  only   in  the  academic  world,  but  create   jargon-­‐free,  easy  to  read  documents  for  the  general  public.  In  addition  to  academic  works,  I  plan  on  publishing  all  my  research   findings   on   my   personal   website,   available   under   Creative   Commons   licensing.   Especially   as   the  Internet   makes   distributing   information   globally   fairly   easy,   I   feel   it   critical   that   for   information   behaviour  research  to  remain  relevant  to  the  public,  it  needs  to  be  accessible.    

References    

Bhabha,  Homi  K.  1994.  The  location  of  culture.  New  York:  Routledge.    

Hottola,   Petri.   2005.   The   metaspatialities   of   control   management   in   tourism:   Backpacking   in   India.   Tourism  Geographies  7  (1):  1-­‐22.    

Selänniemi,   Tom.   1996.   Matka   ikuiseen   kesään:   Kulttuuriantropologinen   näkökulma   suomalaisten  etelänmatkailuun.  Helsinki:  SKS.    

Selänniemi,   Tom.   2001.   Pale   skin   on   Playa   del   Anywhere:   Finnish   tourists   in   the   liminoid   south.   In  Hosts   and  Guests  Revisited:  Tourism  Issues  of  the  21st  Century,  eds.  V.L.  Smith  and  M.  Brent,  80-­‐92.  New  York:  Cognizant  Communications  Corporation.    

Selstad,  Leif.  2007.  The  social  anthropology  of  the  tourist  experience:  Exploring  the  ‘middle  role.’  Scandinavian  Journal  of  Hospitality  and  Tourism  7  (1):  19-­‐33.  

 

 

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DE  RICHEMOND,  JEANETTE  PhD  Candidate,  School  of  Communication  and  Information,  Rutgers  University    Questions  for  Collaborative  Information  Behavior  Research    

Research   into   personalization   of   interaction   with   information   systems   (Belkin,   2009)   reveals   possibilities   for  having  information  delivered  to  users  that  provides  them  with  information  tailored  to  their  interests,  work  tasks,  preferences,  contexts,  and  problematic  situations.    

Readily  available  and  tailored  information  may  significantly  impact  on  the  process  of  problem  solving.  It  seems  important  to  study  how  changes  in  information  retrieval  and  delivery  may  change  interactions  with  information,  and,  therefore,  change  how  people  use  information.    

Research  should  consider  execution  and  implications  of  creating  a  transformative  relationship  between  people  and  information.  A  transformative  relationship  requires  information  that  sparks  new  ideas,  that  jolts  the  brain.  My  thought  is  that  creativity  is  a  new  juxtaposition  of  concepts.  To  develop  new  ideas,  it  is  necessary  to  provide  information   that   serves   as   a   catalyst.  A   “digital   library  must   stimulate   curiosity   and  encourage  exploration   so  that  user  may  make  opportune  discoveries”  (Toms,  2000).  The  question,  therefore,  is  how  might  a  personalized  information   assistant   provide   surprising   and/or   random   information?   The   system,   which   “learns”   the   user’s  comfort  zone,  also  must  “learn”  how  to  take  the  user  out  of  his/her  comfort  zone.    

To   make   an   impact,   it   is   important   to   participate   in   projects   and   organizations   where   we   can   show   the  significance   of   our   contributions,   such   as   Design   for   Care,   which   brings  methods   and   results   found   effective  across  healthcare  contexts  to  designers  in  all  situations  (Design  for  Care,  2009).    

We   should  partner  with  people   in  other   areas   to   conduct   interdisciplinary   research.  My  dissertation   research  (information  science  and  medicine)   focuses  on  the  effective  use  of  medical   information,  one  of   the  Agency  of  Healthcare  Quality  and  Research’s  goals.  (Agency  for  Healthcare  Quality  and  Research,  2009).    

My  research  focus  is  the  assessment  of  “enough,”  specifically  “enough”  information  to  make  a  clinical  decision.  My  theory  is  that  “enough”  facilitates  making  a  decision  or  taking  action.  Determination  of  enough  changes  how  physicians  interact  with  information.    

References    

Agency   for   Healthcare   Quality   and   Research   (2009).   Retrieved   on   September   25,   2009   from  http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-­‐files/NOT-­‐HS-­‐08-­‐014.html.    

Belkin,   N.   (2009).   Personalizing   Support   for   Interaction   with   Information.   The   New   Jersey   Chapter   of   the  American   Society   for   Information   Science   &   Technology   (NJ/ASIS&T)   Distinguished   Lectureship   Award.  September  25,  2009.    

Design  for  Care  (2009).  Retrieved  on  September  25,  2009  from  http://designforcare.ning.com/.    

Toms,   E.G.   (2000a).   Serendipitous   information   retrieval.   In   First   DELOS   workshop   “Information   seeking,  searching  and  querying  in  digital  libraries”  December  11–12,  2000,  Zurich,  Switzerland  (pp.  17–20).  

 

 

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RUBENSTEIN,  ELLEN    Graduate  School  of  Library  and  Information  Science,  University  of  Illinois    Dimensions  of  Information  Exchange  in  an  Online  Breast  Cancer  Support  Group    

Within  the  last  10-­‐15  years,  online  health  communities  have  created  new  options  for  people  seeking  information  about  health  issues  and  illness.  While  research  has  shown  that  having  supportive  social  networks  impacts  health  and  coping  outcomes  in  positive  ways,  few  studies  have  examined  how  or  why  online  support  group  networks  facilitate  the  process  of  managing  illness.  Studies  of  online  breast  cancer  support  groups  have  reported  positive  emotional  outcomes  for  participants,  primarily  citing  the  emotional  support  and  exchanges  of  information  that  women   engage  with   through   these   communities.   These   studies   have   also   discussed   reduced   depression,   less  anxiety,  and  improved  social   interactions;  however,  none  have  analyzed  these  support  groups  to  the  extent  of  obtaining  a  full,  multi-­‐faceted  understanding  of  the  factors  that  contribute  to  the  success  of  these  groups.    

I   am   currently   working   on   an   ethnographic   study   of   an   online   breast   cancer   support   group   based   on   the  following  research  questions:    

• What  is  the  role  of  online  social  support  for  people  dealing  with  illness?    • Does  participation   in  an  online  support  group  focused  on  breast  cancer   influence  health  decisions  and  

practices  of  its  members,  and,  if  so,  how?    

Issues  and  questions  related  to  these  overarching  questions  include:    

a)  why  people  seek  online  help  for  breast  cancer;    b)  how  being  part  of  an  online  groups  helps  people  navigate  through  illness;    c)  what  kinds  of  information  and  social  support  exchanges  occur;    d)  what  factors  influence  how  actively  individuals  participate;    e)  what  the  meaning  of  the  group  is  in  relation  to  participants’  daily  lives  and  for  the  long  term.    

We  do  not  know  how  these  groups  function  in  terms  of  the  value  of  the  information  obtained  with  respect  to  health  decisions,  nor  how  they  are  integrated  into  participants’  everyday  lives.  By  doing  a  study  that  combines  participant-­‐observation   with   archives   analysis   and   interviews,   I   will   be   able   to   gain   a   multi-­‐faceted  understanding   of   how   such   a   group   facilitates   information   exchange,   how   it   meets   the   diverse   needs   of  participants,  what  kinds  of  interactions  occur  and  are  most  valuable,  and,  most  importantly,  what  the  meaning  of  the  group  is  for  its  members.    

 

 

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SHARIFABADI,  SAEED  R.    Ph.D  graduate,  the  University  of  New  South  Wales  (Sydney,  Australia)  Associate  Professor,  Department  of  Library  &  Information  Science,  Alzahra  University  (Tehran,  Iran)  Visiting  Professor,  the  School  of  Library,  Archival  and  Information  Studies,  the  University  of  British  Columbia  (Vancouver,  Canada)  Effects  of  the  Internet  on  Research  Activities,  Information  Seeking  and  Communication  Behaviour  of  Australian  Academic  Psychologists      

Findings  of  the  study  suggest  that  psychologists  use  the  Internet  extensively  for  their  academic  activities.  They  perceive  that  the  Internet  is  affecting  their  approach  to  the  research  process.  The  Internet  helps  psychologists  to  keep  up-­‐to  date  with  recent  developments  in  their  areas  of  interest.  Many  psychologists  claimed  that  they  had  wider  and  more  frequent  communication  with  colleagues  and  collaborators  which  led  them  to  new  directions  in  research.  Psychologist's  research  activities  had  also  been  influenced  by  access  to  online  information  systems  and  data-­‐bases   accessible   via   the   internet.   Psychologists   reported   that   increased  access   to   resources,   quicker   and  easier  communication  with  colleagues  and  searching  for  information  influenced  the  quality  of  their  research  as  well   as   the   quantity   of   their   publications.   Two   other   types   of   behavioral   changes   emerged   from   this  investigation.   They   were   changes   in   psychologists'   use   of   information   sources   and   changes   in   information  dissemination.   Although   journals   remain   by   far   the   most   important   source   of   information   and   the   primary  means   of   formal   communication   among   academics   under   investigation,   many   psychologists   mentioned   that  they  use  e-­‐mail  and  electronic  discussion  groups  in  keeping  up  to  date,  followed  by  newer  Internet  services  such  World  Wide  Web.  Attendance  at  meetings  seems  no  longer  a  priority  for  obtaining  information,  as  was  the  case  in  American  Psychological  Association   (APA)   studies   in  1960s.   Electronic  publishing  of   articles   via   the   Internet  especially   posting   their   own   papers   to   web   sites,   was   also   a   growing   practice   among   psychologists.   Many  psychologists   also   used   the   Internet   for   circulation   of   preprints,   submission   of   papers   to   publishers   and  conferences,  requesting  reprints  from  other  authors,  sending  requested  reprints,  reviewing  manuscripts  sent  by  publishers   and   editing   manuscripts   sent   via   the   Internet   by   other   people.   The   implications   of   this   study   for  Internet  development,  user  training,  and  further  research  are  explored.    

 

 

 

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STUTZMAN,  FRED  School  of  Information  and  Library  Science,  UNC-­‐Chapel  Hill  Social  Network  Sites  and  Information  Seeking  During  a  Life  Transition    

Over  the  life  course,  an  individual  engages  in  a  series  of  transitions  that  shape  them  personally  and  in  the  eye  of  society   (Elder,   1998).   Common   transitions   include   developmental   transitions   and   health-­‐related   transitions;  other  transitions,  including  role  transitions  and  social/legal  transitions  are  comprised  of  a  series  of  transitions  or  life  events   (Arnett,  2001;  George,  1993).   In  general,  a   transition  can  be   theorized  as  an   interruption,   in  which  one's  schema,  or  sense  of  understanding  of  the  world,   is   interrupted  and  new  informational  discrepancies  are  revealed  (Mandler,  1990).    

I  am  interested  in  how  individuals  use  social  network  sites  for   information  seeking  during  a   life  transition.  The  particular   context   of   my   study   is   the   high   school-­‐to-­‐college   transition,   a   multi-­‐   modal   transition   generally  involving   relocation,   role   change,   and   social   network   renegotiation.   Utilized   extensively   by   college   students,  social   network   sites   are  web-­‐based   systems   that   enable   individuals   to   construct   a   profile,   articulate   a   list   of  networked   connections,   and   “view   and   traverse”   this   list   of   connections   (boyd   and   Ellison,   2007).   For   an   in-­‐transition   population,   the   social   network   site   enables   sensemaking   in   the   new   surrounds;   users   draw   on  network-­‐based  resources  for  social  and  collaborative  information  seeking.    

Utilizing   a   mixed-­‐methods   approach,   my   study   investigates   determinants   of   network   participation   during   a  transition,   it   evaluates   supportive   outcomes   of   participation,   and   it   elaborates   the   process   of   information  seeking  in  a  network-­‐mediated  setting.  I  would  like  to  focus  on  my  third  research  goal  at  the  symposium.  I  am  interested   in   the   construction   of   information   practice   in   a   social   network   site:   The   social   and   collaborative  process  through  which   in-­‐transition   individuals  address   information  needs,  how  these  needs   inform  disclosure  decisions,  and  how  information  provisioned  addresses  the  “everyday  life”  information  needs  of  the  in-­‐  transition  population  (Savolainen,  1995).    

References    

Arnett,  J.  J.  (2001).  Conceptions  of  the  Transition  to  Adulthood:  Perspectives  From  Adolescence  Through  Midlife.  Journal  of  Adult  Development,  8(2),  133-­‐143.    

Boyd,  d.  and  Ellison,  N.  B.  (2007).  Social  Network  Sites:  Definition,  History,  and  Scholarship.  Journal  of  Computer-­‐Mediated  Communication,  13(1).    

Elder,  G.  H.  (1998).  The  Life  Course  as  Developmental  Theory.  Child  Development,  69(1),  1-­‐12.    

George,  L.  K.  (1993).  Sociological  Perspectives  on  Life  Transitions.  Annual  Review  of  Sociology,  19(1),  353-­‐373.    

Mandler,  G.   (1990).   Interruption   (Discrepancy)   Theory:   Review   and   Extensions.   In   Fisher,   S.   and   Cooper,   C.   L.  (Eds.),  On  the  Move:  The  Psychology  of  Change  and  Transition  (pp.13-­‐33).  Chichester:  Wiley.    

Savolainen,  R.  (1995).  Everyday  life  information  seeking:  Approaching  information  seeking  in  the  context  of  "way  of  life".  Library  &  Information  Science  Research,  17(3),  259-­‐294.  

 

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WILLSON,  REBEKAH    Mount  Royal  University  Library    

As  a  practitioner  in  the  field  of  LIS  my  concern  is  to  prepare  post-­‐secondary  students  to  seek,  retrieve,  evaluate  and   use   information   effectively   and   efficiently.   I   typically   teach   students   how   to   perform   these   information  activities  individually,  however  some  academic  programs  have  begun  to  require  more  student  collaboration  on  projects  and  research.  As  many  activities  in  the  workplace  require  collaboration,  teaching  students  collaborative  information   seeking   and   sharing   can   be   an   asset.  Working  with   students  who   have   collaborative   information  needs,  I  am  interested  in  how  to  facilitate  groups’  information  seeking  and  sharing  –  how  to  support  students  in  the  roles  they  will  take  during  their  collaboration.  I  am  also  interested  in  how  technology  can  be  used  to  support  collaborative   information   seeking   and   sharing   –   how   to   adapt   current   technology   that   is   often   intended   for  single  users  to  work  for  group  information  sharing.    

As   a   researcher   in   the   field   of   LIS   my   area   of   interest   is   in   information   behaviour,   particularly   examining  information  behaviour  using  mixed  methods.  I  have  studied  how  university  students  search  for  information  with  which   they   may   have   little   previous   experience,   particularly   when   searching   OPACs.   This   type   of   research  provides  an  opportunity  to  study  how  students  engage  in  a  variety  of  strategies  to  address  issues  such  as  search  term   spelling,   query   formulation   and   search   strategy   implementation.   Collaborative   information   seeking   and  sharing  adds  a  social  dimension  to  the  already  multiple  aspects  of  information  behaviour,  as  well  as  complicates  the   human   computer   interaction   as   many   technologies   are   typically   designed   for   individual   users.   I   am  interested   in   whether   strategy   use   changes   during   collaborative   information   seeking,   how   groups   use  technology  to  seek  information  and  how  decisions  are  made  about  whether  the  information  retrieved  satisfies  the  information  need  of  the  group.    

 

 

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VEINOT,  TIFFANY  University  of  Michigan    

Individualistic   models   of   information   behavior   seem   insufficient   in   a   world   where   half   of   all   health-­‐related  Internet   searches   are   conducted   on   behalf   of   others,   and  where   two   thirds   of   people  who   search   for   health  information   on   the   Internet   discuss   the   information   they   find   with   someone   else   (Fox,   2009).   And   while  collaborative   information   behavior   research   could   potentially   offer   insight   into   the   social   nature   of   health  information  behavior,  the  majority  of  scholarship   in  the  field  has  focused  on  workplace  and  scholarly  contexts  (Talja   &   Hansen,   2006).   However,   findings   of   my   recent   research   suggest   that   everyday   life   collaborative  information  behavior  may  be  more  voluntary,  loosely  coordinated  and  emotionally  rich  than  has  been  described  in  previous  workplace-­‐based  research  (Veinot,  2009).  Accordingly,  as  with  information  behavior  research  more  broadly,   I   would   stress   that   there   is   a   need   to   focus   on   the   unique   properties   of   collaborative   information  behavior  in  everyday  life.    

Accordingly,  my  interest  in  collaborative  information  seeking  and  sharing  largely  coalesces  around  everyday  life  experiences,  especially  in  an  illness  context.  This  is  a  promising  area  because  serious  illness  does  not  affect  only  the  ill  person,  but  also  has  important  consequences  for  his  or  her  loved  ones  (Cutrona  &  Gardner,  2006;  Elliott  &  Shewchuk,   2004).   Indeed,   as  my   recent   research   regarding   information   exchange   regarding  HIV/AIDS   in   rural  Canada   showed,   people   living   with   HIV/AIDS   (PHAs)   and   their   friends   and   family   members   experience   the  disease  together,  and  often  respond  to  it  collaboratively.  And  in  the  context  of  this  collaborative  response,  rural  dwellers   affected  by  HIV/AIDS  obtained   information   from  each  other   through   five   interactive  processes:   joint  seeking,  tag-­‐team  seeking,  exposure,  opportunity  and  legitimation  (Veinot,  2009).    

Building   on   my   previous   research,   I   consider   two   main   aspects   of   everyday   life   collaborative   information  behavior  to  be  of  particular  interest  for  future  inquiry.  First,  I  am  interested  in  peer-­‐based  information  seeking  and  sharing  among  people  who  share  a  health  condition  –  in  particular,  the  nature  of  peer-­‐based  knowledge  and  the  ways  in  which  it  is  produced  and  exchanged  by  peers.  As  a  part  of  this  interest,  I  am  studying  peer  mentoring  among   people   with   chronic   kidney   disease   in   a   collaborative   study   with   the   National   Kidney   Foundation   of  Michigan.  Second,  I  am  piloting  a  study  this  fall  which  investigates  how  families  respond  as  a  group  to  illness  in  their  midst,   and   how   they  manage   and   exchange   information   as   a   part   of   family-­‐based   care.   I   am  excited   to  pursue  research  in  this  area,  and  look  forward  to  dialogue  with  other  researchers  in  this  field.    

References    

Cutrona,  C.  E.,  &  Gardner,  K.  A.  (Eds.).  (2006).  Stress  in  Couples:  The  Process  of  Dyadic  Coping.  New  York,  NY,US:  Cambridge  University  Press.    

Elliott,  T.  R.,  &  Shewchuk,  R.  M.  (Eds.).  (2004).  Family  adaptation  in  illness,  disease,  and  disability.  Washington,  DC,US:  American  Psychological  Association.    

Fox,   S.   (2009).   The   Social   Life   of   Health   Information   Retrieved   September   14,   2009,   from  http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2009/8-­‐The-­‐Social-­‐Life-­‐of-­‐Health-­‐Information.aspx    

Talja,   S.,   &   Hansen,   P.   (2006).   Information   Sharing.   In   A.   Spink   &   C.   Cole   (Eds.),   New   Directions   in   Human  Information  Behavior  (pp.  113-­‐134).  Dordrecht:  Springer.    

Veinot,  T.  C.  (2009).  Interactive  acquisition  and  sharing:  Understanding  the  dynamics  of  HIV/AIDS  information  networks.  Journal  of  the  American  Society  for  Information  Science  and  Technology,  In  press.