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1.
This paper discusses the information-seeking behaviour of academics in relation to the productivity of academics in South African Universities, with particular reference to the University of Zululand, through a survey of 105 academics. It was established that the nature of the discipline and the rank of the academic, which normally corresponds with the academic qualification, experience, exposure and research productivity level, largely determine the information-seeking behaviour. Academics mainly need information for career development, and occupational and professional needs. Furthermore, university libraries, which currently face budget cuts on acquisitions, still play a pivotal role in information access by the academics. It is confirmed that the use of “local environment” is dominant for intra- and inter-university information access network and system. It is recommended that avenues that work colleagues can use to interact should be supported, and career challenges that stimulate productivity by academics, such as research and publication, should be maintained and sustained.  相似文献   

2.
Information-seeking behaviour by university academics at Moi University, Kenya, is analysed. A survey, in the form of a pilot study, was conducted and data collected through questionnaires and interviews among 27 academics randomly sampled from four faculties: Health Sciences, Information Sciences, Environmental Studies and Education. The results obtained established that a great number of academics depend on libraries and colleagues for information and that although the academics heavily depend on textbooks for information, they display great interest in, and use, current and research-oriented information sources. It was also established that the nature of discipline and level of programme influence the information-seeking behaviour of academics and that lack of awareness of information services, and non-use of current awareness services and sources available at the university contribute to limited access and use of the information resources. In addition, academics indicated that they need information mainly for career development to circumvent the “publish or perish syndrome”, but also for their professional and occupational needs. It is concluded that despite insufficient relevant information resources at the university library due to budget cuts, academics still depend on the library for their information needs. Work colleagues are also an important source of intra-university information. It is suggested that the library would benefit the academics if equal attention were paid to current awareness services as well as publicity and promotion of information products and services. Similarly, methods should be devised by the university to strengthen the academics' overall accessibility to information. In this way, the circulation of information between academic colleagues can be maintained.  相似文献   

3.
This study aimed to investigate the scholarly information-seeking behavior of academic engineers and technologists working at the University of the Punjab. The purpose of the study was to investigate the various information sources being used by academic engineers and technologists for their scholarly tasks, with a focus on use patterns of e-journals. A quantitative study employing “survey” method was conducted to achieve the research objectives. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to all regular and contractual academic engineers and technologists working at the university and a response rate of 61% was achieved. The study findings showed that the respondents' most-used information sources were e-journals, e-books, discussion with colleagues, and electronic research reports. They accessed e-journal articles through general search engines, Google Scholar, and open access e-journal websites. Majority of the respondents used e-journals for keeping themselves up-to-date and supervising researchers. While previous studies have investigated academic and practitioner engineers' information-seeking habits, this study is valuable as it investigated academic engineers' and technologists' scholarly information-seeking behavior in relation to their e-journals use patterns.  相似文献   

4.
This study examines the use of Internet resources and the evaluation of their usefulness from the perspectives of Chinese students and academics. The questionnaires were distributed at Peking University, ISTIC, and at the Information Institute of Science and Technology of Zhe Jiang Province, where 706 valid samples were collected. The data was analyzed according to: The background of the Internet users; the standard of Internet resources; Internet information-seeking behaviour; users’ evaluations of Internet resources and their perceived expectations about future Internet services. The study found that users with higher educational degrees tend to spend more time on the Internet and find Internet resources more useful than less-educated users. Although Internet search engines are the preferred information retrieval tool, other traditional or informal retrieval methods are also used. Many respondents agree that the Internet is helpful for narrowing the knowledge gap between developed and developing countries. Besides its richness and high speed, accuracy and authority are the most important factors when users judge the quality of the Internet; but, more specialized information filtering and navigation services are required. Further studies should focus on the information-seeking behaviour of different target groups, and with specific comparisons of Chinese academic users from economically developed areas, versus users from China's comparatively undeveloped Northwest provinces.  相似文献   

5.
This study examines the use of Internet resources and the evaluation of their usefulness from the perspectives of Chinese students and academics. The questionnaires were distributed at Peking University, ISTIC, and at the Information Institute of Science and Technology of Zhe Jiang Province, where 706 valid samples were collected. The data was analyzed according to: The background of the Internet users; the standard of Internet resources; Internet information-seeking behaviour; users’ evaluations of Internet resources and their perceived expectations about future Internet services. The study found that users with higher educational degrees tend to spend more time on the Internet and find Internet resources more useful than less-educated users. Although Internet search engines are the preferred information retrieval tool, other traditional or informal retrieval methods are also used. Many respondents agree that the Internet is helpful for narrowing the knowledge gap between developed and developing countries. Besides its richness and high speed, accuracy and authority are the most important factors when users judge the quality of the Internet; but, more specialized information filtering and navigation services are required. Further studies should focus on the information-seeking behaviour of different target groups, and with specific comparisons of Chinese academic users from economically developed areas, versus users from China's comparatively undeveloped Northwest provinces.  相似文献   

6.
A persona represents a group of target users that share common behavioural characteristics. The personas method, an approach to systems design, has been receiving significant attention from practitioners. However, only anecdotal evidence currently exists for the effectiveness of personas and there have been criticisms about its validity as a scientific approach to research. This paper attempts to demonstrate how incorporating personas may lead to better understand the information needs of humanities scholars. Humanities scholars in an advanced ICT environment in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan are sampled as a case. Previous studies show that the humanities scholars have a significant negative relation with ICT use; they are using it less than scientists and social scientists, and they demonstrate a significantly higher use of library facilities than other academics. There is also a lack of up-to-date international research on the humanities scholars' information needs that takes into account recent rapid increases in the availability of ICT infrastructure, especially the Internet. As such, the objective of this study is to understand the information needs of humanities scholars and the effect of the electronic environment on their information seeking behaviour using personas. This study is conducted within a conceptual framework based on an integration of existing models of information-seeking behaviour, along with additional new elements representing the information context environment, such as languages, decision to seek and format of information resources. The four personas that were uncovered in this study may be able to effectively communicate the actual information needs of the humanities scholars through the personal narrative, name, and face, which continuously will remind the academic library of what their users really want and need from their services. This study also lays the foundation for future research by identifying variables of interest, and building construct validity through the themes of information needs that emerged.  相似文献   

7.
This study explores Executive MBA (EMBA) students’ information-seeking skills and knowledge in academic and workplace environments to improve on library instruction. The authors’ research consisted of a survey and 12 qualitative interviews, sampled from two University of New Mexico EMBA cohorts. The themes that emerged included EMBA's specific skills and knowledge of their own industry's information, difficulty in finding new information, several barriers, and lack of transferability. By discussing adult learning theory and focusing on transferability, we can help students acknowledge and transfer their information skills and knowledge between academics and work.  相似文献   

8.
《The Reference Librarian》2013,54(36):173-183
Because of the changing nature of the workplace, better access to career information should be more easily available to all types of workers. Public and academic libraries are being expected to provide career information to library patrons. This chapter suggests the type of materials which should be in a library's collection, as well as specific titles which are likely to be most useful to library users.  相似文献   

9.
ABSTRACT

The increase in information explosion has left information users with the option of adopting the best means to access and make ethical use of the right information. The role information plays in the society cannot be overemphasized. Information is required for individual, institution and societal development. Hence, efforts must be expended to acquire the right information in a world where information is being produced exponentially with almost no control. Accessing the right information is vital for any form of development hence the academic libraries’ role in ensuring an effective delivery of the right information to their users. Selective Dissemination of Information (SDI) service is one of the means through which libraries achieve this. The study investigates SDI service adoption and use by academics at Redeemer’s University, Nigeria. Statistics kept in the Reference Unit of the library were used to elicit information used for analysis. Sixty-sis (66) out of a total of 135 academics working in the institution at the time the statistics were taken were used for analysis. The study reveals that majority of the academics who sought SDI service were staff of the college of Management Sciences. The study reveals that majority of the academics sought SDI service for the purpose of research. Comments of users from records kept in the unit shows that users’ information needs were adequately satisfied. Users’ comments also reveal areas of improvement on the service. Recommendations geared towards the improvement of SDI service in the university library were given based on the conclusion drawn.  相似文献   

10.
ABSTRACT

How do academic library users search for scholarly information? While there are many possible ways, research from several scholarly fields offers a useful perspective; studies from social psychology, economics, and library and information science suggest that users will often favor “low-effort” information-seeking approaches. Though many academic librarians undoubtedly advocate efficient information-seeking strategies, we argue that development of a more systematic and coordinated low-effort approach would be beneficial. Accordingly, this article offers an organized “toolkit” of low-effort information-seeking strategies suitable for self-use by library patrons or inclusion in library instruction programs.  相似文献   

11.
The information-seeking behavior of social science faculty studying the Kurds was assessed using a questionnaire, citation analysis, and follow-up inquiry. Two specific questions were addressed: how these faculty locate relevant government information and what factors influence their seeking behavior and use of such information. Results show that besides using traditional methods for locating relevant government information, social science faculty studying the Kurds use the World Wide Web (Web) and electronic mail (e-mail) for that purpose, suggesting that these faculty are aware of, and utilize, new information technology to support their research. Results also show that the information-seeking behavior of social science faculty studying the Kurds is influenced by factors similar to those influencing other social science faculty. Moreover, results also show that accessing the needed materials is a major information-seeking activity that should be added to David Ellis' behavioral model, and that faculty examined here employ somewhat a more elaborate “differentiating” information-seeking activity than the one described in the model. Some elements of interdisciplinarity of Kurdish studies as a field of research have been discovered, however, further research is required to verify that. Implications for library services and suggestions for future research are presented.  相似文献   

12.
The purpose of this study was to identify the challenges students faced in accessing the information from academic libraries during COVID and factors that contributed to stress among students during the pandemic. Another purpose of the study was to know the expectations of the students regarding libraries' services and library professionals' competencies in the post-COVID era. A quantitative research approach and survey method was employed to conduct this study. The population of the study was students of public and private sector universities in Pakistan. Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze the collected data. Results revealed that lack of digital resources (limited access to the internet and digital devices such as smartphones) and limited information skills found the highest mean score (3.92 and 3.90 respectively) regarding contributing to stress among the students. Similarly, findings confirmed that lack of access to printed material and printers, scanners, recorders, and websites with limited guidelines were the major challenges students faced while accessing the information from academic libraries during the period of a pandemic. Students agreed and expected remote access to information sources, availability of more electronic content, presence of online tutorials regarding the use of information sources and access to institutional repositories from libraries after the COVID era. Respondents also agreed that post-COVID librarians should be good information managers, communicators, problem solvers and internet librarians. The study also shares the implications for practitioners and polisymakers and future research directions for academics and researchers.  相似文献   

13.
This project, conducted by an interdisciplinary team comprising nursing academics and information professionals, focused on nursing students' access to, and use of, learning resources with respect to an evidence-based practice assignment. From the information professionals' perspective, there was interest in examining the level of use of information, the use of print versus electronic media, students' application of critical and evaluative skills to information sources, and how access to learning resources and libraries is still important. The nursing academics were concerned with exploring the students' perceptions of evidence and what was perceived by them to be “quality evidence.” References used by the students were tabulated and analyzed, and subsequent to this, focus groups were conducted to ascertain the degree of ease with which the students found information and the types of support afforded to them in tracking down information. The results highlight the continuing importance of access to libraries and learning resources and of an equitable level of staff support. They also raise questions that provide a springboard for future research.  相似文献   

14.
The information-seeking behavior of lawyers has not been fully investigated empirically. Prior work has tended to focus on legal research as the central task performed by lawyers in their information-seeking activities. This analysis of more than 150 interviews of practicing lawyers showed that legal research should not be considered information-seeking. The lawyers interviewed identified other tasks, such as administration of their law practices, as constituting problem-solving, information-seeking activities. In solving their problems, the lawyers overwhelmingly preferred informal sources when seeking information. In addition, they preferred sources of information internal to their organizations rather than external sources, although this was less true for lawyers from smaller firms. Neither the lawyer’s gender nor the size of the center in which the practice was located influenced the type of information sources chosen. The model for the information-seeking behavior of professionals advanced by another author group is discussed and modifications are suggested that create a new model offering a fuller picture of the behavior of lawyers.  相似文献   

15.
AIMS/OBJECTIVES: To undertake an information-needs analysis of operating theatre staff in order to inform the development of a specialist library of the National Electronic Library of Health (NeLH). SETTING: Three hospitals in an NHS Trust in a rural county in the north of England. METHODS: In-depth interviews, during which staff were questioned in regard to their job roles and information needs, information-seeking behaviour, access to computers, use and perceptions of the NeLH, and what they would like from a specialist library. RESULTS: Information needs were found to concern direct care, professional and academic development, medical devices knowledge and administration. Currency and speed of delivery were the key information requirements. Poor communication appeared to be a major problem for many staff and inhibited efficient information exchange. When using the Web, both clinical and non-clinical staff searched in a similar fashion to health consumers generally, despite their need for highly specialist information. Most respondents reacted warmly to the idea of the proposed National Electronic Library for Theatre Staff (NeLTS) and made several practical suggestions for suitable material. However, access was problematic for nurses and might prove to be an obstacle to take-up of the Specialist Library. CONCLUSIONS: Communication difficulties, the fragmentation of data in the field and the consequent difficulties of finding information point to the need for an NeLTS. However, for this library to embrace and succeed with all the various groups that constitute the operating theatre staff, issues of access and digital literacy need to be addressed.  相似文献   

16.
This study explores the relationship between undergraduates' epistemological beliefs and their information-seeking behavior. Kuhlthau's (1993) information search process (ISP) model and four models of epistemological development from educational psychology formed the theoretical foundation of this investigation. Twenty undergraduates attending an Ivy League university were interviewed about their search process as they completed a major research paper during their senior year. Epistemological beliefs affected topic, the use of mediators, search techniques, the evaluation of information, and the ability to recognize authority. Epistemological beliefs also affected several stages of the ISP model: topic selection, prefocus formulation, focus formulation, and collection. These findings provide a rich theoretical foundation for future information-seeking behavior research and will assist academic reference librarians by providing insights into the impact of undergraduates' epistemological beliefs on their information-seeking behavior.  相似文献   

17.
The information needs of scientists in English-speaking countries have been studied and reported in the library literature. However, few studies exist on the information-seeking patterns of scientists in developing countries, and no study has examined the information needs of medical scientists in developing Asian countries. This study investigated the information needs of academic medical scientists at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand. The results indicate that medical scientists have three types of information needs: identifying up-to-date information, obtaining relevant studies and data, and developing research topics. Thai scientists' information-seeking behavior was different from that of scientists in developed countries. The study shows a high use of libraries as information providers; Thai medical scientists rely heavily on information from abroad.  相似文献   

18.
For many academic librarians, scholarly research is required in order to attain tenure or promotion and it is widely acknowledged that many early career librarians find this process challenging. Using a survey of >200 untenured or recently tenured academic librarians, this study investigates early career academic librarians' access to and experiences with research support activities designed to develop research skills and confidence. Specific attention is paid to informal mentoring, formal mentoring programs, and writing groups. Responses indicate that early career librarians need supports that target three dimensions of the research experience: research design and methods; work practices and accountability; and emotional elements. Despite this, survey respondents had limited access to formal research supports that offer instruction and guidance in the research process, leaving them to rely heavily on informal mentoring. This study highlights the need for libraries and library organizations to invest their resources in research supports for early career academic librarians, helping them to become more effective and confident researchers.  相似文献   

19.
Abstract

Given that graduate employment is a clear outcome of education success, there is an urgent need to conceptualize course design strategically to maximize students’ chances of employment. In this paper, we present an Australian case study in which we used a structured career information literacy learning approach to build employability in a biological sciences capstone course, through collaboration between the university library, academics, and career service. We report the context, method, measurement, outcomes of collaboration, and roles of contributors in this partnership. This case study lends itself to potential ways of incorporating career information literacy into an academic context.  相似文献   

20.
Due to doubts about the reliability of information in social media environments, and the epistemological beliefs of individuals who use these media, questioning the source of information and the perception of knowledge structure, is an important research topic. A structural model was constructed to explore structures associated with epistemological beliefs (justification for knowing) and online information-seeking strategies. The model included personality traits and information literacy. Data were collected from 190 university students. PLS-SEM was implemented in the analysis of the data. Analysis revealed that there was a significant relationship between epistemological beliefs specific to social media and information-seeking strategies, and information literacy structure has a direct effect on information-seeking strategies. Agreeableness and neuroticism were related with several dimensions of social media-specific beliefs. It was found that the personality trait which has the greatest effect on online information-seeking strategies is conscientiousness.  相似文献   

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