Human information behaviour: electronic resources, digital library use and evaluation Jela Steinerová, Jaroslav Šušol Department of Library and Information

Human information behaviour: electronic resources, digital library use and evaluation

Jela Steinerová, Jaroslav ŠušolDepartment of Library and Information Science, Faculty of Arts, Comenius University Bratislava,

Slovakia, [email protected],

[email protected]

Steinerová, Šušol, Comenius University Bratislava, LIDA 2004

Agenda

Research project VEGA : interaction of man and information environment

User surveys in Slovakia A model of an average user Differences in user groups Use of electronic resources Conclusions: proposals for digital libraries


Research project VEGA 1/9236/02 Contexts of research project

New challenges: changes in information provision in libraries

• digital libraries:• integration of sources, user communities• accessibility of electronic communication• open information structures in digital environment


Contexts of research project

Information behaviour of users in information seeking – conceptual model

Stable preferences (motivation, sources, access)

Patterns (orientation, cooperation, information processing)

Evaluation (relevance, strategy, success)


Several user studies:

1. academic and research libraries in Slovakia (students, educators, research workers)2. electronic resources, internet3. special community (visually impaired users)4. scientific and research workers (Slovak Academy of Sciences)5. elderly users of public libraries


Assumptions and goals of user studies

• strategic aspects of information seeking• role of collaboration in information seeking• expectations (change of knowledge states)• first access points (catalogue, internet)• motivation for information seeking• professional journals• role of simple and easy access


Research questions of user studies

What are the users´ perceptions of information seeking process based on constant preferences of information use?

What are the perceptions of users during the information seeking process?

What are the perceptions of users after the completion of information seeking?

How do users make use of electronic resources?

Are they willing to publish in the electronic environment?


User survey – academic and research libraries

793 subjects 16 selected academic and research libraries June - July 2002 questionnaire, methodological guidelines data gathering, coding, analyses Final Report (2004)


A model of an average user

57% men, 55 % students, 52 % age to 25

Good accessibility, well-arranged form

Authorities (sources, authors)

Immediate use (pragmatic aspect: stragegic user group)


A model of an average user

• Broader categories (access)• Little planning of information seeking• Little willingness to invest time, money (free access)• Often changes of systems, sources, services

(problem re-definition) – need for help• Relevance judgements : keywords• Preferences of simple language


Differences between user groups

Males: Preferences of

individual work Confirmation of prior

knowledge Preferences of internet Optimism, satisfaction

Females More often use of

catalogues, bibliographies

Collaboration, help of librarians

Relief, careful approach


Differences between user groups: males, females

Course of seeking

0,000,501,001,502,002,503,003,504,00

women

men


Difference between user groups

Students (novices)

First source : internet Collaboration Help of librarians

Managers (experts)

Timeliness Individual work More frequent use of

catalogues, reference


Differences between user groups: managers, students

Course of seeking - user categories

0

0,5

1

1,5

2

2,5

3

3,5

4

1.source-internet

1.source -libr.

catalogue

1.source -reference

works

prof. periodicals

help oflibrarian

independentwork

more libraries

manager students


Differences between user groups: technical sciences, social sciences

Technical sciences Help of librarians Better organization of

work Timely information Better problem

formulation

Social sciences Individual work More help in problem

formulation Use of less libraries First access points:

easy access


Differences between user groups by subjects (technical, social sciences)

Course of seeking - subjects

0

0,5

1

1,5

2

2,5

3

3,5

4

1.source- internet 1.source- libr.catalogue

1.source-reference works

help of librarian cooperation withcoll.

more libraries

economic subjects sciences, medicine social sciences technical subjects


User preferences in electronic resources

user preferences in electronic communication attitude of users towards electronic resources in

saturation of their scientific (academic) information needs;

attitude of authors towards electronic resources in publishing the results of scientific research.

perception of trustworthiness and reliability of electronic resources


User preferences in electronic resources

user preferences along the axis of reliability/ seriousness of the resource – availability/ speed of access

usage of electronic resources; types of electronic resources; characteristics of electronic resources (comparison with

traditional documents); usage of paid resources - what financial means; percentage of users who prefer electronic resources.

Actual usage of electronic resources

highest level of usage: up to 18 years (91,7%), 31–40-years old (75,3%).

lower level of frequent usage 18–25-years, also highest level of rare usage (27,6%).

the lowest rate of frequent usage / highest rate of rare usage / of non-usage - social sciences and arts

Graph 1. Usage of

electronic resources

68%

25%

6% 1%

yes, frequently

seldom

no, not using

no answer

Actual usage of electronic resources

individual payment - decreasing with the age of respondents, from 15,1% (18–25-years) to 6,7% (51 and older).

resources paid by a library - increasing rate of cases with increasing ageMen - more concentrated on free resources; more willing to pay individually? Women - more aware of institutional/library arrangements - ”goal-centred” attitude towards

information searching?

Graph 2. Usage of paid

el. resources

36%

13%

51%

no, only freely available

yes, paid by aninstitution / library

yes, access paidindividually


Types of electronic resources used

Top 3 ranking valid across all age groups age groups: 41–50-old - electronic journals first position. user groups - researchers and scientists

Graph 3. Types of

el. resources used

25%

26%

35%

7%

4%

2%

1% individual web pages

electronic journals

web pages of prof.organisations

web pages ofconferences, congresses

e-mail lists

newsgroups

other resources oninternet

Preferring electronic resources

decreasing tendency with an increasing agedisciplines - weak rate of usage in social sciences and arts; rate of preferences higher by

approx. 1/2 in sciences and technical disciplinesgender - rate of acceptance is a little lower in women than in menuser groups - researchers and managers - positive attitude higher than negative; teachers

rate of refusal is 1/3 higher than their acceptance

Graph 4. Preferring

el. resources

42%

47%

11%

yes

no

no answer


Characteristics of el. resources

First three characteristics - technological and socio-economic properties of the electronic publishing systems

Creation of hypertext links - a property of electronic sources per se. Access free of charge ?

Graph 5. Characteristics of el. resources

31%

25%

14%

9%

13%

2%

5%

1%quick accessibility

up-to-datedness

no charge

searching of the text

linking to otherresources

ecological aspect

multimediality

other


Characteristics of traditional resources

Reliability, seriousness - features of formal communication channels users categories - more important for teachers (63%), researchers (65,9%) and

managers (75%), than for the students (55%)

Graph 6. Characteristics of traditional

resources

27%

33%

16%

22%

2%

seriousness –publisher’s renome

reliability

stability

simple usage

other


Conclusions : proposals for digital libraries

Orientation stage of information seeking

• links of information seeking with problem solution (education)

• changes of problem understanding in the course of seeking

• support: initial stages of seeking, organization of work, understanding concepts, overview of sources, confirmation of understanding, relevance judgement

Intellectual stage

• support of intellectual information processing, selection, analysis, interpretation, synthesis

• Reorganization, restructuring• creative use of information in

digital environment • Collaboration in digital

environment


Conclusions: library services, library and information education

Digital libraries: support of the intellectual stage of information seeking

Strategic and analytic user groups (relations to information use)

Combination: trustworthy traditions + new electronic communication patterns

Information literacy support


Conclusion

Shift of scholarly communication into electronic environment (users, authors)

Special user groups (visually impaired)- special needs (technology+human facilitation)

• design of digital reference services and systems

• collaborative systems of information use

• new methods of knowledge organization

• sensitivity to contexts of user information styles

• new contexts of knowledge integration


Conclusions

Integration of patterns of user behaviour into systems, services, products

Steps: LONG-TERM process first level - technological infrastructure, information sources second level – content services: styles: values, practices third level – people: training, information literacy fourth level – management, philosophy n-th level: integration: digital libraries, media, learning


Conclusions

Challenge of information science:

co-existence models of complex systems – digital libraries:

technology+culture global+local theory+practice past+future individual+social neutral+emotional


CONCLUSIONS: information behaviour-driven information society

humans: different roles (citizen, learner, worker, family member, community member)

humans: physical, intellectual development humans: consumption, creativity, production information behaviour: orientation (space, time), intellectual activity

(knowledge) cooperation: private, public sectors

prod.prod.

phys.phys. intel.intel.

orient.orient.

rolerole

manman

Documents

Human information behaviour: electronic resources, digital library use and evaluation Jela Steinerová, Jaroslav Šušol Department of Library and Information