Library and Information Science – serie

The user-centered approach is central to the creation of usable information systems, services, and institutions. Information system design should derive from user research into information needs, tasks accomplished in meeting those needs, and resources used in the tasks. "Information Tasks" summarizes user research, then presents design sketches of systems that illustrate how design is linked to research. Also discussed are usable information services and an overview of the organization and economics of information institutions. This comprehensive user-centered approach provides an agenda for information research, design, and education that challenges many accepted beliefs and suggests new directions for information work. "Information Tasks" is of interest to library and information science students and faculty interested in information storage and retrieval, user studies, and systems analysis design. Students and scholars of human factors in systems design, human-computer interaction, and cognitive engineering also find the text useful. It reviews user research from many disciplines, and links research to practical design issues. It provides a unified model for user studies and user-centered design, and includes how-to summaries of design chapters. It shows how designers can investigate their user communities. It provides a general template for the design process. It integrates all aspects of information design, and discusses library issues in the larger information context.

The web is central to many human activities and infringes on many others: at home, and at work, including education and research. Links between web sites can be used in information science and social science research as a valuable source of evidence about online phenomena, and about online components of offline phenomena. Given a set of websites, the links between them many reveal interesting patterns of connectedness that could reflect issues of underlying human communication or information value. Link analysis is therefore a valuable tool for information science and social science researchers investigating the web, or other phenomena with an offline component. This book provides methods, guidelines and examples to guide researchers and students through a research project, in addition to reviewing a considerable body of previous work. It contains a complete link analysis methodology for information science and social science research. It features a strong online component which includes software and instructions to allow complete link analyses. The case studies include academic, business and commercial search engine applications. Practical chapters describe a range of related methods, software and data sources.

This book describes informetric results from the point of view of Lotkaian size-frequency functions, i.e. functions that are decreasing power laws. Explanations and examples of this model are given showing that it is the most important regularity amongst other possible models. This theory is then developed in the framework of IPPs (Information Production Processes) hereby also indicating its relation with e.g. the law of Zipf.Applications are given in the following fields: three-dimensional informetrics (positive reinforcement and Type/Token-Taken informetrics), concentration theory (including the description of Lorenz curves and concentration measures in Lotkaian informetrics), fractal complexity theory (Lotkaian informetrics as self-similar fractals), Lotkaian informetrics in which items can have multiple sources (where fractional size-frequency functions are constructed), the theory of first-citation distributions and the N-fold Cartesian product of IPPs (describing frequency functions for N-grams and N-word phrases).In the Appendix, methods are given to determine the parameters in the law of Lotka, based on a set of discrete data. The book explains numerous informetric regularities, only based on a decreasing power law as size-frequency function, i.e. Lotka's law. It revives the historical formulation of Alfred Lotka of 1926 and shows the power of this power law, both in classical aspects of informetrics (libraries, bibliographies) as well as in 'new' applications such as social networks (citation or collaboration networks and the Internet).

Using Subject Headings for Online Retrieval" is an indispensable tool for online system designers who are grappling with developing new systems or refining existing ones. This ready reference describes subject analysis and subject searching in online catalogs, including the limitations of retrieval, and demonstrates how such limitations can be overcome through system design and programming. The practical reference also describes the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) system and system characteristics; it shows how information is stored in machine-readable files; and it offers examples of and recommendations for successful retrieval methods. Tables are included to support these recommendations, and diagrams, graphs, and bar charts are used to provide results of data analysis. Practitioners in institutions using or considering the installation of an online catalog will continuously consult this book to generate specifications. The book also appeals to researchers in library systems, information retrieval, and user behavior because it details the results of an extensive, empirical study of the subject terms entered into online systems by end users. It also addresses the needs of advanced students in library schools and instructors in library automation, information retrieval, cataloging, indexing, and user behavior. It overviews the LCSH system and system characteristics. It describes how information is stored in machine-readable files. It offers examples of and recommendations for successful retrieval methods. Empirical evidence supports recommendations.

Automated Information Retrieval" describes a fully automated Boolean System and gives special attention to theoretical problems in automatic retrieval of textual information. The book details algorithms in each process in the system, including those that are radically new in the retrieval process and those that are adaptable to the individual. New approaches to evaluating information retrieval systems and studying their performance are included. This book reviews the general principles of constructing any system, such as an information retrieval system. It provides a detailed analysis of basic concepts such as information need, information, information crisis, and the notation of information retrieval. It examines the goal, function, structure, and language of an information retrieval system. It describes the construction of an information retrieval system (methods, algorithms, and approaches). It details different approaches to evaluating the results of information retrieval. It features new directions in the development of information retrieval systems.

This revised Second Edition addresses developments that have transformed library operations in the recent past. In the technical services administration chapter, there is a new section on leadership and management style, strategic planning, managerial accounting, and output measures. The bibliography has been expanded to include more management literature. At the same time, in the automation chapter, expanded sections on downloading bibliographic data into personal files, full text-access, and implications for libraries of the emerging high-speed electronic highways for scholarly information, that is, regional networks linked by the internet, and the emerging NREN (National Research and Education Network), have been added. The entire acquisitions chapter has been reordered to reflect new approaches to acquisitions work in an automated environment and the chapter on bibliographic control has been refocused to emphasize the online environment, and to reflect recent developments in cataloguing tools and rules. Because there has been a tremendous increase in preservation-related activities in the last ten years or so, the preservation chapter has been expanded, with a concurrent shift in emphasis from materials processing to preservation.

This will be the third edition of the highly successful "Text Information Retrieval Systems". The book's purpose is to teach people who will be searching or designing text retrieval systems how the systems work. For designers, it covers problems they will face and reviews currently available solutions to provide a basis for more advanced study. For the searcher its purpose is to describe why such systems work as they do. The book is primarily about computer-based retrieval systems, but the principles apply to nonmechanized ones as well. The book covers the nature of information, how it is organized for use by a computer, how search functions are carried out, and some of the theory underlying these functions. As well, it discusses the interaction between user and system and how retrieved items, users, and complete systems are evaluated. A limited knowledge of mathematics and of computing is assumed. This third edition will be updated to include coverage of the WWW and current search engines. In many cases, examples of non-web searching will be replaced with web-based illustrations. Coverage of interfaces, various features available to assist searchers, and areas in which search assistance is not available will also be covered. In addition, the book will have a web dimension which will include relevant material available online, to be used in conjunction with the text. It is a follow-up to the award winning 2nd Edition. It focuses on computer-based system but basic principles can be applied to any information seeking context.

The primary objective of this book is to provide an understanding of business information in the context of those who seek business information. Information-seeking behavior includes the underlying information needs that drive one to seek information, the types of information used to resolve information needs, the types of resources that contain the needed information, the channels used to secure that information, and effective strategies to locate the needed information.The reason for this approach is that effective business research depends upon the ability to identify the type of information that can be used to resolve a specific business problem rather than by depending on specific resources. Every organization will have access to different collections of resources and information services based on such factors as type of work and budget, among other things. Although there may be some resources that are considered 'better' than others, it is usually possible to find similar, if not identical, information in a variety of resources.Another reason for this approach is that the particular resources are constantly changing. In recent years, there have been numerous mergers among information producers, publishers, and vendors. We have seen a migration from print to electronic, specifically to web access. The tension between free and fee has heightened. Specific sources available today may not be available tomorrow and many will be altered or adapted with different limits placed upon their accessibility. But knowing the type of information needed to resolve a given problem and the strategies that lead quickly to the information enables both information seekers and information professional to find appropriate information even under such prospective changes in the range of source options open in the future.

This book is intended for those in the library community with an understanding of library processes and a desire to actually make use of scientific management techniques. The emphasis is on presenting insights into which tool may be appropriate for particular problems, not on the isolated understanding of theoretical issues. It does not require an extensive mathematical background. It shows well-developed examples of solving library problems and features chapter summaries and questions for further study.

This well-written guide for the design and management of information services is tailored to suit the needs of students in information services management, both in schools of library and information science and in schools of business management. It is also intended for practitioners, librarians and other managers - who provide information to services in business, industry, and government, either from within an organization or as external consultants and contractors. In addition this book will assist those managers of computer and communications facilities. This book offers a sound basis for the design and management of information services to: provide decision makers with help for the management of change; make corporate decision makers aware of information as an asset and as a strategy for improved, innovative decisions; and make information service providers potential sources of innovation for any organization that processes information.

Communicating Research" explores how changing technologies affect academic research practices. The book begins with the rise of electronic media and fundamental changes in the dissemination of research. It then outlines the problems and concerns of researchers, librarians, and publishers: inadequacies of copyright laws, the rise of interlibrary loan practices, and the unchecked broadcast of working papers. These problems lead to a discussion of research practices across scholarly disciplines and an investigation of the biases and intentions of practitioners. The book includes historical data and observations on the current scene in order to make predictions about the future. "Communicating Research" draws conclusions about the ways that differing norms, such as the differences in the ways chemists and sociologists conduct, write, and publish their research, affect publication trends. The book also looks closely at the efficiency of publication strategies and their effectiveness in reaching the researchers' targeted audiences. Meadows uses two avenues to explore the communication of research findings. One is the medium used to convey the message; the other is the needs of the research community. He offers a solid base of analysis for understanding researchers, their biases, their assumptions about the communication, and the publishers. It explains variations in the reviewing processes for books and journals. It tailors communication and publishing insights for researchers, and offers superior historical information.

The goal of this book is to improve reference service in libraries and information centers, by improving the accuracy of answering capabilities. The authors provide a detailed analysis of the question-answering process and methods of evaluating the completeness, usefulness, user satisfaction, and accuracy of the information provided. This is an important contribution to library studies, and it will be a useful textbook for teaching references courses in library schools. Powerful research models help explain what is happening in the reference transaction. It encompasses a comprehensive review of the research literature. It offers a unique systems analysis of the reference transaction and includes a detailed appendix of the concepts, operational definitions, and research variables used to measure outcomes as well as statistical results from all known prior studies.

Computer technology together with political and economic pressures for interlibrary cooperation are having far-reaching effects on online systems for bibliographic control. This work is a compendium of the current thought on how catalogs of the future can best take advantage of machine capabilities in a networking environment. "The Conceptual Foundations of Descriptive Cataloging" comprises the proceedings of a conference of the same name held at the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1987. The conference stimulated visionary thinking about the future direction of systems for the bibliographic control of information, particularly the future of those systems applying the Anglo-American codes for descriptive cataloging. It presents the general principles underlying the design of bibliographic databases and includes the shape of bibliographic databases in the forseeable future. It covers topics such as the impact of technology on catalogs and catalog codes, design objectives for online catalogs, standardization and integration in bibliographic control, and access to bibliographic information in the online age.

New Research in Information Behaviour, co-edited by Professor Amanda Spink and Dr. Jannica Heinstrom provides an understanding of the new directions, leading edge theories and models in information behaviour. Information behaviour is conceptualized as complex human information related processes that are embedded within an individual's everyday social and life processes. The book presents chapters by a range of scholars who show new research directions that often challenge the established views and paradigms of information behaviour studies. Beginning with an evolutionary framework, the book builds our understanding of information behaviours over various epochs of human existence from the Palaeolithic Era and within pre-literate societies, to contemporary behaviours by 21st century humans. Drawing upon social and psychological science theories the book presents a more integrated and holistic approach understanding of information behaviours. This book is directly relevant to information scientists, information professionals and librarians, social and evolutionary psychologists, social scientists and people interested in understanding more about their own information behaviours.

This book brings together a range of chapters about the trends in education and research in the field of library and information science (LIS) in the Asia-Oceania region of the world. Why a book about LIS in the Asia-Oceania region? One key reason for a book on the topic is the huge growth of the field in terms of students and schools particularly in Asia. Information is an important part of the human condition and critical to the development of the Asia-Oceania region.

"Web Search Engine Research", edited by Dirk Lewandowski, provides an understanding of Web search engines from the unique perspective of Library and Information Science. The book explores a range of topics including retrieval effectiveness, user satisfaction, the evaluation of search interfaces, the impact of search on society, reliability of search results, query log analysis, user guidance in the search process, and the influence of search engine optimization (SEO) on results quality. While research in computer science has mainly focused on technical aspects of search engines, LIS research is centred on users' behaviour when using search engines and how this interaction can be evaluated. LIS research provides a unique perspective in intermediating between the technical aspects, user aspects and their impact on their role in knowledge acquisition. This book is directly relevant to researchers and practitioners in library and information science, computer science, including Web researchers.

"Library and Information Science Trends and Research: Europe", co-edited by Professor Amanda Spink and Dr. Jannica Heinstrom provides an understanding of the new directions in library and information science/management, education and research in Europe. The volume focuses on new research directions within the field but will also discuss curriculum changes due to the rapidly developing information world. Europe has developed substantially both socially and economically in the last ten years with a growing population and economy. The field of library and information science/management has also grown in educational and research developments as information increasingly has become a part of people's everyday social and life processes. This book is directly relevant to information scientists, information professionals and librarians, social scientists and people interested in understanding more about the trends and research in library and information science/management in the European region. Undergraduate and graduate students, academics, educators, and information professionals interested in library and information science will find this book of particular benefit.

Information we receive from and create together with our social networks is becoming increasingly important. Social information has a great impact on our information behaviour and there are many possible angles and layers in studying social aspects in information science. This book presents some of these angles. Social Information Research, co-edited by Gunilla Widen and Kim Holmberg communicates current research looking into different aspects of social information as part of information behaviour research. There is a special emphasis on the new innovations supporting contemporary information behavior and the social media context within which it can sit. As a concept, social information has been studied in biology, psychology and sociology among other disciplines. This book is relevant for various actors in the library and information science field and will be useful for researchers, educators, and practitioners while coordinating empirical research on social information and providing an overview of some of the present research about social information.

New Directions in Information Organization, co-edited by Dr. Jung-ran Park and Dr. Lynne Howarth seeks to provide an overview and understanding of the future directions, leading edge theories and models for research and practice in information organization. New information standards and digital library technologies are being developed at a rapid pace as diverse communities of practice seek new ways to organize massive quantities of digital resources. Today's digital information explosion creates an increased demand for new perspectives, methods and tools for research and practice in information organization. This new direction in information organization is even more critical owing to changing user needs and expectations in conjunction with the collaborative and decentralized nature of bibliographic control. The general aim of this book is to present the current state of the digital information revolution with the associated opportunities and challenges to information organization. Through an interdisciplinary perspective, it presents broad, holist and more integrated perspective on the nature of information organization and examines new direction in information organization research and thinking. The book highlights the need to understand information organization and the Web 2.0 in the context of the rapidly changing information world and provides an overview of key trends and further research.

Developing People's Information Capabilities: Fostering Information Literacy in Educational, Workplace and Community Contexts is Vol 8 of the well regarded Library and Information Science Series. This book hones in on accessible issues across different work and educational contexts and is of value to both academic and practitioner.

The results of decades of research shows that children and adolescents encounter challenges and obstacles in searching for information and retrieving relevant results, and have difficulty interpreting results within various information environments. However, a recent paradigm shift points to the changed information behavior of the new generation of users; children and adolescents born after the advent of the Web. Technologically savvy, they skim and surf for information, multi-task, search collaboratively, and share information on social networks. This book comprises innovative research on the information behavior of various age groups and special populations. It provides studies and reflections on designing systems that help the new generation cope with a complex knowledge society. In addition to information scholars, this book will also be of interest to information professionals, librarians, educators, Web designers, and human-computer interaction researchers.