INLS 180 Human Information Interactions

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INLS 180 Human Information Interactions

• Information Seeking Contexts II
• Xi Chen
• Molly Sorice

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Review Information seeking contexts IModeling
the information seeking of professionals
Work roles
Tasks
Characteristics of Information needs
Info is sought
Awareness of Information
Sources of information
Outcomes
Feedback
Feedback
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Review Information seeking contexts I

• Analytical Conceptualization of Info-seeking
  conversations
• Vocabulary
• Cohesion mechanisms
• Coherence or Meaning mechanisms
• Turn taking
• Turn allocation
• Overlaps
• Conversational Gaps
• Openings
• Closings
• Frame Activation
• Repairs
• Role Specification

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Information Grounds and the Use of Need-based
Service by Immigrants in Queens, New York A
context-Based, Outcome Evaluation Approach

• Karen E.Fisher
• Joan C. Durrance and Marian Bouch Hinton

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Introduction

• Information Behavior ( IB )
• Pettigrew, Fidel Bruce 2001
• Wilson, 1999, 2000
• Case, 2002
• Information Ground
• Pettigrew, 1998,1999 considering the IB role of
  context
• Aim of this study
• Share findings from exploratory qualitative study
  of how immigrants are using and benefiting from
  literacy and coping skills programs run by QBPL
  in NYC.
• Structure the analysis by Pettigrews
  information ground theory

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Uses and Outcomes

• We should switch our focus from the user in the
  life of the library to the library in the life
  of the user. ( Zweizig, Dervin 1977)
• User benefit in diverse ways from accessing
  library services that go far beyond traditional
  circulation and head counts. ( Dervin, 1983,1992)
  
• Outcome evaluation a logical expression of
  information use

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Context and Information Grounds

• The study of information use cannot be considered
  in terms of an isolated individual or outside a
  specific social context . A challenge for
  information behavior researchers is to recognize
  contextual factors and their consequences. (
  Pettigrew, 1999)
• Information Ground is a synergistic environment
  temporarily created by the behavior of people who
  have come together to perform a given task, but
  from which emerges a social atmosphere that
  fosters the spontaneous and serendipitous sharing
  of information ( Pettigrew, 1999)

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Key Concept for theory of Information Ground

• Context Rich
• Temporal setting
• Instrumental purpose
• Social types
• Social Interaction
• Informal and formal information sharing
• Alternative forms of information use

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Thinking

• Is the framework applicable to every information
  ground, anything could be added in ?
• Context Rich
• Temporal setting
• Instrumental purpose
• Social types
• Social Interaction
• Informal and formal information sharing
• Alternative forms of information use

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Implication

• The better we understand where information
  grounds are situated for different populations
  as well as how they emerge and exist, the better
  we can design ways of facilitating information
  flow therein.
• Information Ground theory outcome evaluation of
  information use gt framework to study how
  immigrants in NYC benefit from programs of QBPL

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Current Study Information Grounds and the New
Immigrants of New York City

• The current study explored how immigrants and
  their families benefit from programs in literacy
  and coping skills run by the Queens Borough
  Public Library ( QBPL ) in NYC, and whether these
  programs might function as information grounds
  meaning that users share information on varied
  topics as a result of proximity and common
  activity.
• The Study was guided by the following questions
• How do immigrants use and benefit from QBPL
  literacy and coping skill programs?
• What role does context play in shaping these
  outcomes?
• In what ways might the QBPL literacy and coping
  skill programs qualify as information grounds?
• QBPL website http//www.queenslibrary.org

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Contextual Factors

• Factor 1 The Immigrants of Queens, NY
• Factor 2 QBPL and Its Activities for
  Immigrants
• Factor 3 Professional Contributions of QBPL
  staff
• The Grand Context ( Outcomes Model )
• Building block outcomes Personal gains
  outcomes

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Building Block Outcomes and Personal Gains
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About the study

• Difficult to obtain human subjects approval
• Limited sample
• Partially representative of the targeted group
• Chance of hawthorne effect http//www.nwlink.com/
  donclark/hrd/history/hawthorne.html
• Lack of in-depth and prolonged engagement with
  particular information

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Thinking

• For information grounds, information flow is a
  byproduct of social interaction. The trick for
  libraries is to make social interaction a
  byproduct of information flow (toward the end of
  the last paragraph)
• How can librarians and information specialist
  make social interaction become the byproduct of
  information flow?

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Discovered by Chance The Role of Incidental
Information Acquisition in an Ecological Model of
Information Use
Kirsty Williamson
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What is Incidental Information Acquisition?

• This is information that is discovered. It can
  be encountered when looking for other information
  or when monitoring your day to day world.
• Another useful term is Erdelez Information
  Encountering memorable experiences of
  accidental discovery of useful or interesting
  information

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What is Incidental Information Acquisition?
Contd.

• Incidental information often is something people
  did not know they needed it until they came upon
  it.

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Incidental Information Acquisition

• Activities during which incidental information
  acquisition may occur
• Watching TV
• Reading the newspaper
• Speaking with friends and relatives
• Listening to the radio
• Any others?

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Incidental information acquisition Researchmore
from Erdelez

• Erdelez points out that this concept has been
  studied more in fields outside information
  science
• incidental learning" in education
• serendipity of scientific discoveries in history
  of science
• accidental discovery of managerial information in
  the management literature
• Any ideas why?

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Incidental information acquisition Researchmore
from Erdelez

• It is a difficult concept to study due to its
  unexpected nature.
• So far, recall has been the method of choice in
  researching this concept.
• For more on Erdelez views http//www.asis.org/Bu
  lletin/Feb-99/erdelez.html

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Williamson Study (1998)

• This study focused on the incidental information
  acquisition of adults aged 60 from the
  metropolitan Melbourne and rural Victoria areas
  of Australia.
• The study was conducted in two distinct parts
• Part I Recording and analysis of
  incoming/outgoing phone calls of respondents
  during a two-week period.
• Part II Interviewing respondent to find out what
  their information needs were and what sources
  they used to satisfy those needs

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Williamson Ecological Approach

• Focus on the individual in a particular physical,
  social, and cultural environment.
• Respondents were interviewed in their place of
  residence.
• Research was conducted in a personal context
  which extended to the local culture and wider
  society in which they live.

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Williamson Study Part I

• Phone Call Diaries
• Purposes and topics of calls were recorded in
  respondents own words
• Length of calls were also recorded
• Results
• Women typically made longer phone calls.
• City folk and people living on the land tended to
  make longer phone calls than those in close-knit
  country towns.

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Williamson Study Part I

• Results
• Incidental information exchange was more likely
  to take place during longer calls.
• During personal calls conversation usually led to
  discussions of topics of interest in the broader
  community .
• Although specific information about everyday life
  was purposely sought during calls to family and
  friends, oftentimes this information arose
  incidentally.

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Williamson Study Part II

• The Uses and Gratification Theory was used in
  analysis of the study. It is defined by Blumer
  and Katz (1974) as
• a theory that suggests that media users play an
  active role in choosing and using the media. 
  Users take an active part in the communication
  process and are goal oriented in their media
  use.  The theorists say that a media user seeks
  out a media source that best fulfills the needs
  of the user.  Uses and gratifications assume that
  the user has alternate choices to satisfy their
  need.

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Williamson Study Part II

• Interviews
• Respondents were interviewed about situations
  where they had to find out, understand or
  clarify something for everyday life.
• Respondents were asked to recall how and where
  they found the pertinent information.

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Williamson Study Part II

• Results
• Top Information needs of the respondents
• Health
• Income and finance
• recreation

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Williamson Study Part II

• Results
• Most frequently used sources for everyday needs
  were also the most likely sources of incidental
  information.
• The most frequently used sources for everyday
  needs are
• Family and Friends
• Mass Media and print info TV, Radio, newspaper,
  other print info
• Other info sources were used mostly in purposeful
  info seeking
• Professionals, organizations including libraries,
  churches, government agencies, etc.

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Williamson Study Part II

• Results
• Respondents spent more time watching TV than
  reading the paper, but regarded the paper as a
  better source of information.
• No information from digital forms was sought.

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Williamson Study Conclusions

• Older generation wants to be informed about their
  day-to-day life.
• In monitoring their world, they acquire
  information they didnt always know they needed.
• Mass media needs to take a responsible role with
  regard to information for everyday life.
• Special attention needs to paid to the quality
  and clarity of this kind of information.
• Information needs to be disseminated through a
  variety of sources, including some non-computer
  based sources.

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Everyday Life Information An Ecological Model of
Use
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Questions to consider

• What kind of different results would you expect
  to find among different respondent groups?
• How does internet use impact incidental
  information acquisition?

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Possible Relationship between Incidental
Information and Information Grounds

• Assuming friends are a source of incidental
  information for everyone not just the Williamson
  study respondents, then, as trust grows among
  people in an information ground and friendships
  form, an information ground can become a fertile
  ground for incidental information exchange as
  well as purposeful information seeking.

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Discussions

• Each group will identify one information ground
  from real life and justify your points by using
  the key concepts.
• (in what ways might they quality for
  information ground?)
• Also, what kind of incidental information may
  be exchanged in this kind of information ground?
• Can you apply the building block and personal
  gain concept to the information ground example
  presented by your group ?