scholarly journals Information-Seeking Practices of Canadian Academic Chemists: A Study of Information Needs and Use of Resources in Chemistry

1997 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth L. Noble ◽  
Carol Coughlin
Keyword(s):  
Information Seeking ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Scholarly Communication ◽  
Journal Literature ◽  
Nouvelles Technologies ◽  
Use Of Resources ◽  
New Information

Abstract: This paper presents selected results from a survey of Canadian academic chemists carried out in March 1996. These focus on the chemists' use of the journal literature and aspects of their experience with new information technologies. A discussion of these issues as they relate to libraries and scholarly communication is included. Résumé: Cet article présente un choix de résultats obtenus lors d'un sondage effectué auprès de chimistes de certaines universités canadiennes au mois de mars 1996. Ces résultats portent sur l'utilisation des périodiques et des nouvelles technologies de l'information. L'article inclut aussi une discussion de ces sujets dans le contexte des bibliothèques universitaires et de la communication savante.

Developing a Library Collection in Bioinformatics

2013 ◽  
pp. 130-150
Author(s):  
Victoria Martin
Keyword(s):  
Information Seeking ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Scholarly Communication ◽  
Academic Programs ◽  
Collection Development ◽  
Library Collection ◽  
Digital Era ◽  
Academic Librarianship ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Types Of Information

This chapter provides guidelines for developing a university library collection for bioinformatics programs. The chapter discusses current research and scholarly communication trends in bioinformatics and their impact on information needs and information seeking behavior of bioinformaticians and, consequently, on collection development. It also discusses the criteria for making collection development decisions that are largely influenced by the interdisciplinary nature of the field. The types of information resources most frequently used by bioinformaticians are described, specific resources are suggested, and creative options aimed at finding ways for a bioinformatics library collection to expand in the digital era are explored. The author draws on literature in bioinformatics and the library and information sciences as well as on her ten years of experience providing bioinformatics user services at George Mason University. The chapter is geared towards practicing librarians who are charged with developing a collection for bioinformatics academic programs as well as future librarians taking courses on collection development and academic librarianship.

scholarly journals Information-Seeking Habits of Education Faculty

2013 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
pp. 131-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Rupp-Serrano ◽  
Sarah Robbins
Keyword(s):  
Information Seeking ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Academic Education ◽  
Education Faculty ◽  
Scholarly Journals ◽  
Journal Literature ◽  
Library Research ◽  
Library Resources ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Public Research Universities

This study explores the information-seeking behavior of academic education faculty from twenty large public research universities. The investigation includes an examination of how frequently education faculty seek or access information, how they stay up-to-date on current developments in the field and identify less recent journal literature, how valuable library resources and services are to their information needs, and the importance of library research to the field of education. The responses from the survey participants emphasize the importance of electronic access to scholarly journals and library databases and the continuing value of books, both print and electronic, for meeting the information and research needs of education faculty.

The Research Habits of Graduate Students and Faculty

2011 ◽  
pp. 46-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miriam Matteson
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Information Sources ◽  
Scholarly Communication ◽  
Academic Librarians ◽  
Research Practices ◽  
The Way

The work of faculty and graduate students is information intensive. These researchers make heavy use of particular types of resources to support their research, teaching, scholarly communication, and current awareness. They less frequently use traditional types of reference sources, however, raising questions of why that might be and what should be done about it. This chapter examines the research practices of graduate students and faculty to understand their information needs, their information seeking strategies and the information sources they use. It also looks more specifically at researchers’ uneven use of reference sources and discusses reasons why these practices exist. An argument is made that changes must be made to the types of reference sources available to researchers, and that academic librarians must change the way they promote these resources to their constituents.

Developing a Library Collection in Bioinformatics

2012 ◽  
pp. 269-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria Martin
Keyword(s):  
Information Seeking ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Scholarly Communication ◽  
Academic Programs ◽  
Collection Development ◽  
Library Collection ◽  
Digital Era ◽  
Academic Librarianship ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Types Of Information

This chapter provides guidelines for developing a university library collection for bioinformatics programs. The chapter discusses current research and scholarly communication trends in bioinformatics and their impact on information needs and information seeking behavior of bioinformaticians and, consequently, on collection development. It also discusses the criteria for making collection development decisions that are largely influenced by the interdisciplinary nature of the field. The types of information resources most frequently used by bioinformaticians are described, specific resources are suggested, and creative options aimed at finding ways for a bioinformatics library collection to expand in the digital era are explored. The author draws on literature in bioinformatics and the library and information sciences as well as on her ten years of experience providing bioinformatics user services at George Mason University. The chapter is geared towards practicing librarians who are charged with developing a collection for bioinformatics academic programs as well as future librarians taking courses on collection development and academic librarianship.

scholarly journals User-driven efforts in creating knowledge graph information system

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-111
Author(s):  
Stanislava Gardasevic
Keyword(s):  
Information System ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Resource Discovery ◽  
The Body ◽  
Knowledge Graph ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Study Objective ◽  
Content Type

Purpose This paper presents the results of a qualitative study that involved students of an interdisciplinary PhD program. The study objective was to gather requirements to create a knowledge graph information system. The purpose of this study was to determine information-seeking practices and information needs of this community, to inform the functionalities of a proposed system, intended to help students with relevant resource discovery and decision-making. Design/methodology/approach The study design included semi-structured interviews with eight members of the community, followed by a website usability study with the same student participants. Findings Two main information-seeking styles are recognized and reported through user personas of international and domestic (USA) students. The findings show that the useful information resides within the community and not so much on the program website. Students rely on peer communication, although they report lack of opportunities to connect. Students’ information needs and information seeking are dependent on their progress through the program, as well as their motivation and the projected timeline. Practical implications Considering the current information needs and practices, a knowledge graph hosting both information on social networks and the knowledge produced by the activities of the community members would be useful. By recording data on their activities (for example, collaboration with professors and coursework), students would reveal further useful system functionalities and facilitate transfer of tacit knowledge. Originality/value Aside from the practical value of this research that is directly influencing the design of a system, it contributes to the body of knowledge on interdisciplinary PhD programs.

scholarly journals Reaching out for Help: Calls to a Mental Health Helpline Prior to and during the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 4505
Author(s):  
Josianne Scerri ◽  
Alexei Sammut ◽  
Sarah Cilia Vincenti ◽  
Paulann Grech ◽  
Michael Galea ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Medication Management ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Period 2 ◽  
National Mental Health ◽  
Restrictive Measures ◽  
Financial Issues

The COVID-19 pandemic is a major health crisis associated with adverse mental health consequences. This study examined 2908 calls made to a national mental health helpline over a 10 month period, 2 months prior to (Pre-COVID) and 8 months during the pandemic phase, that incorporated the imposition of a partial lockdown, followed by the removal and reintroduction of restrictive measures locally. Data collected included reason/s for call assistance, gender, age and number of daily diagnosed cases and deaths due to COVID-19. In the Pre-COVID phase, calls for assistance were related to information needs and depression. With the imposition of a partial lockdown, coupled with the first local deaths and spikes in number of diagnosed cases, a significant increase in number of calls targeting mental health, medication management and physical and financial issues were identified. Following the removal of local restrictions, the number of calls decreased significantly; however, with the subsequent reintroduction of restrictions, coupled with the rise in cases and deaths, assistance requested significantly targeted informational needs. Hence, whilst calls in the initial phase of the pandemic mainly targeted mental health issues, over time this shifted towards information seeking requests, even within a context where the number of deaths and cases had significantly risen.

scholarly journals “I actually got my first job through my ex-colleague”: Employment-related information seeking behavior of Bangladeshi immigrants in Canada

2021 ◽  
pp. 096100062199280
Author(s):  
Nafiz Zaman Shuva
Keyword(s):  
Information Seeking ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Information Sources ◽  
Information Source ◽  
Occupational Status ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Immigrant Professionals ◽  
Government Of Canada ◽  
First Job

This study explores the employment-related information seeking behaviour of Bangladeshi immigrants in Canada. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study conducted semi-structured interviews with 60 Bangladeshi immigrants in Ontario, Canada, and obtained 205 survey responses. The study highlights the centrality of employment-related settlement among Bangladeshi immigrants in Ontario and reports many immigrants not being able to utilize their education and skills after arrival in Canada. The results show that Bangladeshi immigrants utilize various information sources for their employment in Canada, including friends and professional colleagues, online searchers, and settlement agencies. Although Bangladeshi immigrants utilized a large array of information sources for meeting their employment-related information needs, many interview participants emphasized that the employment-related benefits they received was because of their access to friends and professional colleagues in Canada. The survey results echoed the interview findings. The cross-tabulation results on post-arrival information sources and occupation status as well as first job information sources and occupational status in Canada show a significant association among the use of the information source “friends and professional colleagues in Canada” and immigrants’ occupational status. The study highlights the benefits of professional colleagues among immigrants in employment-related settlement contexts. It also reports the challenges faced by many immigrant professionals related to employment-related settlement because of the lack of access to their professional friends and colleagues in Canada. The author urges the Federal Government of Canada, provincial governments, and settlement agencies working with newcomers to offer services that would connect highly skilled immigrants with their professional networks in Canada, in order to get proper guidance related to obtaining a professional job or alternative career. The author calls for further studies on employment-related information seeking by immigrants to better understand the role information plays in their settlement in a new country.

The information needs and behaviour of the Egyptian elderly living in care homes: An exploratory study

IFLA Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 034003522199156
Author(s):  
Essam Mansour
Keyword(s):  
Elderly People ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Information Sources ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Average Income ◽  
Information Awareness ◽  
Medical Health ◽  
Types Of Information ◽  
Elderly Living

The purpose of this study is to investigate the information-seeking behaviour of the Egyptian elderly, including their information needs. A sample of 63 elderly people living in care homes was taken. It was divided into five focus groups. Of the 63 elderly people, 40 were men (63.5%) and 23 women (36.5%). Almost half (47.6%) ranged in aged from 61 to 70. About a quarter (23%) of them held a high school diploma. The highest percentage (28.6%) was labelled as average-income people. The highest percentage (60.3%) was also found to be widows or widowers. The types of information used most by the Egyptian elderly related to physical, medical/health, social, rational and recreational needs. Their information sources varied between formal and informal sources. Nearly two-thirds (63.5%) of them showed that limited knowledge, lack of interest, poor information awareness, aging, loneliness and health problems were the most significant obstacles they faced when seeking information.

Professional Information Needs of Library Specialists in Russia

2021 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-20
Author(s):  
Marina Y. Neshcheret
Keyword(s):  
Information Needs ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Information Service ◽  
Library Science ◽  
Information Process ◽  
Cultural Workers ◽  
Use Of Resources ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Professional Information ◽  
Comprehensive Study

The article is devoted to the comprehensive study of the professional information needs (IN) of specialists of the central libraries of the subjects of the Russian Federation. The rapid development of high technologies in the field of accumulation, transmission and processing of information, the creation of modern telecommunications systems have led to the emergence of fundamentally new opportunities for organizing the information process. This, in turn, led to the qualitative growth of IN specialists, including those employed in the field of library activities. The specific features of IN library specialists are determined by their place and role in the modern process of cultural activity, industry orientation, nature of work and specialization. During 2018—2019, the Centre for Research of Problems of the Development of Libraries in the Information Society of the Russian State Library carried out research aimed at comprehensive study of the information needs of cultural workers employed in the library sphere. At the first stage of the research, there was comprehended the existing experience of studying professional information needs in the national library science. At the second stage, using the method of questionnaire survey, information needs of library specialists were studied in order to identify the most rational forms and methods of providing them. The analysis of the survey results made it possible to identify the sources of professional information, to reveal information resources that have the greatest importance and characterize specific features of librarians’ information needs.The author concludes on the need to expand the access to full-text databases and electronic versions of periodicals for library staff. The creation of integrated information centre could help providing library professionals with professional information. Currently, the function of such a centre is performed by the National Electronic Library, which includes the professional section for library specialists. The results of the study form theoretical and methodological basis for the rational use of resources and potential of libraries in providing information to professional information needs of library specialists and determine the prospects for further research related to improving the forms and methods of information service for this category of users.

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