Changing Information Environment Research Articles

Information behaviour in transition: A developing country perspective

Increased Internet penetration rates across the developing world have resulted in significant changes to the quantity and quality of information previously available to individuals in many regions of the world. Thus far little research has examined the contextual factors affecting information behaviour in a non-Western, developing country, and how new technologies are affecting traditional avenues to resolving information needs. This paper reports on the findings of a research project investigating information behaviour in Laos. Information behaviour was examined through 30 in-depth interviews from which the changing information environment of Laos was explored. The research employed Dervin's Sense-making methodology and discourse analysis amongst other tools to investigate the unique nature of information behaviour in a developing country. The findings revealed that while increased internet access is affecting how individuals in Laos communicate and exchange information, contextual factors primarily related to culture continue to strongly influence information behaviour. These findings have implications for information professionals, information systems design, and international development.

Brain Whisperers: Cutting through the Clutter with Neuromarketing

The development of the field of neuromarketing piggybacks on growing interest in the neurosciences associated with the development of new brain imaging technology and recent theorizations of the role played by emotion in consumer decision making. Neuromarketers assert that people's bodies are, for marketing purposes, more truthful than the words they utter, promising direct access to formerly concealed aspects of consumer desire. This article situates the promise to bypass the vagaries of discourse with techniques for reading the body within the broader context of a changing information environment and the forms of reflexive awareness of the partial and constructed character of narrative forms of representation. It explores the uptake by neuromarketers of recent theories that posit emotional responses as integral to the process of rational decision making. This uptake repositions marketers as adjuncts to rational deliberation rather than threats to it and the forms of autonomy and citizenship with which it is associated. However, the article argues that neuromarketers’ claims to bypass mediation and the impasses of representation break down upon further examination. In the end, an examination of the recent literature on the topic indicates that neuromarketers – like data miners – are more interested in potentially useful correlations than in underlying explanations. Their portrayal of neuromarketing as a technique for accessing what consumers’ ‘really’ feel amounts to a misreading of their own project, which might be more properly understood as the development of techniques for making probabilistic predictions about the behaviour of populations.

The Effectiveness of U.S. Public Health Surveillance Systems for Situational Awareness during the 2009 H1N1 Pandemic: A Retrospective Analysis

BackgroundThe 2009 H1N1 outbreak provides an opportunity to learn about the strengths and weaknesses of current U.S. public health surveillance systems and to identify implications for measuring public health emergency preparedness.Methodology/Principal FindingsWe adopted a “triangulation” approach in which multiple contemporary data sources, each with different expected biases, are compared to identify time patterns that are likely to reflect biases versus those that are more likely to be indicative of actual infection rates. This approach is grounded in the understanding that surveillance data are the result of a series of decisions made by patients, health care providers, and public health professionals about seeking and providing health care and about reporting cases to health authorities. Although limited by the lack of a gold standard, this analysis suggests that children and young adults are over-represented in many pH1N1 surveillance systems, especially in the spring wave. In addition, the nearly two-month delay between the Northeast and the South in the Fall peak in some surveillance data seems to at least partially reflect regional differences in concerns about pH1N1rather than real differences in pH1N1 infection rates.Conclusions/SignificanceAlthough the extent of the biases suggested by this analysis cannot be known precisely, the analysis identifies underlying problems with surveillance systems – in particular their dependence on patient and provider behavior, which is influenced by a changing information environment – that could limit situational awareness in future public health emergencies. To improve situational awareness in future health emergencies, population-based surveillance systems such as telephone surveys of representative population samples and seroprevalence surveys in well-defined population cohorts are needed.

Application of ICTs in collection development in private university libraries in Kenya

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to find out ways in which collection development practices in private university libraries in Kenya could be enhanced by the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs).Design/methodology/approachThis paper is based on research that was carried out on the application of ICTs in collection development in selected private universities in Kenya. The study was done using a survey method. Three universities and a total of 72 respondents were purposively selected for the study. The respondents included librarians, faculty deans and postgraduate students from the three universities.FindingsThe findings indicated that ICTs were available in all the three selected universities but their application in collection development was not adequate in ensuring efficiency and in making sure that the library collections are effective in meeting the needs of the users.Originality/valueWith the changing information environment and users' information needs, libraries are being compelled to adopt ICTs in order to remain relevant and increase their value and meet the changing needs of the users. The paper recommends different ways of applying ICTs in all the processes of collection development to make the process more efficient and effective in meeting the needs of the users.

Changing media, changing China

Changing Media, Changing China is a timely volume about the changing media and information environment in China and its impact on Chinese politics, given that China has become the second largest economy and that Chinese media have become an increasingly contentious space for profit, control, and public opinion. A central theme in the 10 chapters of this volume, written by western China experts, and Chinese journalists and scholars, is to explore the intertwining relationship between the market and politics in China through case studies and examples of Chinese television, newspapers, magazines, and Internet sites. The editor, Susan L. Shirk, provides a great overview of major themes covered in this book, such as media commercialization, public opinion, censorship, control, journalists' and netizens' resistance strategies, media credibility, military media, and nationalism in China. The contributors examined specific cases where journalists made differences in representing the citizens' voices, exposing negative news stories and bringing about social changes. For example, Hu Shuli, the former editor-in-chief of Caijing Magazine, and the current editor-in-chief of Caixin Media, narrated inside stories about how business media, especially Caijing, promoted business transparency, social justice, accountability, and journalistic professionalism in China. Concurring that commercial media promoted professionalism, Qian Gang and his coauthor Bandurski examined how these media contributed to the emergence of public sphere in China and how the agenda-setting power has shifted from the party–state apparatus to the media, especially the Internet. They examined various cases, in which commercial media provided more credible information and led to social changes in cases such as the Xiamen PX project, a large-scale chemical factory planned to be built in Xiamen that was stopped in 2005 by netizens' collective efforts and the coverage of Sun Zhigang case, a college student beaten to death by the police in 2003 for having no residence permit, which led to the ultimate abolition of the detention system that had existed in China for more than 20 years. Similarly, Xiao Qiang also argued that online public opinion together with “liberal elements” in traditional media set public agenda, that netizens and censors are playing mouse and cat games, and that “the Internet and web-based media are changing the rules of the game between society and state” (p. 203).

Revising a Collection Development Policy in a Rapidly Changing Environment

This article describes the revision of a 10-year-old collection development policy so that it both reflects current collection practices and is flexible enough to adapt to changes in publishing trends, budgeting, and patrons' information needs. The previous collection development policy was written during a time of prosperity and gave little guidance on how to deal with budget cuts, manage a predominately electronic collection, or adjust the physical collection to accommodate external demands for space in the library building. Under the auspices of the collection development committee, faculty librarians from the services and resources divisions formed a task group to draft a new policy. Drawing on the library's extant policy and the policies of peer institutions, the group reflected on trends in publishing and acquisitions, the provision of the right information in the right format, and how to adapt to unforeseen changes in budget and space. The goal of the group was to craft a flexible document that would serve current needs and easily adapt to a rapidly changing information environment. The new collection development policy has already proved useful in guiding the work of selectors and collection management teams. The most significant benefit of revising the policy, however, came from the process itself by forcing us to reflect on patrons' information needs and how to best meet them.

Exploring the use of knowledge management practices in an academic library in a changing information environment

Some academic libraries have significantly developed and are applying some knowledge management (KM) principles and practices in the provision of library services. KM has been implemented in commercial and business environments towards achieving operational advantages. Its principles and tools can help libraries to improve performance and fulfil their mandate. By using a case study approach, the objective of this research was to find out how knowledge is identified, captured, shared and retained in order to enhance performance and improve the quality of service in the Metropolitan College of New York (MCNY) library. A web-based questionnaire, some institutional documents, observation and face-toface interviews were used to collect data. Data was analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The findings indicate that the MCNY library practices are not deliberately informed by KM principles, but are amenable to KM principles. It is recommended that KM, with its potential to turn individual knowledge into organisational knowledge, should be used in positioning the MCNY library in a changing information environment.

Accessibility to information in electronic era: a challenge to information providers

In the present trends of electronic information era, there is increasing recognition of information for political, economic and social intercourse which has changed the perception of users about accessibility of information services. This changing perceptions of today's users ease of information services is the biggest challenge to information providers. Hence, there is the need to adopt users focused approach while providing information services in changing information environment. This paper highlights the concepts of information,information revolution era, the impact of information technology, challenges and the need for aggressive professional response for ease of access to information services in electronic era has been stressed. Key words: Accessibility, Information, Electronic Era, Challenges, Information Provider

The changing information environment for nanotechnology: online audiences and content

The shift toward online communication in all realms, from print newspapers to broadcast television, has implications for how the general public consumes information about nanotechnology. The goal of this study is threefold: to investigate who is using online sources for information and news about science and nanotechnology, to examine what the general public is searching for online with regards to nanotechnology, and to analyze what they find in online content of nanotechnology. Using survey data, we find those who report the Internet as their primary source of science and technology news are diverse in age, more knowledgeable about science and nanotechnology, highly educated, male, and more diverse racially than users of other media. In a comparison of demographic data on actual visits by online users to general news and science Web sites, science sites attracted more male, non-white users from the Western region of the United States than news sites did. News sites, on the other hand, attracted those with a slightly higher level of education. Our analysis of published estimates of keyword searches on nanotechnology reveals people are turning to the Internet to search for keyword searches related to the future, health, and applications of nanotechnology. A content analysis of online content reveals health content dominates overall. Comparisons of content in different types of sites—blogs, government, and general sites—are conducted.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11051-010-9860-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Libraries' Response to Changing Information Environment: a Study of Karnataka State University Libraries

The paper reports the results of a survey conducted to know the response of the Karnataka State university libraries to the newly evolved electronic environment. Attempts have been made to know the change in the nature of library resources, tools and techniques, information services, user education, staff development, and library budget allocation. The study found that though the university libraries under the study have responded positively to adopt themselves to changes brought in by the developments in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), but have failed to equip and place themselves in the place where they could face the challenges and sustain the changes effectively and efficiently. The study suggests the university libraries under the study to give serious thought to evolve a sustainable information system in the changing digital environment.

국가장서개발정책 기본모형 연구

정보자원의 지속적 증가와 다양화 그리고 네트워크를 이용한 정보 접근과 활용 등 정보환경의 변화로 도서관 장서개발 정책은 더욱 정교하게 변화되어야 하는 상황에 있다. 국립중앙도서관은 이러한 시대적 조류를 반영하고 그 역할과 사명을 다하기 위하여 보다 체계적이고 합리적인 국가장서개발정책을 수립해야 할 것이다. 본 연구에서는 우리나라와 주요 선진국의 국립도서관 장서개발정책을 조사하고 이를 기반으로 우리나라 국가장서 구축을 위한 기본모형을 도출하였다. 기본모형은 크게 하이브리드장서 구축, 협동연계장서 구축, 장서 평가, 그리고 장서개발정책 성문화 등 네 가지의 서브모형으로 구성되어 있다. 모형별 세부 내용과 추진방안이 제시되었다.

A Motivational Perspective on First-Year Legal Research Instruction

This article examines some recent pedagogical concepts and trends, such as signature pedagogy and student-centered learning, and their application to legal research instruction. Law librarians and other legal research instructors have long utilized a core instructional model known as the bibliographic method. But, given a rapidly changing information environment and today's born digital students, we must question whether its traditional teacher-centered approach can still motivate students and provide them with the authentic experience necessary for effective learning.

Legal research in a changing information environment

Since the advent of the latest constitutional dispensation in South Africa, legalresearchers have been presented with new opportunities for research intoconstitutional issues, development and the relationship between constitutionallaw and other fields. This article investigates how information technologyapplications can support the legal research process and what the benefits oftechnology are likely to be to legal research. Furthermore, it investigates thechanges and the impact that electronic resources and the digital informationenvironment might have on legal research. This entails a study of the uniquecharacteristics of digital legal research and of the challenges that legalresearchers face in a changing information environment.

Reinventing academic libraries in Kenya

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review recent initiatives by academic libraries in Kenya aimed at reinventing, re‐engineering, and providing innovative information products and services to support learning and research activities or aspirations of their institutions.Design/methodology/approachThe review utilized literature surveys of currently published articles.FindingsThe review provides some answers to the various challenges facing academic libraries in Kenya in the process of providing adequate information services. The review also provides useful information on how academic libraries in developing countries including Kenya can withstand the ever‐changing information environment by adopting entrepreneurial approaches to manage information.Originality/valueThe paper reveals that academic libraries in Kenya are facing daunting challenges in their effort to provide knowledge to support learning and research activities in their institutions. These challenges include: changing information environment and media landscape, technological innovation, user expectations, and economical forces. This forces them to adopt innovative approaches to manage and deliver information products and services. These approaches include: building new learning resource centers or refurbishing existing academic libraries, creation and development of digital institutional repositories, providing technological systems, understanding the information audience, and innovative information products and services.

Watching Learning Happen: Results of a Longitudinal Study of Journalism Students

The results from a five-year study of the information skills of journalism students provide insights into what students use and how that usage evolves, and have implications for information literacy instruction. Using a simple tool, the author watched learning happen in response to classes, work, and the changing information environment.

Issue Publics in the New Information Environment

The present research revisits citizen competence in the changing political and information environment, considering citizens as pluralistic issue publics. Using 2000 and 2004 American National Election Study data, Study 1 explores the conceptual premises of issue publics and the impact of the Web on domain-specific knowledge and extremity. Study 2 uses a unique data set combining an innovative direct measure of users' Web behavior records with survey responses from those users in the context of the 2004 U.S. general election. The results shed light on issue publics' information acquisition on the Web. This complementary data set provides a more complete picture of how issue publics develop unique patterns of information acquisition and make voting decisions. The findings indicate that issue publics enhanced their domain-specific knowledge by using information highly selectively. In addition, their selective information use contributed to increases in extremity and issue voting patterns. Implications for the functioning of democracy are discussed.

What's the Alternative? Career Options for Librarians and Info Pros

What's the Alternative? Career Options for Librarians and Info Pros offers a concise overview of nontraditional career paths, particularly for new graduates of library and information schools and mid-level professionals. It consists of eleven chapters that focus on a variety of career alternatives, varying from positions in organizations similar to libraries, to careers in information technology, to basic entrepreneurship. Chapter 1 is the most general and discusses reasons for librarians leaving traditional librarianship and reviews steps to take before contemplating a career change. Other chapters outline possible career alternatives in a specific area, such as publishing research, with an emphasis on both transferable skill sets and additional skills necessary to succeed in that area. Most chapters include resource lists to help readers learn more about particular professions, such as indexing or marketing, and include personal stories from individuals working in those professions. Tips on job hunting and sample ads are included in manychapters. An accompanying website links to all online resources mentioned and a complete list of websites and references cited throughout the book (Appendix C and D). Much of the material in What's the Alternative? has been compiled from an alternative careers survey conducted by Rachel Singer Gordon in the spring of 2007 on her blog, the Liminal Librarian . Personal stories included in this book come primarily from the respondents. Most vignettes outline personal career histories, daily job activities, and tips on succeeding outside of traditional libraries. As a result, this book feels very fresh and current, especially in its discussion of emerging jobs, the changing information environment, and work–life balance. The opening discussions on transitioning or bridging to new career opportunities are especially timely. Covered topics include assessing personal strengths and weaknesses, identifying individual passions, assessing comfort levels with risk taking and change, and outlining values and needs in a new career. Ensuing chapters build on the concept of bridging careers by identifying specific additional skills, attitudes, resources, and training necessary for success in those new careers. Chapter 4 also advises that creating multiple income streams or blended work arrangements, for instance, by doing both consulting and indexing or working part-time for one's current library while striking out into corporate intelligence, may be a prudent approach for many career changers. However, this book is not overly detailed. It will serve most career changers as a starting point in the process of self and job discovery. Research will be required, as will completion of the personal assessment process and initiation of the networking recommended for learning about job openings. Those contemplating self-employment and/or entrepreneurship will also need more detailed information about business plans, marketing, setting of fees, and myriad other practical details. While What's the Alternative is not billed as a “how to” book, more complete information on some topics would be useful. Gordon repeatedly talks about the need to abandon library jargon in favor of a prospective field's terminology. A few concrete sample cover letters and resumes that do just that might have proved helpful. These could have taken the place of the repetitive advice on networking and opening one's mind to new definitions of information work that appear in multiple chapters and Appendix A. On the plus side, most chapters can be read independently. Also many internal cross-references point to related information in other chapters. While extremely engaging, the vignettes or personal stories also present a problem. Their placement can disrupt reading the regular text, and, while this book rightly emphasizes career planning and goal setting, most respondents seem to have fallen into their jobs by chance. Many vignettes are also critical of library and information school (LIS) education in terms of technology and career preparation. As a result, some vignettes seem negative and counterproductive in regard to some of the advice offered in the main text on professional development. Chapter 11 addresses some of these issues by discussing the future of LIS education and selection of a good program. Overall, What's the Alternative? is a good, easy-to-read introduction to alternative career paths for librarians. The key message for librarians is to keep learning, set career goals, appreciate the true value of their skill sets, and be prepared for change. This is an excellent message. The author provides valuable insights about the career concerns and expectations of current librarians. The reasons librarians give for seeking career change can spur reflection on the practices of and future plans for readers' libraries. As the book recommends, this reviewer is considering writing a personal mission statement that outlines my career aspirations, goals, and values.

Diversity and commonality of information science education in a pluralistic world

AbstractIn a society that is increasingly diverse in culture, language, and technology, the field of information science education has continued to evolve and respond to the changing information environment. The iSchool movement has attracted a good number of library and information science programs, as well as programs in computer science, while many library and information science programs have revised their mission and curricula to meet the information needs of a pluralistic world without changing the name of their programs (they are often referred to as the LIS Schools). Although iSchools and LIS Schools may seem dichotomous, many of these schools share the history of library and information science education and may have more in common than their names imply. The proposed panel is designed to shed light on the diversity and commonality of information science education in the 21st century by examining the similarities and differences of these two types of schools (including their relationship to the tradition of library and information science education) and the extent to which these schools are meeting the needs of a pluralistic world.The panel will have two parts. Part One is a report on the curricula offered at ALA‐accredited LIS schools and iSchools. In Part Two panelists will respond to the curriculum analysis report and address these topics: Their school's relationship to the tradition of library and information science education. Their experience in changing from an LIS School to an iSchool. Their rationale for remaining an LIS School and how they have changed their programs to meet the need of a pluralistic society. Their perspectives on how they are meeting market needs. Their experience in recruiting new students and placing graduates in libraries and non‐library information environments.

Arrangement and description of architectural records: time-honored principles and new technologies

The basic archival practices for arrangement and description of architectural records evolved prior to the electronic era. Now as more is being learned about digital documentation of architecture, the underlying principles of arrangement and description continue to be validated even as archival practices evolve. In archival arrangement the principles of provenance or respect des fonds and original order are now being understood as a way to capture and retain information on the source and organization of groups of documents. In archival description, computer-based information tools have become widely adopted and the power of the internet and the world wide web are improving delivery of information. As technological solutions continue to evolve, the underlying principles and goals of archival arrangement and description will remain unchanged even as they continue to be adapted to the changing information environment.

Information Literacy Strategy Development: Study Prescribes Strategic Management Framework for Academic Institutions

A Review of:
 Corrall, Sheila. "Information Literacy Strategy Development in Higher Education: An Exploratory Study." International Journal of Information Management 28 (2008): 26-37.
 
 Objective – To examine the development of information literacy (IL) strategies in higher education by assessing content and presentation of IL strategy documentation, and to explore the application of corporate strategy concepts and techniques to IL strategy.
 
 Design – Comparative, multi-case study. Qualitative analysis.
 
 Setting – U.K. universities.
 
 Subjects – Twelve information literacy strategy documents from ten institutions.
 
 Methods – Google was searched for IL strategy documents (restricted to the ac.uk domain), the LISINFOLITERACY discussion list was queried, and the Web sites of all U.K. universities were searched for a total sample of 12 documents at 10 institutions. Results of the data capture were discussed in the context of the literature on strategic management.
 
 Main Results – Corporate strategy tools and techniques are extensive in the literature, trending toward an emphasis on holistic thinking and marketing concepts. Many themes identified in the documents were consistent with the literature. While the format and style varied, all documents emphasized the integration of IL into subject curricula. All stressed the need to build collaborative partnerships between library/information staff and academic staff. Significantly, many strategies aimed to reach the broader institution, although poor articulation undermined this ambitious goal. In three, IL intervention was intended for the whole university community. However, the target audience often was not well defined. Seven of the IL strategies identified additional partnerships to effect change at the policy level. Another key theme was the adoption of recognized IL standards; seven proposed the SCONUL (1999) model. All strategies recognized the importance of learning outcomes; six stated them explicitly. Prominent was the integration of e-learning resources, namely online tutorials. Many strategies recognized the need for marketing and advocacy activities. Half considered professional or staff development issues, as supported in the literature. All strategies explained in detail the context of their IL proposals, citing external challenges (growth of digital information, employer demand), external evidence (official reports, benchmarking statements, studies), and internal evidence (stakeholder concerns, institutional strategies) to support the need for IL. The documents specified a range of teaching modes from informal reference desk encounters to strategic positioning in relation to the broader community. Half defined or described IL. Seven documents were labelled strategies, but many did not comply with content elements defined in the literature. Other features of the literature poorly represented in the documents included: the need for well articulated objectives, mission and vision statements, attendance to broader strategic issues, stakeholder analysis, and the prioritizing of IL activities with portfolio development. Only two had action plans. Seven documents were in the public domain.
 
 Conclusion – Information literacy is recognized as an essential competence for participation in higher education, the workplace and society, and information professionals have long promoted IL. In response to the changing information environment they have sought to formalize policies and strategies to embed IL institutionally, working collaboratively with key stakeholders in the process. In this study of strategic documentation from 10 U.K. universities, IL objectives were consistent although the format and style of documentation varied. The author concludes that one or more strategic management models or tools available could improve IL strategy development, consistency, and coherency. Most importantly, an overarching strategic management framework should be used to resolve ambiguity and inconsistency, improve articulation, and maximize the effectiveness of strategy documents, thus avoiding weaknesses identified in the study. As noted by the author, the library literature has progressed to include strategic management concepts evidenced, in part, by the number of libraries using Kaplan and Norton’s scorecard system. But improvements can be made: conforming to strategic planning norms could strengthen IL strategy. Elements of models from the public or private sectors might be tailored to meet the specific needs of IL strategies. Further research could identify suitable strategy models for IL development. The process of implementing IL strategy should also be considered in future research. The author notes it would be interesting to explore the relationship between IL strategies and other organizational strategies and to compare IL strategies in other sectors.