INLS 180 Day 9 Notes

February 9, 2004

 

  1. One minute papers

Main Points

There are a variety of factors that influence info seeking

Analytical and browsing search continuum

Info seeking is not a linear process

We are all insiders and outsiders in various situations.

Intelligence is making the most of the info you have rather than how much info you’ve got

Info poverty and economic poverty not the same thing

 

Questions

What are our goals for info systems? Can we make things too easy for people?

Can we measure info poverty through com system analysis ala Pool?

When is it beneficial to be info poor?

Can an outsider study and understand insiders?

How has internet changed views of browsing?

How to bridge gaps between insiders/outsiders? Info poor and wealthy? Theory and engineering/practice?

What is info poverty?  Info that you want and don’t have or info you need but don’t know you need?

What is it to be info wealthy? [A.J. Jacobs has read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica in a quest to become the world's smartest human being., NPR Feb 7]

How are info providers affected by questions?

 

A note about questions. 

Question development, question execution, and question answering are central to human problem solving and scientific progress on the general side as well as the practice of most professional activities on the practical side.

 

2. User Needs

  1. Assessing User Needs
    1. Library of Congress NDL Project  http://ils.unc.edu/~march/revision.pdf

                                                               i.      Reading room interviews and observations

                                                             ii.      Day-care center questionnaire

                                                            iii.      Document analysis

    1. Bureau of Labor Statistics Project http://ils.unc.edu/~march/blsreport/mainbls.html

                                                               i.      Expert critiques

                                                             ii.      Interviews (staff)

                                                            iii.      Focus groups (users)

                                                           iv.      Email content analysis

                                                             v.      Usabilty tests

                                                           vi.      Transaction log analyses

 

3. One-minute paper

What was the big point you learned in class today?

What is the main, unanswered question you leave class with today?