Aslib Proceedings: New Information Perspectives

Ian Rowlands; David Nicholas

2005 Aslib Proceedings: New Information Perspectives

doi: 10.1108/00012530510634226

Purpose – This paper aims to make a substantial contribution to the ongoing debate about the potential of open access publishing and institutional repositories to reform the scholarly communication system. It presents the views of senior authors on these issues and contextualises them within the broader framework of their journal publishing behaviour and preferences. Design/methodology/approach – A highly representative online opinion survey of more than five and half thousand journals authors, building on an earlier (January 2004) benchmarking study carried out by CIBER. Findings – Senior researchers are rapidly becoming more informed about open access publishing and institutional repositories but are still a long way off reaching a consensus on the likelihood that these new models will challenge the existing order, nor are they in agreement whether this would be a positive or a negative development. Disciplinary culture and, to a less extent, regional location are key determinants of author attitudes and any policy response should avoid “one‐size‐fits‐all” solutions. Research limitations/implications – This survey reflects the opinions of senior corresponding authors who have recently published in a “top” (i.e. ISI‐indexed journal) with 95 per cent confidence. The findings should not be generalised to represent the views of all authors in all journals, open access or otherwise. Originality/value – The journal publishing sector is facing enormous challenges and opportunities as content increasingly migrates to the web. The value of this research is that it provides an objective, non‐partisan, assessment of the attitudes and opinions of more than 5,000 senior researchers, a key stakeholder group, and thus contributes both to the development of public policy as well as more realistic commercial strategies.

Jan Brophy; David Bawden

2005 Aslib Proceedings: New Information Perspectives

doi: 10.1108/00012530510634235

Purpose – The purpose of the study was to compare an internet search engine, Google, with appropriate library databases and systems, in order to assess the relative value, strengths and weaknesses of the two sorts of system. Design/methodology/approach – A case study approach was used, with detailed analysis and failure checking of results. The performance of the two systems was assessed in terms of coverage, unique records, precision, and quality and accessibility of results. A novel form of relevance assessment, based on the work of Saracevic and others was devised. Findings – Google is superior for coverage and accessibility. Library systems are superior for quality of results. Precision is similar for both systems. Good coverage requires use of both, as both have many unique items. Improving the skills of the searcher is likely to give better results from the library systems, but not from Google. Research limitations/implications – Only four case studies were included. These were limited to the kind of queries likely to be searched by university students. Library resources were limited to those in two UK academic libraries. Only the basic Google web search functionality was used, and only the top ten records examined. Practical implications – The results offer guidance for those providing support and training for use of these retrieval systems, and also provide evidence for debates on the “Google phenomenon”. Originality/value – This is one of the few studies which provide evidence on the relative performance of internet search engines and library databases, and the only one to conduct such in‐depth case studies. The method for the assessment of relevance is novel.

Barrie Gunter

2005 Aslib Proceedings: New Information Perspectives

doi: 10.1108/00012530510634244

Purpose – This study provides insights into the early market for e‐books in the UK through survey research with members of a large online panel. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from an online panel established by a leading commercial internet research company. Members of the panel are signalled each week to take part in web surveys. Respondents completed an online questionnaire posted on the company's web site. Questions explored awareness, trialling, purchase and borrowing of e‐books, examining the frequency of such behaviour and types of publications accessed and/or obtained. Findings – A significant proportion of respondents (85 per cent) were aware of e‐books. Among these respondents, around half (49 per cent) had made trial use of them, nearly four in ten (38 per cent) had bought at least one e‐book, and one in seven (13 per cent) had borrowed an e‐book from a library. Technical books and non‐fiction publications related to hobbies and interests were among those most popularly used and bought. The main perceived advantages of e‐books are that they can be obtained more conveniently than going via a bookstore and they are often cheaper than hard copy versions. Research limitations/implications – This online survey was dependent on respondent self‐selection. This meant that there was no central control over the return sample profile. Originality/value – This survey provided an early look at the e‐book market in the UK. Findings indicated the market potential of e‐books given that the equipment needed to read them is regarded neither as too expensive nor too difficult to use. It is clear, however, that early e‐book users regard electronic reading as something to use primarily for reference work than for more extended reading for leisure and entertainment. Most e‐book users (56 per cent) still preferred not to read extended passages of text from a screen. Nonetheless, for dipping in and out of reference works e‐books have the advantage of being easier to search and easier to annotate.

Andrew John Boyd

2005 Aslib Proceedings: New Information Perspectives

doi: 10.1108/00012530510634253

Purpose – The first in a series on goal‐based information modelling, this paper presents a literature review of two goal‐based measurement methods. The second article in the series will build on this background to present an overview of some recent case‐based research that shows the applicability of the goal‐based methods for information modelling (as opposed to measurement). The third and concluding article in the series will present a new goal‐based information model – the goal‐based information framework (GbIF) – that is well suited to the task of documenting and evaluating organisational information flow. Design/methodology/approach – Following a literature review of the goal‐question‐metric (GQM) and goal‐question‐indicator‐measure (GQIM) methods, the paper presents the strengths and weaknesses of goal‐based approaches. Findings – The literature indicates that the goal‐based methods are both rigorous and adaptable. With over 20 years of use, goal‐based methods have achieved demonstrable and quantifiable results in both practitioner and academic studies. The down side of the methods are the potential expense and the “expansiveness” of goal‐based models. The overheads of managing the goal‐based process, from early negotiations on objectives and goals to maintaining the model (adding new goals, questions and indicators), could make the method unwieldy and expensive for organisations with limited resources. An additional challenge identified in the literature is the narrow focus of “top‐down” (i.e. goal‐based) methods. Since the methods limit the focus to a pre‐defined set of goals and questions, the opportunity for discovery of new information is limited. Research limitations/implications – Much of the previous work on goal‐based methodologies has been confined to software measurement contexts in larger organisations with well‐established information gathering processes. Although the next part of the series presents goal‐based methods outside of this native context, and within low maturity organisations, further work needs to be done to understand the applicability of these methods in the information science discipline. Originality/value – This paper presents an overview of goal‐based methods. The next article in the series will present the method outside the native context of software measurement. With the universality of the method established, information scientists will have a new tool to evaluate and document organisational information flow.

Peter Williams

2005 Aslib Proceedings: New Information Perspectives

doi: 10.1108/00012530510634262

Purpose – A research study into the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in a special educational needs (SEN) environment, as part of a larger project to develop a multimedia learning environment for this group. Benefits and barriers of ICT usage in this environment were examined, and attitudes and experiences of SEN teachers were explored. An enquiry into the information and other needs of the teachers formed part of the study, and the working environment was also researched, for contextual information. Design/methodology/approach – Qualitative depth interviews were undertaken in the working locations of the SEN teachers and assistants. Findings – The SEN working environment was found to have changed greatly in recent years. There was now a more formal and structured curriculum, and many attempts at activities designed to foster inclusion. Difficulties faced by teachers included a lack of and poorly functioning equipment, a paucity of appropriate learning materials, and unusual challenges posed by the differing needs of learners. The needs of teachers included ways of facilitating evidence of progress, lesson plans classified according to cognitive and accessibility levels, and administrative information. Advantages of using ICT ranged from enhancing the learning experience by offering a more personalised environment, to “liberating pupils” from problems such as physical cutting and pasting. Originality/value – Most literature on using ICT for those with SEN focuses on physical rather than cognitive disabilities. There has been almost no literature on the views or needs of SEN staff, with regard to this topic.

Hamid R. Jamali; David Nicholas; Paul Huntington

2005 Aslib Proceedings: New Information Perspectives

doi: 10.1108/00012530510634271

Purpose – To provide a review of the log analysis studies of use and users of scholarly electronic journals. Design/methodology/approach – The advantages and limitations of log analysis are described and then past studies of e‐journals' use and users that applied this methodology are critiqued. The results of these studies will be very briefly compared with some survey studies. Those aspects of online journals' use and users studies that log analysis can investigate well and those aspects that log analysis can not disclose enough information about are highlighted. Findings – The review indicates that although there is a debate about reliability of the results of log analysis, this methodology has great potential for studying online journals' use and their users' information seeking behaviour. Originality/value – This paper highlights the strengths and weaknesses of log analysis for studying digital journals and raises a couple of questions to be investigated by further studies.