Get 20M+ Full-Text Papers For Less Than $1.50/day. Start a 14-Day Trial for You or Your Team.

Learn More →

Analysing the relationship between information-seeking and help-seeking behaviours in a digital library

Analysing the relationship between information-seeking and help-seeking behaviours in a digital... PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the help-seeking behaviour of users during their information-seeking in a digital library, studying the kind of help-seeking situations, help requests and using help resources with different interactive levels. For this purpose, users’ help-seeking behaviour (postgraduate students at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad) was investigated based on different stages of Marchionini’s adapted model.Design/methodology/approachThis research was performed using the mixed method. In total, 38 postgraduate students at Ferdowsi University were selected by Stratified Purposive Sampling method as samples. Selecting a digital library based on considered factors, preparing help resources and designing research scenario were made as the preparation stages of performing the study. The tools used for collecting and analysing data were questionnaires, think aloud protocol and Morae software.FindingsSome of the considerable results of this research were recording the help-seeking signs in all four main stages of the adapted information-seeking model. However, in the search stage, in which a user enters the search process practically, the need for help-seeking was recorded more than it in other stages. Results also confirmed that most help requests by users were for executive help which were rooted in users’ knowledge shortcomings and their passivity in help-seeking process. Because of the flexibility and speed of providing responses, participants also tended to interact with more interactive and flexible help resources and assessed this interaction more useful.Originality/valueAccording to the findings of this research, the adapted information-seeking model used in this study was completed, and a theoretical model for information-seeking in a digital library was suggested. In this model, help-seeking is considered as a supportive and complementary behaviour for information-seeking behaviour which begins in help-seeking situations and continues to solve problems in these situations. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png The Electronic Library Emerald Publishing

Analysing the relationship between information-seeking and help-seeking behaviours in a digital library

Zerehsaz, Mohammad
The Electronic Library , Volume 35 (5): 17 – Oct 2, 2017
Download PDF
17 pages

Loading next page...
 
/lp/emerald-publishing/analysing-the-relationship-between-information-seeking-and-help-kzfr3K5iZM

References (39)

Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
Copyright © Emerald Group Publishing Limited
ISSN
0264-0473
DOI
10.1108/EL-05-2016-0103
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the help-seeking behaviour of users during their information-seeking in a digital library, studying the kind of help-seeking situations, help requests and using help resources with different interactive levels. For this purpose, users’ help-seeking behaviour (postgraduate students at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad) was investigated based on different stages of Marchionini’s adapted model.Design/methodology/approachThis research was performed using the mixed method. In total, 38 postgraduate students at Ferdowsi University were selected by Stratified Purposive Sampling method as samples. Selecting a digital library based on considered factors, preparing help resources and designing research scenario were made as the preparation stages of performing the study. The tools used for collecting and analysing data were questionnaires, think aloud protocol and Morae software.FindingsSome of the considerable results of this research were recording the help-seeking signs in all four main stages of the adapted information-seeking model. However, in the search stage, in which a user enters the search process practically, the need for help-seeking was recorded more than it in other stages. Results also confirmed that most help requests by users were for executive help which were rooted in users’ knowledge shortcomings and their passivity in help-seeking process. Because of the flexibility and speed of providing responses, participants also tended to interact with more interactive and flexible help resources and assessed this interaction more useful.Originality/valueAccording to the findings of this research, the adapted information-seeking model used in this study was completed, and a theoretical model for information-seeking in a digital library was suggested. In this model, help-seeking is considered as a supportive and complementary behaviour for information-seeking behaviour which begins in help-seeking situations and continues to solve problems in these situations.

Journal

The Electronic Library – Emerald Publishing

Published: Oct 2, 2017

There are no references for this article.