An interpretive and situated approach to an evaluation of Perseus digital libraries

Yang, Shu Ching

doi:10.1002/asi.1188

Cited by 15 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 43 publications

(36 reference statements)

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“…The popularity of presuming or studying problems as the trigger for informational activities (e.g., Erdelez, 2000;Hartel, 2003;Ross, 1999) is a direct testimony to negative thinking in information research. Allen (1996Allen ( , 1997, Belkin, Oddy, and Brooks (1982), Hawk and Wang (1999), Wersig and Windel (1985), Wildemuth, Friedman, Keyes, and Downs (2000), Wilson (1999), andYang (2001) are just a few, overt examples of such "problematizing." Perhaps the most extreme view has been expressed by Allen (1996, p. 12) who declares that "all information seeking is problem solving."…”

Section: Indicated a Similar Imbalancementioning

confidence: 96%

Information and higher things in life: Addressing the pleasurable and the profound in information science

Kari

Hartel

2007

J. Am. Soc. Inf. Sci.

102

126

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The article discusses lower and higher contexts for information phenomena, and argues that there is clearly a need for a more concerted research effort in the latter sphere. The discipline of information science has traditionally favored lower contexts-like everyday life and problem solving-that are neutral or even negative by nature. In contrast, the neglected higher things in life are pleasurable or profound phenomena, experiences, or activities that transcend the daily grind. A literature sample of the scarce information research related to higher things indicates that beyond the spotlight of mainstream research, information processes often seem different and there may be significant dimensions of information phenomena that have been overlooked. Therefore, the article outlines a contextual research area in information studies to address higher things from the perspective of information. It is concluded that optimal functioning requires bringing the lower and higher sides to balance in information science. This would offer a rare chance to promote holism and interdisciplinarity in the field, and to make the discipline more relevant to the human being. IntroductionIt is now commonly agreed upon that information activities are inextricably interwoven with context. In this article, we adopt Talja and colleagues ' (1999) general definition according to which context can be seen as any background for information phenomena. Because context is such a pivotal factor, consciously selecting and theorizing about context should be one of information scholars' top concerns. This is a critical (in both senses of the word) but constructive writing about research areas in information science, somewhat in the vein of Dervin and Nilan's (1986) seminal piece, which focused on the tug-of-war between the system and individual perspectives in information seeking research, and advocated the users' point of view. In turn, this article discusses lower and higher contexts in information studies or information science, as our discipline is variously called (cf. Zhang, 1988), and argues that a programmatic research effort concerning the higher sphere is sorely needed.We believe that the time is now ripe for information science to address big questions like, "What makes life worth living?" (see Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000, p. 5). To this end, this article: displays the deficiency of the lower slant, examines what higher things in life are, why they should be studied, what earlier information studies have found out about them, as well as how they can be conceptualized and incorporated into analysis in information research. Basically, the article aims at theoretical development by using earlier literature and creative thinking. Information behavior and context are the areas to which the current article relates most, but it also has a lot to say to the whole field of information studies. Lower and Higher Things Lower ThingsThe following account sounds so familiar from at least the angle of information seeking research as to be almost u...

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Section: Indicated a Similar Imbalancementioning

confidence: 96%

Information and higher things in life: Addressing the pleasurable and the profound in information science

Kari

Hartel

2007

J. Am. Soc. Inf. Sci.

102

126

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“…This is one of the oldest online libraries of educational content, focused primarily on classical history and the humanities (Yang, 2001). Results from this large study show that only 11% of students used the resource on a regular basis (on the order of weekly).…”

Section: Low Use Of Digital Repositories Of Educational Contentmentioning

confidence: 97%

Convenience Is Not Enough

Harvel

2006

Innov High Educ

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A recent survey of studies [Tenopir, Hitchcock, & Pillow (2003). Use and users of electronic library resources: An overview and analysis of recent research studies. Washington, DC: Council on Library and Information Resources.] concluded "both faculty and students use and like electronic resources and most readily adopt them if the sources are perceived as convenient, relevant, and time saving to their natural workflow (p. iv)." However, the results of access studies show that actual use of online content is relatively low. This is because navigation to the online content in these various collections is not convenient, requires multiple steps in order to reach relevant content, and is not integrated into a student_s natural workflow. In our research, we have designed, implemented, deployed, and evaluated a method for making content available to students that targets the content to their current need.

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“…User-centered design, which emphasizes the need for information technology (IT) designers to learn from users to develop software suited to their needs, has become an increasingly common approach in the literature (Benoit, 2004;Bergman, BeythMaron, & Nachmias, 2003;Large, Beheshti, & Rahman, 2002;Ma, 2002;Petrelli et al, 2004;Wildemuth, 2004;Xie & Wolfram, 2002;Yang, 2001). Although this approach does involve users, it reinforces a division between designers and users; consequently, it serves to reinforce a power dynamic that makes users dependent on designers' interest in listening to users' articulation of their wants and needs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do‐it‐yourself information technology: Role hybridization and the design–use interface

Fleischmann¹

2005

J. Am. Soc. Inf. Sci.

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Information technology designers and users are generally treated as interacting yet distinct groups. Although approaches such as participatory design attempt to bring these groups together, such efforts are viewed as temporary and restricted to a specific knowledge domain where users can share key information and insights with designers. The author explores case studies that point to a different situation, role hybridization. Role hybridization focuses on the ability of individuals to shift from one knowledge domain to another, thus allowing for simultaneous membership within two otherwise distinct social worlds. While some studies focus on the ability of designers to act as users, this study focuses on the opposite situation, users who become designers. Interview and participant observation data is used to explore hybrid user-designers in two case studies: frog dissection simulations used in K-12 biology education and human anatomy simulations used in medical education. Hybrid users as designers are one part of a larger design-use interface, illustrating the mutually constructive relationship between the activities of information technology design and use. Users as designers also challenge the traditional power relationship between designers and users, leading to a novel and exciting form of user-centered design.

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An interpretive and situated approach to an evaluation of Perseus digital libraries

Cited by 15 publications

References 43 publications

Information and higher things in life: Addressing the pleasurable and the profound in information science

Information and higher things in life: Addressing the pleasurable and the profound in information science

Convenience Is Not Enough

Do‐it‐yourself information technology: Role hybridization and the design–use interface

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