This thesis aims to provide an evaluation of intellectual assets for the Scholarship and Collections Directorate (now Collections) at the British Library. Intellectual assets are assets which belong to and benefit an organization but do not have any tangible net worth, thus making it difficult to provide evidence of their value. An organization such as the British Library which is entirely dependent on the expertise of its staff, the way its collections are used and the relationships it forges with external stakeholders relies heavily on its intellectual assets and therefore a method for identifying and evaluating them in relation to the Library’s strategic aims is vitally important. This project is especially timely due to the financial constraints placed on the Library by the recent financial crisis and the changes to the Directorate’s infrastructure which have taken place since 2010. The data for this project was gathered on site at the British Library, using largely qualitative methods. Several in-depth interviews were conducted with Scholarship and Collections staff and stakeholders, and this was supported by a questionnaire distributed to all employees of the Directorate which was designed to collect further qualitative data as well as some quantitative data to support the findings. A phenomenographical approach was used during the data analysis process. This entailed focusing on the ways that individuals experience and interact with a particular phenomenon, in this case how Scholarship and Collections staff and stakeholders interact with intellectual assets. Several suggestions were made based on the collected data for how the Directorate could improve its utilisation of intellectual assets, which were largely concerned with encouraging a matrix culture within the Library and greater promotion of staff expertise and the services they could offer. An evaluation tool was developed which would enable users to use KPIs to generate qualitative data for evaluating intellectual assets. As a case study, this research is naturally limited to a particular location and period in time. Limited resources also prevented certain ethnographic groups, such as British Library users, from being included. However, the model which has been developed can be adapted for application to other organisations wishing to perform an intellectual asset evaluation. This project has formulated an intellectual asset evaluation tool which relies on qualitative methods, something which has not been fully accomplished before. It also provides a basis for the evaluation of IAs in libraries, an area of study which had not garnered much attention previously. The evaluation tool was designed so that it might be adapted for the use of other similar organisations.

Since the expansion of the European Union in 2004 to include Poland as a member, there has been a substantial increase in the number of migrants moving from Poland to the UK, and there are now almost one million Poles living in the UK. These migrants are generally young and highly educated, and are moving to the UK for reasons of economic improvement and self-fulfilment. Furthermore, many are women migrating independently, which is an emerging trend in migration in general. While the information behaviour of migrants has been studied, this work has tended to focus on certain populations, such as refugees. Less research has been done to examine the information behaviour of economic migrants, particularly within an EU context, which becomes more timely with the UK’s decision to leave the EU. This thesis therefore investigates the role of information in the migration experience of young Polish women in the UK. This study takes an interpretivist, constructionist perspective, with a broadly ethnographic approach to data collection and analysis. An exploratory study was undertaken to contextualise the research and refine the methodology, involving expert interviews, pilot interviews with Polish women, and analysis of a previous study of recent Polish migration to the UK. In the main study, twenty-one participants were interviewed using a semi-structured interview technique and mental mapping. Data was analysed thematically. The study provides insights into the information behaviour and experience of young Polish women migrating to the UK. It contextualises these findings against previous research within migration in the field of information science, and presents a conceptual model of the underlying factors shaping the relationship between migration and information behaviour. It also contributes to the use of visual methods in information behaviour research, and delivers practical recommendations for migrational individuals and those working with them.

This thesis presents my scholarship into Inquiry-based Learning (IBL), and related support structures and pedagogical approaches, in Higher Education. Research in teaching has come to be labelled as the "Scholarship of Teaching and Learning" (SoTL), this thesis and the papers presented in it, present a broad and wide-ranging example of SoTL. This commentary summarises five peer-reviewed journal papers that were published over an eight-year period, and distil the learning from my 13-year exploration of IBL, and the specific strategies that can be used to support and develop the use of inquiry in Higher Education, not least of which is the development of Information Literacy (IL) and inquiry-based pedagogies for teaching IL. The commentary outlines the two contexts of the research, and describes the process that led to the creation of each paper and my role in that process. This commentary presents the research worldviews and methodologies that have been used in the five papers. Two papers use Theory of Change impact evaluation methodology and feature both qualitative and quantitative data analysis, with data drawn from a range of IBL curriculum development projects. The remaining three papers are qualitative studies, and feature a range of approaches including thematic analysis, Situational Analysis and the draw and write methodology. Data in these papers is drawn from assessed student reflective writing and student-created drawings. I discuss my work in relation to research in conceptions of IL and models of IL, and state the role of my research in advancing understanding of inquiry-based pedagogy for IL, and in developing new understandings of the nature of IL and IL teaching in Higher Education. I discuss the value of reflective writing for supporting and assessing IBL, and demonstrate how models of reflection and models of IL can be combined to analyse reflective writing about IL development. I discuss the use of two different methodologies with reflective and drawn data to illuminate how students work together in groups, revealing new conceptions of group work, and challenging existing models of group functioning. I reflect on my development as a researcher and present a summary of the impact of my research. I discuss the central contribution to knowledge of the five papers, situated within a broad reflective pedagogical and research environment. Theoretical contributions include defining the relationship between inquiry-based learning and Information Literacy, the value of the Seven Pillars model for IL research, and developing new understandings of how students work together in groups. Methodological contributions including demonstrating the value of Theory of Change for impact evaluation in HE, and extending the use of Situational Analysis and the Draw and Write methodology in this context. Practical contributions include a range of pedagogical approaches for teaching Information Literacy through inquiry, and evidence of the value of librarians/academic/educational developer partnerships.

No description available.

No description available.

Studies of children (ages 4-11) searching in primary schools have either been of a work task that is a research assignment or of a search task that has been designed by the researcher. There is little understanding of how the environment is influencing the search activity and the full range of search tasks that children conduct in schools. Research was conducted in two phases. In phase one, using maximal variation sampling ten teachers from a single primary school were asked to describe what children in their class had searched for in the prior academic year. The collected data was analysed using two techniques. Firstly, thematic analysis was used to identify what is shaping children’s search. Secondly, a framework initially developed from a review of the literature was used to identify and describe the search tasks. In phase two, using observation data that had previously been collected for other research projects, the phase one analysis was verified and extended. Findings confirm that the primary school environment influences how children search for information and what they use the information for. It was found that children are conducting a greater range of search tasks than has been currently accounted for. Ten different uses of information were identified. As well as this both children and teachers are doers and originators of search tasks, and therefore search can also be considered a group based activity. This thesis contributes to a greater understanding of information use environments. In particular, new insights into the range and variety of search activities within primary schools are presented. Furthermore, a novel framework that can be used to describe search tasks within an information use environment is developed.

Electronic books (e-books) have become another option for reading and have gained in popularity in the last five years, especially for fiction. In the academic community, however, e-books have not seen the same success in terms of usage and acceptance. Further research is required to find out why this is the case among academic users. In addition to user-focused studies, e-book management strategies in libraries is another important point for investigation. These two aspects of e-books need to be examined in parallel because users and library staff are the main stakeholders in the academic community. There are few studies regarding e-book usage and acceptance, with all the studies carried out thus far having been conducted only in developed countries such as the US or UK. This research topic has rarely been considered in developing countries such as Thailand. This study aims to understand how Thai academic libraries manage their e-book collection and how these management approaches relate to attitudes and behaviours concerning e-books among library users. An exploratory sequential mixed methods approach was used to explore the relationship between academic libraries’ management of e-books and students’ reading attitudes and behaviours. The study is separated into three phases: the first phase is concerned with the management of e-books in Thai academic libraries and the second phase explores library users’ attitudes to e-books. In addition, the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) was adopted as a theoretical framework to identify the factors influencing the use and acceptance of e-books among Thai library users. The final phase concludes with an adaptation of Keller’s model to conduct an in-depth investigation into library users’ reading behaviours. In Phase 1, approaches to e-book collection management were examined through qualitative interviews with academic librarians from nine university libraries in Thailand. In Phase 2, a questionnaire was used to explore the attitudes of students to print and electronic books, together with the students’ views on e-book provision in their libraries. The elements in the UTUAT model were used to construct the survey items. In Phase 3, library users’ reading behaviours were explored using photo-diaries and interviews, allowing the researcher to gain a rich picture of users’ reading behaviours as part of their daily routines. Finding from the three phases revealed the key factors affecting the relationship between academic librarians and library users regarding e-books management and use. Library organisational structure, budget constraint, attitude of librarians and users toward each other, user reading habit, and educational system were found to have an effect between the two sets of stakeholder. This study makes a major contribution to knowledge on the area of e-book management in academic libraries. It is also a pioneer work in developing an understanding of the relationship between academic librarians and users with regards to the e-book management and use in the context of Thai academic libraries with a combination of the two theoretical frameworks (UTAUT and Keller’s model). The study’s goal is to provide a better understanding of e-books in the Thai academic context and to help academic librarians to understand user needs and behaviours, which will assist them in developing effective e-book collection management strategies and policies that are compatible with user requirements.

Background: One area of public health research specialises in examining public views and opinions surrounding infectious disease outbreaks. Although interviews and surveys are valid sources of this information, views and opinions are necessarily generated by the context, rather than spontaneous. As such, social media has increasingly been viewed as legitimate source of pragmatic, unfiltered public opinion. Objectives: This research attempts to better understand how users converse about infectious disease outbreaks on the social media platform Twitter. The study was undertaken in order to address a gap in knowledge because previous empirical studies that have analysed infectious disease outbreaks on Twitter have focused on employing quantitative methods as the primary form of data analysis. After analysing individual cases on Ebola, Zika, and swine flu, the study performs an important comparison in the types of discussions taking place on Twitter and is the first empirical study to do so. Methods: A number of pilot studies were initially designed and conducted in order to help inform the main study. The study then manually labels tweets on infectious disease outbreaks assisted by the qualitative analysis programme NVivo, and performs an analysis using the Health Belief Model, concepts around information theory, and a number of sociological principles. The data were purposively sampled according to when Google Trends Data showed a heightened interest in the respective outbreaks, and a case study approach was utilised. Results: A substantial number of themes were uncovered which were not reported in previous literature, demonstrating the potential of qualitative methodologies for extracting greater insight into public health opinions from Twitter data. The study noted several limitations of Twitter data for use in qualitative research. However, results demonstrated the potential of Twitter to identify discussions around infectious diseases that might not emerge in an interview and/or which might not be included in a survey.

The aim of this thesis is to identify different sets of skills that facilitate the knowledge sharing practice of project managers within the context of a construction project. This aim stems from a gap identified in the knowledge sharing literature concerning the individual skills that contribute to knowledge sharing by project managers in the applied setting of construction projects. In order to achieve the research aim, an exploratory qualitative study was conducted following a combination of Grounded Theory and case study as the research method. The study focuses specifically on a construction project in China. The construction industry in China has been experiencing an increasing development as a result of the national economy’s sustained growth and continuing urbanisation trends, but it is still confronted with challenges in knowledge sharing practice especially concerning the role of project manager, who performs the high level control of projects. Grounded Theory is the main method and a case study provides the appropriate context for the research. Empirical data were collected through a total of twenty-one interviews at a five-star hotel construction project, located in Hebei Province, eastern China. Following the constant comparison method, iterations in data analysis contributed to the development of an integrative framework. The framework indicates knowledge pertaining to five domains, including risk, planning, implementation, people, and business strategies and operations, needs to be shared by project managers. It also illustrates three sets of skills that contribute to the practice of sharing knowledge. Social cognitive skills assist project managers in interpreting differences in knowledge and achieving mutual understanding; interpersonal skills facilitate knowledge sharing through creating a positive project environment; strategic orientation skills contribute to reaching agreement among participating organisations and stakeholders. Furthermore, the framework reveals the specific relationships between the knowledge domains and skills, within the three phases of the construction project. In addition, findings suggest that the sharing of knowledge and the application of skills are of a dynamic and relational nature. The project is a collective and interactive process where knowledge pertaining to different domains needs to be dynamically shared and skills need to be dynamically applied. The knowledge domains and skills do not operate independently but overlap and interact over the duration of the project. Moreover, they are open to different interpretations according to various positions of actors within the project. This thesis contributes to an enhanced theoretical understanding of skills for knowledge sharing in the specific context of construction projects. It also delivers practical guidance for project managers on how to develop and apply the skills in these knowledge sharing practice.

Background: The successful implementation of information and communication technology (ICT) in healthcare presents many challenges; the failures outnumber the successes in the implementation of ICT in the health sector. A better understanding of technology acceptance among healthcare professionals will be useful for managers in overcoming barriers to adopting ICT in healthcare. Aim and objectives: The principal gap in the literature that this research was intended to address was the lack of knowledge about the implementation and acceptance of e-Health and electronic health record (EHR) technologies among healthcare professionals in the Republic of Macedonia, in South East Europe (SEE). This research was intended to assess national readiness for acceptance of e-Health/EHR systems in an SEE country through technology acceptance, and to identify the main predictors of behavioural intentions towards e-Health/EHR. Using these findings, it was hoped to propose management, policy and government measures to increase healthcare professionals’ acceptance of e-Health/EHR systems. The ultimate aim of this is to improve the quality of services for patients and provide better health care. Methods: A positivist quantitative approach was used for the research undertaken for this Thesis. A research instrument based on modified technology acceptance models was developed and six hypotheses were tested. Attitudes of healthcare professionals to the new e-Health/EHR systems were assessed through two studies. A new model presenting healthcare professionals’ attitudes to the e-Health/EHR systems was developed, and technology acceptance predictors were identified. Results: Hierarchical linear regression, stepwise linear regression, and structural equation modelling indicated that perceived ease of use and effort expectancy are the strongest determinants of healthcare professionals’ attitudes concerning their intention to use future e-Health/EHR systems. Perceived usefulness and performance expectancy were excluded, or showed a weak effect in the overall prediction model. The findings on the importance of technology acceptance constructs (perceived ease of use and effort expectancy) are novel, and differ from those described in the relevant literature, where perceived usefulness and performance expectancy were identified as the most effective predictors of behaviour in healthcare settings. Technology acceptance variables such as job relevance, subjective norm, facilitating conditions, descriptive norm, and social influence were identified as having a strong influence on intentions to use prospective e-Health/EHR systems. Conclusions: This research assessed the national readiness for acceptance of future e-Health/EHR systems in an SEE country, and yielded novel findings that contribute to our current knowledge of technology acceptance in healthcare. Therefore, the findings of this Thesis can serve as a basis on which to build a bridge between policy makers, (i.e., government and management), industry, (i.e., producers of ICT hardware and software for healthcare), and end users (i.e., healthcare professionals). A set of specific measures are proposed for future managerial and policy interventions concerning the implementation of e-Health/EHR systems in a developing country in SEE. Finally, this may have many benefits, including reducing time and costs, making the adoption of e-Health/EHR systems more efficient and providing more effective healthcare.