Email has become deeply embedded in many users' daily lives. To investigate how email features in users lives, particularly how users attend to email and get lost within it, I ran five studies that probed how users determined relevancy of messages, logged interactions with email, gathered diary entries related to individual sessions, and investigated the gratifications sought from email use. For the first study, I performed an exploratory experiment in the laboratory to determine how participants assessed the importance of individual emails (N=10). The next investigation I undertook involved three different studies, which I detail individually: a survey on email usage (N=54); a two-week study of email usage (N=20); and finally, the application of Attentional Network Test (N=9). My final study was to validate my findings around the reasons for attending to email, this was done through deploying a survey that followed the Uses and Gratification Theory tradition (N=52) In my studies I found that the majority of attentional effort is around reading email and participating in conversations, as opposed to email management. I also found that participants attended to email primarily based on notifications, instead of the number of unread messages in their inbox. I present my results through answering several research questions, and leverage Conversation Analysis (CA), particularly conversation openings, to explicate several problematic aspects around email use. My findings point to inefficiencies in email as a communication medium, mainly, around how summons are (or are not) issued. This results in an increased burden on email users to maintain engagement and determine (or construct) the appropriate moment for interruption. My findings have several implications: email triage does not seem to be problematic for the participants in my studies, somewhat in contrast to previous research; much of the problem around email, particularly emph{getting lost in email} is in managing the tension between promptly responding to messages while limiting engagement with email; due to the social nature of the problems with email, modifications to the email client are limited in their potential effectiveness to prevent getting lost and reduce email related anxiety. / Ph. D.

Multiple devices such as desktops, laptops, and cell phones are often used to manage users' personal information, such as files, calendars, contacts, emails, and bookmarks. This dissertation presents the results of two studies that examined users' mental workload in this context, especially when transitioning tasks from one device to another. In a survey of 220 knowledge workers, users reported high frustration with current devices' support for task migration, e.g. making files available on multiple machines. To investigate further, I conducted a controlled experiment with 18 participants. While they performed PIM tasks, I measured their mental workload using subjective measures and physiological measures. Some systems provide support for transitioning users' work between devices, or for using multiple devices together; I explored the impact of such support on mental workload and task performance. Participants performed three tasks (Files, Calendar, Contacts) with two treatment conditions each (lower and higher support for migrating tasks between devices.) This dissertation discusses my findings: workload measures obtained using the subjective NASA TLX scale were able to discriminate between tasks, but not between the two conditions in each task. Task-Evoked Pupillary Response, a continuous measure, was sensitive to changes within each task. For the Files task, a significant increase in workload was noted in the steps before and after task migration. Participants entered events faster into paper calendars than into an electronic calendar, though there was no observable difference in workload. For the Contacts task, task performance was equal, but mental workload was higher when no synchronization support was available between their cell phone and their laptop. Little to no correlation was observed between task performance and both workload measures, except in isolated instances. This suggests that neither task performance metrics nor workload assessments alone offer a complete picture of device usability in multi-device personal information ecosystems. Traditional usability metrics that focus on efficiency and effectiveness are necessary, but not sufficient, to evaluate such designs. Given participants' varying subjective perceptions of these systems and differences in task-evoked pupillary response, aspects of hot cognition such as emotion, pleasure, and likability show promise as important parameters in system evaluation. / Ph. D.

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the Masters Degree in Library and Information Science at the University of Zululand in the Department of Library and Information Science, South Africa, 2011. / This study investigated the feasibility of providing Library and Information Management higher education and training locally in Swaziland. It aimed to determine if it is possible and necessary for Swaziland to be involved in the education and training of its own Library and Information Management professionals within the country. The study was centered on two major concerns facing the country with respect to Library and Information Management practice. These were the dependence of the country on foreign schools to acquire higher education and training, and the required funding to import such education and training into the country. Also highlighted were issues of the relevance of the imported education and training and major concerns concerning funding for higher education and training in other countries. The study had seven objectives as follows: • To investigate the state of Library and Information Management higher education and training in Swaziland • To determine if there is a need for the local higher education and training of candidates to the profession and existing professionals in Swaziland • To investigate whether or not there is a market for Library and Information Management professionals to be educated and trained in Swaziland • To investigate the availability of infrastructure that is required for providing higher education and training in Library and Information Management in Swaziland • To establish the challenges and opportunities of providing Library and Information Management higher education and training in the country • To determine the feasibility of providing Library and Information Management higher education and training in Swaziland with respect to cost, relevance and human resources • To determine the role of major stakeholders, such as the government and the Library and Information Professional Association, in providing local higher education and training in Library and Information Management The study targeted five population groups as follows: • Prospective entrants to the Library and Information Management profession • Existing and practicing Library and Information Management employees • Job advertisements for Library and Information Management personnel • Existing and potential employers of Library and Information Management employees • Training institutions likely to host Library and Information Management higher education and training In this study, both qualitative and quantitative data was obtained using survey questionnaires, interviews, content analysis, and observation. Questionnaires gathered data from prospective entrants to the profession of Library and Information Management and existing employees in the profession. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with current and potential employers in the government and major Library and Information Management service organizations. Content analysis of newspaper advertisements for the job market in Library and Information Management was performed on two v local dailies spanning a period of four years (2005 - 2008). Observation was conducted in two higher education institutions to check whether or not they were capable of hosting Library and Information Management education. Prospective entrants, employees, employers and the training institutions highly favoured higher education in Library and Information Management within the country. 155 (64 %) of the prospective entrants expressed their willingness to join the profession of Library and Information Management and pursue higher education, and this could increase to 196 (81 %) with effective marketing campaigns that would woe the 41 (17 %) who were undecided / flexible prospective entrants. Many employees also expressed their desire for local higher education in Library and Information Management. The employees – most with foreign-acquired qualifications – desired to further their higher education and training in the local environment. Employers also continuously emphasized the feasibility of hosting higher education in Library and Information Management in Swaziland. The employers suggested that Swaziland must first introduce diploma programs before proceeding to degree levels. The government as a stakeholder ensured its financial support in sponsoring the pursuit of local higher education in Library and Information Management by local candidates. Both of the visited higher education institutions were suitable in terms of infrastructure. The University of Swaziland displayed more infrastructure and resources and is suitable for both graduate and postgraduate programs. Mananga’s infrastructure and resources could host a diploma and certificate program in Library and Information Management. Content analysis was performed on 98 newspaper advertisements obtained from 2084 papers. The percentage of the obtained advertisements against the total number of papers scanned was low at 9 %. This would suggest low feasibility, but only if the expectation is that job advertisements for a profession would run every day in a local newspaper. Employers in Library and Information Management, however, insisted on the availability of jobs in the local market and highlighted several positive indicators of a growing market in this profession. It was recommended that in hosting programs, the duplication of hosting institutions should be avoided for a small country like Swaziland, and stakeholder participation and involvement should be maintained for the continued success of the education programs. Relevance should also be fairly addressed and balanced for the local, regional and international applicability of locally acquired qualifications. Tracer studies on the usefulness of the educational programs against changing needs of the market would be necessary, and within the first five years, assessments should be conducted in order to positively influence the programs.

Refinding electronic information is a common problem, yet it has received less study than the problem of how to find information for the first time. In this dissertation, I examine how people approach tasks to refind information they have seen on the Web and factors that may affect refinding. I conducted a controlled, laboratory study in which participants participated in two sessions: one to find information for a set of 18 tasks and a second session, about a week later, to attempt a set of counterpart refinding tasks. Results indicate that finding and refinding do have differences, but not for all types of tasks. The use of Web search engines was not observed to change significantly from the first session to the second. However, for tasks that participants were more familiar with, search engines were used less. Tasks that involved refinding a subset of the information that was found in the first session took longer to complete and were perceived as more difficult. Participants often went directly to known resources on the Web to start their searches. These sets of known resources included many on-line counterparts of paper resources such as telephone directories, dictionaries, and newspapers. For many tasks, participants used the same starting strategy to refind the information that they used find it, indicating strong patterns of access. This work contributes to the base of knowledge about how people refind information and the factors that affect refinding. It also contributes to the research field of information refinding and personal information management by identifying dimensions and factors that affect refinding. The results reported have implications for the design of Web sites and information repositories, the design of tools to help users find and refind information, and for the research community studying personal information management. / Ph. D.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Masters of Commerce in Management, 2018 / This study sought to contribute to a further convergence between three topical research areas: Personal Knowledge Management (PKM), Individual Work Performance (IWP) and SelfPerceived Employability (SPE). Specifically, this study investigated the moderating effect of SPE on the relationship between PKM and IWP. PKM is an interdisciplinary concept, connected with management science, information science; information technology and other disciplines. The shift from the industrial economy to the knowledge economy has contributed to the surfacing of the knowledge-based view of the organisations and the emergence of the concept of knowledge workers or “people who think for a living” (Davenport, 2005). Knowledge workers are individuals who possess or seek to develop unique cognitive competencies and skills built upon effective PKM. While it has been acknowledged in the literature that PKM encompasses a competency aspect on the one hand and a technological perspective on the other hand, the overall reflection conducted in this study claimed to be skills/competencies centric. In that regard, a competency model developed by Kirby (2005, 2008) comprising of four-fold dimensions was used in this study to measure PKM. These four dimensions include analytical competencies (ANL), social competencies (SOC), information competencies (INF) and learning competencies (LRN). The construct of IWP relates to the individual behaviours or actions displayed by knowledge workers which are relevant to the goals of the organisation. This implies that IWP focuses on behaviours or actions of workers rather than the results of these actions. In addition, these behaviours should be under the control of the individual, thus excluding behaviours that are constrained by the environment. IWP was measured using the three components relevant to the IWP namely task performance (TSK), contextual performance (CON) and counterproductive work behavior (CWB). Employability concerns the extent to which people possess the skills and other attributes to find and stay in the kind of work they want. Such individuals are assumed to display a greater propensity to IWP. SPE is relating to a self-assessment of the employees as to how the organisation they are working for value them as individuals. Most importantly, SPE is associated with v individuals’ self-perception of their merit based more on their personal competencies than features of their occupation. Through a review of relevant literature this study discussed how PKM impacts IWP, and how SPE can potentially impact that relationship. This study used a sample of working professional students studying at Wits Plus (the University of the Witwatersrand’s centre for part-time studies), Wits Business School and Wits School of Governance and will perform Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) and hierarchical regression for data analysis. / XL2019

Collaborative engineering assumes a common understanding of the domain. To make joint decisions the engineers must have a common language to start from. Standards such as STEP may be used to communicate engineering data but to speak about information integration and interoperability there must be ways to expose and share concepts as well. By defining the concepts in a reference data library it is possible to extend the generic information models with a more precise definition of the content being exchanged. However, since concepts are depending on the context (the business) they have to be identified and defined. Thus, to reach this level of integration we must take a broader approach to information modelling incorporating product realization concepts into our modelling effort. This thesis presents a new reference model for manufacturing applications. It shows how the business may be modelled to identify the product realization concepts and how to foster a shared understanding of the information being exchanged using available technology. The reference model has been used and verified when developing the PIL application; a kind of engineering process support system for machine procurement, but may also be used in a wider sense when developing the next generation of model driven solutions. / QC 20101118

Personal Information Management (PIM) studies the practice of storing, organizing, and retrieving information by an individual in support of their roles and tasks (Bergman, et al., 2004). One important problem in PIM is information fragmentation (IF) — the condition of having data in different formats, distributed across multiple locations, manipulated by different applications, and residing in a generally disconnected manner (Tungare, 2007). IF can conflict with the PIM ideal that users should have access to the right information at the right time, in the right place, in the right form, and of sufficient completeness and quality to perform the task at hand (Bergman, et al., 2004). It is typically assumed that IF is unintentional, and occurs as a result of the many applications and devices we use to do our daily work. It is further assumed that IF is "bad" or has negative consequences. In this thesis, I study when IF occurs intentionally. Intentional IF (IIF) refers to the fragmentation in PIM that occurs when a person fragments his or her own personal data purposefully. Although research into the problem of IF has been growing quickly in the past decade, IIF has not been investigated in the literature. Prior studies have portrayed IF as a problematic type of information management. Email is a common context in which IF is found. While IF in email may be unintentional, such as when required by an employer, it is also likely to be intentional, as is the case when users use separate email accounts for different purposes. To further the research in this field, this project investigated the phenomenon of IIF in email by conducting and analyzing data from an online survey. In addition to finding the extent of IIF in email, the survey addressed what motivates the participant to purposely fragment their email as well as the advantages and disadvantages in doing so. My study is the first that has explored intentional fragmentation of information. The findings of this study show that IIF exists in email usage, revealing that IIF occurs across a user's devices and also across a user's multiple email accounts. The two most common motivations for IIF are to keep information separated by the user's social roles (work, school, personal communications, etc.), and to filter out extraneous information in order to simplify their information management. These results show that in addition to the negative consequences of IF there also exists positive uses of IF, that is helpful for some users. / Master of Science

Submitted to the faculty of the University Graduate School in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Science in the School of Informatics, Indiana University June 2005 / The large volume of data generated by commercial and research laboratories, along with requirements mandated by regulatory agencies, have forced companies to use laboratory information management systems (LIMS) to improve efficiencies in tracking, managing samples, and precisely reporting test results. However, most general purpose LIMS do not provide an interface to automatically collect data from analytical instruments to store in a database. A scientific data management system (SDMS) provides a “Print-to-Database” technology, which facilitates the entry of reports generated by instruments directly into the SDMS database as Windows enhanced metafiles thus to minimize data entry errors. Unfortunately, SDMS does not allow performing further analysis. Many LIMS vendors provide plug-ins for single instrument but none of them provides a general purpose interface to extract the data from SDMS and store in LIMS. In this project, a general purpose middle layer named LabTechie is designed, built and tested for seamless integration between instruments, SDMS and LIMS. This project was conducted at American Institute of Technology (AIT) Laboratories, an analytical laboratory that specializes in trace chemical measurement of biological fluids. Data is generated from 20 analytical instruments, including gas chromatography/mass spectrometer (GC/MS), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometer (LC/MS), and currently stored in NuGenesis SDMS iv (Waters, Milford, MA). This approach can be easily expanded to include additional instruments.

Providing an effective mechanism for personal information retrieval is important for many applications, and requires different techniques than have been developed for general web search. This thesis focuses on developing retrieval models and representations for personal search, and on designing evaluation frameworks that can be used to demonstrate retrieval effectiveness in a personal environment. From the retrieval model perspective, personal information can be viewed as a collection of multiple document types each of which has unique metadata. Based on this perspective, we propose a retrieval model that exploits document metadata and multi-type structure. Proposed retrieval models were found to be effective in other structured document collections, such as movies and job descriptions. Associative browsing is another search method that can complement keyword search. To support this type of search, we propose a method for building an association graph representation by combining multiple similarity measures based on a user's click patterns. We also present a learning techniques for refining the graph structure based on user's clicks. Evaluating these methods is particularly challenging for personal information due to privacy issues. This thesis introduces a set of techniques that enables realistic and repeatable evaluation of techniques for personal information retrieval. In particular, we describe techniques for simulating test collections and show that game-based user studies can collect more realistic usage data with relatively small cost.

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