Grand challenges such as public health, security, genomics, environmental protection, education, and economics, are characterized by complexity, interdependence, globalization, and unpredictability. Although the unprecedented quantity of information surrounding these challenges can provide users with a new perspective on solutions, the data surrounding complex systems vary with respect to levels of structure and authority, and include vastly different contexts and vocabularies. To be successful in this domain we must extend our models of information science such that they operate successfully in environments where the quantity of relevant information far exceeds our human processing capacity. For example, the well-accepted precision and recall metrics break down when hundreds of thousands of documents are relevant. Solutions to grand challenges require that information scientists shift their focus from information retrieval towards information synthesis.

In recent decades there has been a notable expansion of statistical data produced by the public and private sectors for administrative, research, policy and evaluation programmes. This is due to advances in relatively inexpensive and efficient data collection and management of computer-readable statistical data. Corresponding changes have not occurred in the management of data collection, preservation, description and dissemination. As a result, the process by which data become accessible to social researchers and others is frustrating, time consuming, and inefficient. This paper describes the reasons for this situation: the problem-solving workstyle of social data users, the nature of the data and their relationship to computer technology, and an inchoate social science information infrastructure. Since statistical data play an increasingly important role in social research and policy decisions, social science information specialists must be prepared to meet the computer-readable statistical data user's needs. Four strategies are recommended for improving utilization of these data: improving the quality of statistical evidence, educating information professionals and end-users in numerical information, using the existing information infrastructure to preserve and disseminate data, and developing retrieval tools for improving access to information about social data.

This is an early access article. / We investigated the role of subjective factors in the information search process. Forty eight participants each conducted six web searches in a controlled setting. We examined relationships between subjective factors (happiness levels, satisfaction with and confidence in the search results, feeling lost during search, familiarity with and interest in the search topic, estimation of task difficulty), and objective factors (search behavior, search outcomes and search task characteristics). Data analysis was conducted using a multivariate statistical test (Canonical Correlations Analysis). The findings confirmed existence of several relationships suggested by prior research, including relationships between objective search task difficulty and the perception of task difficulty; between subjective states and search behaviors and outcomes. One of the original findings suggests that higher happiness levels before the search and during the search correlate with better feelings after the search, but also correlates with worse search outcomes and lower satisfaction, suggesting that, perhaps, it pays off to feel some â painâ during the search in order to â gainâ quality outcomes.

Sonnenwaldâ s evolving framework for human information behavior (1999) was systematically applied to a set of online community literature to examine whether the frameworkâ s propositions are supported or not, so as to uncover open problems for socio-technical studies of online communities and human information behaviorâ what aspects that are relevant to understanding the reciprocal relationships between technologically-mediated systems, communities and information resources should social informatics be examining, but hasnâ t? Findings are presented.

By 2000, the Internet became an information and communication medium that was integrated in our everyday lives. Following an interdisciplinary approach, the research reported in this article analyzes the wide variety of information that people seek on the Internet and investigates trends in Internet information activities between 2000 and 2004, using repeated cross-sectional data from the Pew Internet & American Life surveys to examine Internet activities that contribute to everyday life and their predictors. The objective is to deepen our understanding of Internet activities and everyday life and contribute to a growing body of research that utilizes large-scale empirical data on Internet use and everyday life. We ask: who is embedding the Internet into their everyday lives and what are the activities they pursue to facilitate everyday life? Findings demonstrate the differential returns for Internet use, particularly in key demographic categories. The study also contributes to emerging research on the digital divide, namely emphasis on the study of use rather than access to technology. Identifying trends in key Internet use dimensions enables policymakers to target populations who underutilize the potential of networked technologies.

This is a preprint of an article accepted for publication in the Journal of the American Society for Information Science © 2008. / By 2000, the Internet became an information and communication medium that was integrated in our everyday lives. Following an interdisciplinary approach, the research reported in this article analyzes the wide variety of information that people seek on the Internet and investigates trends in Internet information activities between 2000 and 2004, using repeated cross-sectional data from the Pew Internet and American Life surveys to examine Internet activities that contribute to everyday life and their predictors. The objective is to deepen our understanding of Internet activities and everyday life and contribute to a growing body of research that utilizes large-scale empirical data on Internet use and everyday life. We ask: who is embedding the Internet into their everyday lives and what are the activities they pursue to facilitate everyday life? Findings demonstrate the differential returns for Internet use, particularly in key demographic categories. The study also contributes to emerging research on the digital divide, namely emphasis on the study of use rather than access to technology. Identifying trends in key Internet use dimensions enables policymakers to target populations who underutilize the potential of networked technologies.

Is there a relationship between work role and information seeking behavior? Three behaviors were examined: choice of information channel, choice of method for information retrieval, and choice of method for storing retrieved information. The Protestant clergy was selected as a profession with clearly identified work roles, including preacher and administrator. Questionnaires were mailed to 150 randomly selected ministers in Tarrant County, Texas. Sixty-four responded. Additionally, fifteen ministers selected at random were interviewed for additional data. The data collected through the questionnaires were analyzed using nonparametric statistical techniques.

This is a pre-print of an article that is accepted for publication in RUSQ Spring or Summer of 2008. / This article considers the teaching role of reference librarians by studying the teachable moment in reference transactions, and usersâ response to that instruction. An empirical study of instruction was conducted in both virtual and traditional reference milieus, examining three services: IM (Instant Messaging), chat, and face-to-face reference. The authors used the same criteria in separate studies of all three to determine if librarians provided analogous levels of instruction and what factors influenced the likelihood of instruction. Methodology employed transcript analysis, observation, and patron surveys. Findings indicated that patrons wanted instruction in their reference transactions, regardless of medium, and librarians provided it. However, instructional techniques used by librarians in virtual reference differ somewhat from those used at the reference desk. The authors conclude that reference transactions, in any medium, represent the patronsâ point-of-need, thereby presenting the ideal teachable moment.

本研究旨在探討澎湖縣國小教師教學資訊需求與資訊尋求行為，透過問卷對全澎湖縣40所國小之教師進行普查，以瞭解澎湖縣國小教師之教學資訊需求及資訊尋求行為概況，接著對10位同意接受訪談，且年資在5年以上之國小教師進行深度訪談，透過問卷調查及訪談分析，本研究發現如下： 在教學資訊需求方面，澎湖縣國小教師教學資訊之需求以能『補充教材內容，擴展學生見聞，引發學生學習興趣，提升學習專注力』之教學資訊為主；社會、國語及自然三科較需要額外補充教學資訊；這些額外的教學資訊多運用在課堂之發展活動；數位影音類型教學資訊受大多數教師喜愛，特別是YouTube上的影片。 在資訊尋求行為方面，澎湖縣國小教師教學資訊尋求管道以網路搜尋為主(Google最多)，選擇管道考量方便且能快速取得資訊，選用資訊時則會考量資訊的正確性、方便性、與教學內容相關性、易懂性。找尋教學資訊之干擾因素較多教師表示為：行政工作太多、交通不便、澎湖書店太少、研習很少符合需要、教學設備不夠完善。尋求資訊時的困難主要為『資料量過多，難以篩選』，而解決方式以『請教同儕教師』為主。 研究結果提出對教育主管單位之建議為：(一)減少行政工作與無益於提升學生基本能力之活動，或增加學校員額編制減少上課時數，讓教師有更多心思專注於教學上；(二)提高設備維護經費，使教學設備更完善；(三)加強與穩定網路品質；(四)精緻化研習活動，使研習活動符合需求；(五)整合教育資源，訓練教師運用；至於對圖書館之建議為：(一)希望延長開放時間；(二)希望增加館藏及數位化資源；(三)專業圖書館人員進駐小學協助管理學校圖書館；(四)加強圖書館推廣服務。 / This study was to analyze the teaching information needs and information seeking behaviors of elementary school teachers in Penghu County. The questionnaires mailed to 40 elementary school teachers. . This study also had in-depth interviews conducted with school teachers who have more than five years teaching experience to realize their opinions of information needs and behaviors. The results are summarized two parts. On teaching information needs, the information needs of elementary school teachers in Penghu County were to “supply teaching materials, broaden students’ horizons, arouse students' curiosity interests in learning, and improve learning concentrated attentionion”. Especially in Social Studies, Mandarin and Natural Sscience need more additional supplements of teaching information. This additional teaching information usually used in the development of classroom activities. Most teachers were used to rely on digital audio and video types of teaching information, especially videos on YouTube. On information seeking behaviors, the teachers were mostly using search engines on internet as their teaching information seeking channels (Google is the most popular one). The main considerations of seeking route selecting were convenient and easy to get information. On information selecting, the teachers would consider the information validity, convenience, teaching contents relevance, and understandability. The interference factors to seek teaching information were too much administrative works, traffic inconvenience, lack of bookstores in Penghu, teachers’ learning courses rarely met their real needs, and teaching equipment not good enough. The main difficulties when seeking information were "too much amount of data, and difficult to select". Most teachers’ solution was "to ask their colleagues for advice ". Five suggestions for educational administration: 1. Reduce administrative works and profitless activities or recruit more school staffs to reduce teachers’ workload, so that teachers could have more energy to focus on teaching. 2. Increase the maintenance budget to keep teaching equipment always in a good condition. 3. Strengthen and stabilize Internet network quality. 4. Refine teachers’ learning courses to meet the real needs of teachers. 5. Integrate educational resources and train teachers how to use. Four suggestions for the library: 1. Extend the opening hours. 2. Increase the amount of library collections and digital resources. 3. Recruit professional library personnel into primary schools to assist. 4. Strengthen the promotion of library services.

A survey was conducted of 969 science researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This long survey concluded with three questions requesting usersâ perceptions of the strengths and weaknesses of the campus libraries, and what single improvement the libraries could make to support scientific research and education. While the scope of these questions was more limited than large-scale surveys such as LibQUAL+TM, the results largely confirmed information from a local implementation of that survey. In addition, an interactive visualization tool was developed to help with analysis of the resulting comments. A summary of the major findings, recommendations for library improvements, and overall conclusions is given.