Access and use of information facilitate the improvement of agriculture in rural areas. It is therefore important to ensure that adequate and appropriate information flows to the rural areas, and that farmers are able to utilise it. This study investigated the access and use of poultry management information in three rural districts of Tanzania, namely Iringa Rural, Morogoro Rural and Mvomero. The survey method, supplemented by methodological triangulation, was used to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 360 poultry farmers in the selected rural communities. Sixteen focus group discussions were conducted, in which 160 farmers participated. Twenty-two information providers were interviewed. The SPSS® software was used to analyse quantitative data, while qualitative data was analysed using content analysis. The findings indicated that poultry farmers needed information on poultry disease control, poultry protection, shelter for poultry and poultry production. There was very low identification and prioritisation of farmers’ information needs by the information providers. Farmers accessed information that had a direct impact and was deemed relevant to their farming activities. It was revealed that farmers accessed information mainly from interpersonal sources. Likewise, farmers preferred interpersonal and informal sources to formal sources of information. The extension officers were considered to be the most effective information source, followed by family, friends, and neighbours. Various factors, such as lack of awareness, unavailability of extension officers and poor infrastructure, influenced access and use of poultry management information. It was concluded that most of the information providers were not aware of the farmers’ information needs, and as a result they were not in a position to disseminate relevant information. In addition, farmers were used to an oral culture, which means that they would probably continue to depend on interpersonal sources of information, regardless of the availability of formal channels and modern sources. The study recommended several measures, including the use of multiple sources of information and delivery of information in a variety of formats, in order to accommodate various categories of farmers. The study also suggested some areas for further research. Furthermore, a model for effective dissemination of poultry management information in rural areas was proposed. / Information Science / D. Litt. et Phil. (Information Science)

Advances in information technology (IT) and the global shift from governance to e-governance in the public sector have motivated Uganda to put in place a robust information communication technology (ICT) infrastructure to enhance citizen access to e-information and information flow for e-governance in its local governments. However, this has not been realized due to a lack of functional information systems. This study investigated critical issues in information access and flow in Isingiro district and Mbarara municipality – two of Uganda’s upper local governments – with the aim of modeling an information system to support e-governance in these governments. Rooted in a pragmatist epistemology with an orientation towards mixed methods research (MMR), the study adopted a methodological triangulation technique. A convergent design was adopted that involved the concurrent collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data. A random sampling scheme was used to select 360 participants from 8 study sites for a questionnaire survey, while a purposive sampling scheme was used to select 64 people to participate in 8 focus group discussions (FGDs) and 25 in key informant interviews. The findings of the study indicate that citizen access to e-governance information in the local governments is low. Information flow to the citizens is constrained by lack of affordable media outlets, so the local governments are forced to keep frequency of government to citizen (G2C) communication to a bare minimum. Worse still, government communication lacks formal programming: neither is it based on an information needs assessment of the citizens nor does it have a feedback mechanism. There are also myriad factors breeding inequality and social disadvantage within the communities that constrain citizen access to ICT tools and e-skills. The findings show also that the current e-governance models are ICT-intensive and highly reliant on the Internet, so they require higher e-skills levels and higher diffusion of ICT tools than those currently available in developing countries. The models are also largely civil society oriented. However, a SWOT analysis shows that the local governments have the capacity to implement a home-grown, hybrid e-governance system of information access and flow. The study recommends inter alia that the local governments establish their own broadcasting services, base their public communications on citizen e-information needs, and design multi-media communication strategies combining traditional and convergent media. More importantly, the study recommends the implementation of an interactive, hybrid and multimedia e-governance information system, whose model it articulates. / Information Science / D. Litt. et Phil. (Information Science)

Submitted by Viviane Lima da Cunha (viviane@biblioteca.ufpb.br) on 2017-04-26T11:03:00Z No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 1142146 bytes, checksum: f468a21d470ff41f9655736745ead38c (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-04-26T11:03:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 1142146 bytes, checksum: f468a21d470ff41f9655736745ead38c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-03-28 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / The necessity of informational democratization, such as, tools and resources that enable the reach of some required information, has become indispensable to reflect about professional duties that intermediate such process. In the field of archival information, this professional will be the archivist. Immersed in a public institutional reality, it arises some legal directions to be applied for, in due time the law of information access (LAI) that specifically contemplates the access and the secrecy of public information. It emerges the following research question: Which aspects the law of information access (LAI) and its guidelines can interfere with the archivist professional duties from public institutional universities in relation to social and ethic responsibility? This research aims to understand the archivist professional duties in the perspective of social and ethic responsibility before and after the law of information access published. The specific objectives are: to trace the archivist legislation and the LAI with the archivist reality; to determine the current duties form the archivist in front of the reality imposed by the LAI; to situate the previous and current archivist duties from Federal University from Paraíba (UFPB) in use of LAI; to identify the social and ethic posture from the archivist in the face of applied change of LAI. In methodological terms, this research is characterized as a case study because it seeks the reality of archivist professional at UFPB as a field survey. It uses bricolage as a strategy to contemplate lack of information from other researchers. The data collection is based on semi structured interviews to identify the qualitative nature of this research. In relation to data analysis, it uses the sense interpretation as a method that Minayo (2005) carrying out Norman Denzin words who defends as a comprehension possibility of social reality done by the range of its approach view. It can be elicited there are some real distance from the archivist and the LAI applicability and also the changes of professional duties in social and ethic responsibility aspects. The limitations are structural, people and their qualification. It affirms the lack of this career recognition at college. Thus, there is a real necessity to reframe the archivist parameters inside UFPB to attend the archivist providing services in order to get professional incentive and the archivist duties within a concept of social responsibility at university. Therefore, the archivist public policies might be constituted in a solid and multidisciplinary knowledge through the holistic view of the archival reality in this institution. It might be structured in accordance with all the professionals who work in archival centers. It must be indispensable to the archivists leadership and union in their career needs. / A necessidade de democratização informacional, ou seja, de instrumentos e meios que viabilizem o alcance das informações solicitadas, tornou indispensável a reflexão no que tange às atribuições dos profissionais que intermedeiam tal processo. No campo das informações arquivísticas, este profissional será o arquivista. Imersos em uma realidade institucional pública, surgem direcionamentos legais a serem aplicados, dentre eles a Lei de Acesso à Informação (LAI), que contempla especificamente o acesso e o sigilo das informações públicas. Isso faz surgir à seguinte questão de pesquisa: em que aspectos a Lei de Acesso à Informação e as suas diretrizes incidem nas atribuições do profissional arquivista das instituições públicas universitárias no que diz respeito à responsabilidade ética e social? O objetivo principal da pesquisa envolve compreender as atribuições do profissional arquivista na perspectiva da responsabilidade ética e social anteriores e após a publicação da Lei de Acesso à Informação. Como objetivos específicos, temos: traçar o caminho paralelo entre a legislação Arquivística e a LAI, perante a realidade do profissional arquivista; constatar as atuais atribuições dos profissionais arquivistas perante a realidade imposta pela LAI; situar as atribuições anteriores e atuais do arquivista da Universidade Federal da Paraíba perante a LAI; e identificar a postura social e ética do profissional arquivista, diante das mudanças aplicadas pela LAI. Em termos metodológicos, a pesquisa caracteriza-se como estudo de caso, por visualizar a realidade dos profissionais arquivistas da Universidade Federal da Paraíba como campo do estudo. Utiliza a estratégia da bricolagem para completar possíveis vazios deixados por outros pesquisadores e, dessa forma, encontra o viés a ser estudado. A coleta de dados utiliza-se das entrevistas semiestruturadas para, de forma coerente, identificar a natureza qualitativa da pesquisa. A análise dos dados realiza-se através do método de interpretação de sentidos que Minayo (2005), com base em Norman Denzin, defende como a possibilidade de compreensão da realidade social feita por aproximação exercita a disposição de percebê-la por vários ângulos. Constata-se o real distanciamento dos arquivistas em relação à aplicabilidade da LAI, como também das mudanças nas atribuições profissionais nos seus aspectos de responsabilidade ética e social. As limitações são estruturais, pessoais e de qualificação e reafirmam a falta de reconhecimento da universidade com a classe. Logo, há real necessidade de uma reestruturação dos parâmetros arquivísticos dentro da UFPB, visando à melhoria na prestação dos serviços arquivísticos, através de incentivo profissional, elevando as atribuições do profissional arquivista ao conceito de responsabilidade social na universidade. Finalmente, a construção de políticas públicas arquivísticas sólidas e o conhecimento multidisciplinar, por meio de visão holística da realidade dos arquivos da instituição, devem ser construídos em consonância com todos os profissionais que trabalham diretamente nos arquivos. Como defendido pelos arquivistas, a liderança e a união da classe tornam-se imprescindíveis.

Submitted by Rachel Pereira (rachelprr@yahoo.com.br) on 2015-12-14T16:32:00Z No. of bitstreams: 1 CARAN Gustavo - 2015 - Mestrado.pdf: 2529697 bytes, checksum: 787e5067e2f1a19f5990909722f0a092 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-12-14T16:32:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 CARAN Gustavo - 2015 - Mestrado.pdf: 2529697 bytes, checksum: 787e5067e2f1a19f5990909722f0a092 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-03-06 / A presente pesquisa tem como objetivo investigar quais os fatores facilitadores e dificultadores no acesso à informação pelo deficiente visual, e que afetam a sua qualidade de vida. Inicialmente, através de uma revisão narrativa da literatura, a pesquisa traz uma discussão teórica sobre os conceitos centrais da pesquisa (Deficiente Visual, Acesso à Informação e Promoção da Saúde), e sobre os fatores de suporte no acesso à informação pelo deficiente visual (Suporte Cognitivo, Suporte Social e Suporte Tecnológico). Em uma segunda etapa, através da Revisão Sistemática da Literatura (RSL) e da Meta-Etnografia, foi realizado um levantamento de evidências de dificultadores e facilitadores no acesso à informação. As evidências foram classificadas em oito categorias, de acordo com a responsabilidade atribuída a esses fatores. A terceira etapa teve como objetivo específico avaliar a potencialidade das ferramentas tecnológicas de redes sociais para o suporte social do deficiente visual. Para tal, foi realizado um estudo de caso quantitativo exploratório no grupo Low Vision do Facebook, utilizando a técnica de Análise de Redes Sociais (ARS). Os resultados gerais da pesquisa apontaram para um conjunto variado de fatores intervenientes no acesso à informação, de caráter multidisciplinar, sobrepostos e interrelacionados. Aspectos de natureza social foram percebidos como os mais frequentes segundo a revisão sistemática. O estudo de caso apontou para dezesseis categorias temáticas de assuntos existentes, e para uma rede social relativamente densa no suporte oferecido, em comparação com os padrões de comportamento de ambientes da Web. O suporte oferecido é mais frequente, mas promove menor interação com os usuários em relação ao suporte solicitado. O suporte do tipo instrumental apresentou resultado similar ao suporte oferecido, uma vez que foi mais frequente, porém resultou em relações menos abrangentes e intensas. A pesquisa apontou para a necessidade de avaliar a dinâmica dos fatores intervenientes no acesso à informação, e o grau de impacto causado na qualidade de vida do deficiente visual. As ferramentas de redes sociais podem ser importantes canais para a promoção da saúde por meio do suporte social. A análise de redes sociais mostrou-se uma técnica importante para análise das trocas de informação em ambientes digitais para o suporte social. / The following study aims to analyse the factors that enable and hinder the information access by visually impaired individuals, which affect their quality of life. Initially, by means of a narrative literature review, this research brings a theoretical discussion about this work’s core concepts (Visually Impaired Individual, Access to Information, Promotion of Health) and also the supporting factors in the access to information by the visually impaired (Cognitive Support, Social Support, Technological Support). During a second phase, by means of a Systematic Review of Literature (SRL) and also Metha-Etnography evidence regarding enabling and hindering factors was gathered. The data was then arranged in eight categories, according to the responsibility attributed to these factors. The third phase had the specific goal of evaluating the potential of social networks to be a support for visually impaired individuals. In order to do so, a quantitative exploratory case study of the Facebook group Low Vision was carried out, by means of the Social Network Analysis technique (SNA). The overall results of the research point to a diverse combination of multidisciplinary, juxtaposed, interrelated factors, which interfere in the information access. According to systematic review, social aspects have been found to exist as the most frequent. The case study has pointed out to sixteen themed categories of existing topics, as well as to a relatively dense social network surrounding the support offered, in comparison patterns of behavior in Web (online) environments. The support offered is more frequent, but promotes fewer interactions with users in relation to the support requested. The instrumental type of support has presented similar results in comparison to the support offered, since it has been more frequent. However, it resulted in relationships that were less broad and less intense. The research has pointed the need to evaluate the dynamics of intervening factors in information access, and the extent of the impact caused in the quality of life of the visually impaired. The tools provided by social networks may be important channels for the promotion of health by means of the provision of a social support group. The analysis of social networks has shown itself to be an important technique for the analysis of information exchanged in online environments for social support.

Diploma thesis The Right to be Forgotten on the Internet applies to the functions of Internet search engines, search algorithms and the impact of the digital footprint that on the Internet user essentially leaves. With this issue is, on the one hand, inseparably linked the protection of personal data in the online environment, on the other hand the constitutionally enshrined right to information and other fundamental rights. Not ignored should be also the risk of censorship of the Internet. An application of the right to be forgotten adds a whole new dimension to this problems. The right to be forgotten is inferred from the judgment of the European Court of Justice on 13 May 2014 in the case Costeja versus Google Spain, where an Internet user named Mario Costeja Gonzáles first succeeded with a request of removal of unflattering information about himself from results of the search engine Google. Thus a reform precedent will have a big impact on seeking information on the Internet in the future, since the pronouncement of the judgment about the removal of his personal data may ask any European Internet user. The thesis aims to analyze the issue of right to be forgotten in the context of searching for information on the Internet in the European Internet environment - it means not to be searched on the...

Die Digitalisierung von kulturellen Gütern und der darausfolgende Online-Zugang zu ihnen hat dazu geführt, dass Gedächtnisinstitutionen wie Museen, Bibliotheken und Archive, neue Instrumente für Nutzer bereitstellen können mit denen das kulturelle Erbe erlebbar gemacht werden kann. Diese Dissertation beschreibt Interaktionen in kulturellen Informationssystemen und verbindet diese mit Zugangsmöglichkeiten zu digitalen Materialien. Basierend auf Fallstudien und dem Ansatz, Theorien aus empirischen Daten zu gewinnen (Grounded Theory), wurde ein theoretischer Rahmen entwickelt, mit dem man Interaktionen beschreiben und analysieren kann. Dieser Bewertungsrahmen für Interaktionen bietet einen ganzheitlichen Ansatz um Interaktionen und deren Zusammenspiel mit dem Informationszugang zu bestimmen. Dieser Zusammenhang hilft Gedächtnisinstitutionen zu verstehen, wie Entscheidungen im Design ihrer Informationsarchitektur den Umgang von Nutzern mit den präsentierten digitalen Artefakten beeinflussen. Der theoretische Rahmen wurde anschließend herangezogen um 72 kulturelle Informationssysteme in einer Inhaltsanalyse eingehender zu studieren. Die Systeme wurden nach ihren Charakteristika in verschiedenen Gruppen - Museen, Bibliotheken, Archive, Aggregatoren, Kollektionen und Gemeinschaften - eingeordnet, zwischen welchen Unterschiede und Gemeinsamkeiten aufgedeckt wurden, die es erlauben Zugang und Interaktionen in jedem einzelnen System besser zu verstehen. Weiterhin wurde der theoretische Rahmen für eine tiefergehende Bewertung eines Systems aus jeder Gruppe genutzt um Empfehlungen für ein effektives Systemdesign zu erarbeiten. Dabei wurde besonderes Augenmerk auf den Einfluss von Interaktionen auf die verschiedenen Zugangsformen gelegt, mit dem Ziel, zweckgerichtete Interaktionen in Systemen anzubieten. Die Dissertation leistet einen wichtigen Beitrag um nachhaltige Interaktionen in Informationssystemen des kulturellen Bereiches zu verstehen, zu bewerten und zu implementieren. / Through digitization of cultural heritage and online access to it, memory institutions such as museums, libraries and archives can provide new instruments for engaging users with cultural heritage. The thesis describes interactions in cultural heritage information systems and links them to access points of the digital material. Based on use cases and a grounded theory approach for data analysis, a framework for interactions was developed. This framework offers a holistic approach to understand interactions and their interplay with information access. The interrelatedness allows stakeholders in cultural heritage institutions to understand that each decision in the information design influences how users access and interact with digital material. The framework was then used in a content analysis of 72 cultural heritage systems that were clustered according to their characteristics. The outcomes reveal shortcomings and pinned down peculiarities between the groups Museums, Libraries, Archives, Aggregators, Collections and Communities. In a next step, the framework was applied as a tool for evaluation to help shape effective system design that guides the implementation of purposeful interactions. For that, one system per cultural heritage group was chosen as a use case for the evaluation. The results are recommendations for a more effective system design that acknowledges the impact of interactions on the access modes. This dissertation promotes a new perspective on interactions and derives strategies for effective system design.

Während die Bedeutung von mehrsprachigem Zugang zu Informationssystemen unumstritten ist, bleibt es unklar, ob und in welchem Umfang Systemfunktionalitäten und -oberflächen sowie das Interaktionsdesign an länder- bzw. sprachspezifisches Nutzerverhalten angepasst werden muss und sollte. Die Dissertation legt den Fokus auf die Identifikation von länder- und sprachspezifischen Unterschieden in Interaktionen mit dem Informationssystem als entscheidende Voraussetzung für die Entwicklung von mehrsprachigen Digitalen Bibliotheken. Durch den Mangel an vergleichbaren Studien -und Analyseansätzen, identifiziert die Studie zunächst Indikatoren, die auf Unterschiede im Verhalten von Nutzern aus unterschiedlichen Ländern und aus unterschiedlichen Sprachgruppen hinweisen können. Basierend auf der Selektion von Indikatoren wurde für die Arbeit ein individuell auf die Problematik von mehrsprachigem Zugang zu Informationssystemen angepasstes Logformat und Analysetool entwickelt, der Europeana Language Logger (ELL). Auf der Grundlage aller Variablen wurden Länderprofile erstellt und grafisch umgesetzt. Diese eignen sich für die Beschreibung und den Vergleich von länder- und sprachspezifischen Interaktionen innerhalb eines bestimmten Systems. Um die Erkenntnisse aus der Fallstudie verallgemeinern können, wurde auf der Basis einer Clusteranalyse eine Gewichtung von starken und schwachen Variablen für die Identifizierung von länder- und sprachspezifischen Unterschieden vorgenommen. / While the importance of multilingual access to information systems is unquestioned, it remains unclear if and to what extent system functionalities, interfaces or interaction patterns need to be adapted according to country or language specific user behaviors. This dissertation postulates that the identification of country and language level differences in user interactions is a crucial step for designing effective multilingual digital libraries. Due to the lack of comparable studies and analysis approaches, the research in this dissertation identifies indicators that could show differences in the interactions of users from different countries or languages. A customized logging format and logger (Europeana Language Logger) is developed in order to trace these variables in a digital library. For each investigated variable, differences between country groups are presented and discussed. Country profiles are developed as a tool to visualize different characteristics in comparison. To generalize the findings from the case study, the individual variables are prioritized by determining which ones show the most significant country and language level differences.

自2005年起政府投入經費執行「創造偏鄉數位機會推動計畫」，由教育部協調統合各部會資源，共同推動縮減城鄉數位落差，於台灣地區300偏遠鄉鎮設立168個數位機會中心（Digital Opportunity Center, DOC），協助民眾增進資訊應用能力，以期有效縮減城鄉間的數位落差。政府投入大量資源，建構良好的軟硬體設施，提供偏遠地區居民一個好的上網環境，乃為降低偏鄉地區數位落差的不公平現象，提供偏鄉地區民眾在資訊經濟時代能夠有取得資訊的公平機會。 本研究乃透過台閩地區數位落差調查2004年到2006年的數據資料，了解台灣地區各鄉鎮之數位表現在各個面向上是否有提升，更進一步探究，政府偏鄉數位落差政策實施的區域，其數位表現分數之起伏；其次，政府根據2002年之調查界定政策實施的區域，至今數位能力較低之鄉鎮地區是否已有變化？有哪些鄉鎮並未被列入政策實施之重點區域，但卻為數位能力落後之鄉鎮？ 本研究所使用的方法為次級資料分析法，資料來源為行政院研究考核委員會於九十三至九十五年，委託學術團體、民間單位進行之三次台閩地區數位落差調查。研究發現，偏鄉地區民眾數位能力低於非偏鄉地區民眾，近年來偏鄉民眾之數位能力雖有進步，但是進步幅度仍小於非偏鄉地區民眾。 在設置數位機會點鄉鎮，其數位表現分數雖低於未設置數位機會點鄉鎮，但設置數位機會點鄉鎮民眾之數位能力確實有進步，且進步幅度大於未設置數位機會點鄉鎮之民眾。數位機會中心點之政策內容，乃為加強民眾在資訊近用上之取得與資訊素養能力之提升，研究發現，民眾網路取得機會增加，但是電腦設備的近用性仍然不足，在資訊素養的提升上是有幫助的，而民眾在工作應用、生活應用與資訊蒐集上之提升，乃政策預期以外之收穫。最後，偏遠程度的確是判斷該地區之數位能力一項重要的依據，然而僅以偏遠程度來判斷該鄉鎮之數位能力，卻是不太精確的，因此在數位落差嚴重鄉鎮之界定上，應以數位落差指標取代地理偏遠指標進行界定，將能夠更精確的界定出數位落差嚴重的鄉鎮，並與數位落差政策作連結。 / In the digital era, computers and networks are important tools to broadcast information among people. People who live in urban areas have deeply felt the convenience that information can rapidly bring about. People in rural areas can not enjoy such benefit since. However, there has been the digital divide due to difficulties to access to resources, inadequacy in computer equipment, non-popularity of network use, and poor ability to use information technology. In order to reduce the gap of digital divide between urban and rural areas, Ministry of Education has implemented the 4-year project for Shortening Digital Divide between Urban and Rural Areas by setting up digital opportunity centers (DOCs). It is estimated that 300 DOCs will be set up in 168 rural areas nation-wide. The Research, Development, and Evaluation Commission (RDEC) conducts the digital divide survey every year since 2001. It aims to evaluate the status of information infrastructure implementation and the results of digital divide reduction. The Digital Performance Score for the individual called Digital Score that was derived from the cross indicator weighting analysis by AHP (Analytical Hierarchy Process) was helpful in comparing the digital ability among different groups such as people in rural and urban areas. There are three research questions in the thesis. First of all, I use the secondary data, the digital divide survey from 2004 to 2006, to realize the current situation of digital divide in Taiwan. The results reveal that, during 2004-2006 the Digital Score of people in urban is higher than in rural area. People in urban areas made greater progress compared with those in rural area during the three years. People in rural areas still can not catch up with the people in urban. Secondly, to evaluate the performance of DOCs in rural areas, I have chosen 27 rural towns where there are DOCs during 2005. After comparing the towns with DOCs and those without DOCs, the results show that the towns with DOCs have greater improvement for Digital Score. The third research question to assess the categorization of rural areas is appropriate to compartmentalize the Digital Divide areas. A previous study “Strategic Formulation for Public Information Centers in Rural Areas” published in 2002 by the RDEC, has categorized towns in Taiwan into rural and urban areas by geographic and demographics indicators, such as population density and the convenience of traffic. The study uses the secondary data of 2005 to redefine Digital Divide areas by cluster analysis and find that Digital Divide areas are different from rural areas. To categorize digital divide areas, using digital divide indicators is more appropriate than geographic and demographics indicators.

La mise en banque d’échantillons humains et de données connexes n’est pas une pratique récente. Toutefois, dans les dernières décennies, ce phénomène a pris une ampleur sans précédent avec la création des biobanques populationnelles. Défini comme étant des infrastructures de recherche conçues pour durer plusieurs décennies, ce type de biobanques invite des milliers et, dans certains cas, des centaines de milliers de personnes à y participer en fournissant des échantillons, en se soumettant à des tests physiques et biochimiques, et en répondant à diverses questions sur leur santé et leur environnement sociodémographique. Mais quelles sont les obligations des biobanques et de leurs chercheurs face aux participants? Considérant leur longue durée, quel est l’encadrement juridique de ces biobanques populationnelles au Québec? Ce sont les deux questions que pose ce mémoire. Quant à l’encadrement, nous utilisons trois axes d’analyse : i) les lois, les règlements, la déontologie professionnelle et les normes applicables; ii) la qualification juridique de l’acte de mise en banque d’échantillons et de données; et iii) les obligations découlant de la nature même de l’objet de la relation juridique. Notre analyse révèle que cet encadrement est une mosaïque législative, contractuelle, déontologique et normative qui, malgré ses complexités et ses défis d’accessibilité pour les participants, assure une certaine protection pour ces derniers. Quant aux obligations incombant à la biobanque et à ses chercheurs, elles sont pour la majorité teintées par des caractéristiques particulières aux biobanques populationnelles. Ainsi, il existe des défis particuliers en ce qui concerne notamment le consentement, le devoir d’information, le retour de résultats et la sécurité des échantillons et des données. Étant donné la nature évolutive de ces obligations, nous proposons une approche basée sur le meilleur intérêt du participant pour déterminer la nature et l’intensité des obligations incombant à une biobanque et à ses chercheurs. / The collection of human samples and related data is not a recent practice. However, in the last few decades, such practices have taken much importance mainly due to the creation of population type biobanks. Defined as research infrastructures, they are conceived to last several decades. They invite thousands and, in some cases, hundreds of thousands of participants to contribute their samples, undergo physical and biochemical tests and answer various questions regarding their health and socio-demographic environment. In this context, what are the obligations of these initiatives and the researchers involved therein towards the participants? Considering their duration, what is the legal setting surrounding such biobanks in Québec? These are the two questions addressed by this study. With respect to the legal setting, we propose an analysis based on three axes: i) laws, rules, professional deontology and norms; ii) the legal qualification of the act of banking samples and data; and iii) obligations resulting from the nature of the object of the legal relation. Our analysis reveals that the legal setting surrounding biobanks is a mosaic composed of legislative, contractual, deontological and normative obligations that, despite its complexities and challenges of accessibility for the participant, ensure a certain level of protection for the latter. Regarding the obligations of the biobank and its researchers, they are, for the majority, affected by particularities of population type biobanks. Indeed, specific challenges exist with respect to consent, the obligation to inform, the return of results and the security of samples and data. Given the evolving nature of the theses obligations, we propose to consider an approach based on the best interests of the participants when determining the nature and the intensity of the different obligations applicable to the biobank and its researchers.

The entire world needs and seeks information to survive and thrive in the 21st century as a result of information acquisition, with doctors, lawyers, teachers, students and even the elderly all desiring information for their everyday activities. Researchers of different disciplines working at the various federal institutes in Nigeria are no exceptions to the craving for requisite information that will enable them successfully carry out their numerous research projects undertaken towards achieving sustainable national development. The aim of the study was to investigate the information needs and information-seeking behaviour of researchers at the Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi, Nigeria. This study applied both quantitative and qualitative research approaches for the purpose of triangulation. The quantitative approach had a strong dominance over the qualitative approach in this study. This study adopted the positivist paradigm. The questionnaire, interview and observation data collection tools were the chosen tools used to collect data from researchers from the six departments of the Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi and five professional librarians of the institute’s library. Out of 165 questionnaires that were administered to researchers, a total of 121 were returned (resulting in a response rate of 73%). Inaccuracies were identified in seven copies of the questionnaires which were discarded and not analysed. Therefore, usable returns totalled 114 (67%). Wilson’s 1999 model of information behaviour was used as the theoretical framework. This study revealed that both formal and informal sources were consulted by the researchers. It was important to note that the internet was the information source most commonly used by the researchers to obtain information. The institute’s library was poorly used because it contained outdated library materials and was not equipped with an internet facility. The researchers opted for the use of mobile phone/iPad, personally owned or sourced internet access and business centres (supplying internet services outside the institute) to access information sources for information. The study ascertained that there was undoubtedly an instituted library officially established within the institute to provide information to researchers. But due to socio-economic and political problems faced by the country Nigeria, predominantly with respect to the outlook of poor funding of sustainable library development concerns and the government’s lack of interest in research, outdated library collections and poor information provision services have become the given at the institute’s library. This ultimately brought about pessimistic reactions from the researchers. Among its recommendations, the study suggested that funding the institute’s library in order to update and replace outdated library collections is a priority. An information audit should be carried out to ascertain the current state of ICTs within the institute and the institute’s library should be equipped with an internet facility promptly. Adopting these recommendations would enable researchers to have limitless access to items of information they need for research as they seek for information. / Information Science / D. Phil. (Information Science)