Nine out of ten larger companies have an intranet today which is supposed to improve the communication withinthe company and save money. A great part of these intranets were established in the beginning of the 1990’swithout giving any thought to the users and their needs. How does the communication inside the corporationslook like when the intranets that are supposed to be the source for every information request, aren’t usable? Whatother sources do the users use and how much?The aim of this master thesis is to examine information source selection at a specific company. In addition,the aim is to study the companies intranet usability from the users’ perspective. Interviews with five employeesat Viking Line were carried out to analyze these questions. The empiric material also consists of a survey carriedout among 78 employees of the company. The principle of least effort and the cost/benefit model is introduced astwo possible theories that can explain the information source selection at the chosen company.The results show that the information source selection at the company cannot be explained by only onetheory or one model, in contrast to a great part of prior research. The selection of information source do dependon factors like perceived accessibility and perceived quality of the information but other factors are shown toaffect information seeking decisions as well. Therefore, the empiric material shows that time pressure affectsusers’ choice of source selection to more accessible information sources. Another factor that can have an effecton the user is how one employee treats another. When the employee has been negatively treated at the momenthe is seeking information, the employee is more likely to use impersonal sources.Furthermore, the intranet at Viking Line is the most used as well as the most reliable source according tothe users, even though the intranet does not satisfy all needs of the employees. The users are also highly accustomedwith the intranet which increases its perceived accessibility.The conclusion of this study is that the principle of least effort and the cost/benefit model do indeed explainthe users’ choice of information source, but only partly. The study was conducted at a specific company but theconclusions drawn could be applied to other similar companies where intranets are a great part of the employeesinformation seeking. Finally, I believe, that the effectiveness of the employee is directly connected to the effectivenessof the information sources available at the company. Moreover, if companies improved their intranetsthe companies would become more effective.This paper is a two years master’s thesis in Library and Information Science.

The purpose of this study is to contribute to knowledge about the information practices of female Finnish Swedes who have moved to Sweden. The study takes a sociocultural perspective. The analytical focus is on the concept ‘information practice’. Due to the complexity of the concept, focus has been on central constituents such as information interests, information resources and information seeking activities. Semi-structured interviews with ten informants have been conducted and analyzed using thematic analysis together with McKenzie’s (2003) model of information practices in everyday-life. Six themes emerged concerning information interests: economy, accommodation, employment, healthcare and welfare, personal interests and registration in Sweden. The information resources could be clustered in 3 categories: authorities, public agencies and social networks. Interpersonal contact was important when selecting information resources. This is known from earlier studies but in this study, not only acquaintances, but authorities and public agencies were used as long as an interpersonal contact existed. McKenzie’s (2003) model was applied to the data and all four information seeking modes could be identified; active seeking, active scanning, non-directed monitoring and by proxy, even though non-directed monitoring situations were few. The informants’ information practices varied and their information seeking did not end until enough information was found. Informants became more aware of their information practices in a Swedish context compared to a Finnish context.

Few studies have been done about information seeking among students of Cinema Studies. Cinema Studies is a unique area, which also requires information seeking in the form of moving images. What information resources do the students of Cinema Studies use? How do students of Cinema Studies experience their information seeking before the C-thesis? Using a qualitative method, five interviews were conducted with students of Cinema Studies at C-level from Sweden's largest department of Cinema Studies. Models of Wilson from 1999 and Kuhlthau from 2004 were used and applied to the result of the students' experiences of their information seeking. The results showed that moving images are important information resources, as are physical books, web pages, film library DVD-collections, but also illegal web pages. The Royal Library's archives and the Swedish Film institute’s cinema, the Cinematheque, open to the public, were rarely used. The students had no difficulty in gaining access to moving images, but often experienced great difficulties regarding laws and copyrights. Students often felt great enthusiasm at the beginning of their information seeking. After that, the emotions, thoughts and actions of the students varied. Some usually felt secure, but emotions also made students develop their information seeking. Overall, the students were satisfied with their information seeking.

This thesis strives to explore the PhD students’ information behavior (information needs, information search strat-egies and information management) to see how information literacy (use of information services and resources as well asinformation accessibility and intermediation) can evolve through increased access to information, resources and ideas. The theoretical foundation of the study is Carol C. Kuhlthau’s model of the information search process (ISP-model). Two different surveys were used, first a participant observation and then interviews, with a user group consisting of six postgraduates. The postgraduates were all from different disciplines within the same collage, in the middle of their dissertation and highly motivated by regular information seeking sessions. The study shows that postgraduate students’ knowledge of information behavior and information literacy is inadequate, something that graduate students are largely aware of and wish to change. In conclusion, PhD students need support to maintain, adapt and expand their knowledge. The study indicates that there are many areas where postgraduates’ information literacy can be developed and that there is much to be gained by enhancing the knowledge transfer between information specialists (librarians) and users. This thesis is a two years’ Master’s thesis in Archive, Library and Museum studies.

Information overload is a popular term intimately associated with the information society in which we are now thought to live. This two-year master’s thesis explores perceptions and experiences of this phenomenon through a quantitative study of two groups of academics; on the one hand, academically active information specialists, and on the other, active academics in general. The theoretical framework for this study is based on Orrin E. Klapp’s notion of ‘meaning lag’ and Luciano Floridi’s concept of ‘infosphere’, to provide a context for discussing how and why information overload might develop. The relationship between information overload and ‘information literacy’ is another important point explored as part of this discussion. An international, web-based survey directed at information specialists as well as general academics reveals that information overload is a very common experience for people active in academic settings. A number of statistics are presented regarding how, when and where information overload is usually experienced, as well as the more general information habits and perceptions of the information environment that these groups display. After comparing the two examined groups, the thesis concludes that there are, in fact, no major differences in how these groups perceive and experience information overload and their surrounding information environment. Having an academic interest and specialty in information science is thus not indicative of being able to avoid or even think very differently about information overload. Finally, some relevant research directions are proposed. / Information overload, eller informationsöverflöd, är ett populärt sätt att beskriva en av följderna av det informationssamhälle i vilket vi nu anses leva. Denna uppsats utforskar vilka uppfattningar och erfarenheter som finns av detta fenomen utifrån en kvantitativ studie av två olika grupper av akademiker; å ena sidan akademiskt aktiva informationsspecialister, och å andra sidan, aktiva akademiker i allmänhet. Det teoretiska ramverket för denna studie baserar sig på Orrin E. Klapps begrepp ‘meaning lag’ samt Luciano Floridis tanke om en ‘infosfär’. Dessa skapar tillsammans en kontext för att kunna diskutera hur och varför informationsöverflöd drabbar oss. Relationen mellan informationsöverflöd och informationskompetens är en annan viktig beståndsdel som utforskas i denna diskussion. En internationell, nätbaserad enkätundersökning som författaren utfört bland de relevanta grupperna visar att upplevelsen av informationsöverflöd som ett problem är mycket vanlig i den akademiska världen. Statistik presenteras som åskådliggör hur, när och var de nämnda grupperna upplever ett informationsöverflöd, samt deras informationsvanor och uppfattningar om sin informationsomgivning överlag. Dessa två grupper jämförs löpande i uppsatsen, men resultaten visar på att det trots allt inte existerar några särskilt anmärkningsvärda skillnader dem emellan. De har båda ungefär samma syn på informationsöverflöd och sin informationsomgivning. Slutsatsen blir att en akademisk kunskap om och intresse för informationsvetenskap inte nödvändigtvis innebär att den som besitter detta lyckas undvika eller ens ser annorlunda på fenomenet informationsöverflöd. Uppsatsen avslutas med en diskussion om ett antal relevanta aspekter av informationsöverflöd som framtida forskning med fördel skulle kunna utforska.

Electronic availability of information resources has increasingly become an important part of academic libraries everyday vocation. This is a fact that puts impetus on the libraries to know more about the way in which electronic information is being dispersed and handled. This thesis aims to comparatively evaluate Uppsala university library´s own metadata system Summon with the publicly available equivalent Google scholar. The evaluation is based on Péter Jacsó´s theories on database evaluation which concretely puts focus on Summon and Google scholar via the use and application of ten different criteria. The uses of precision and relevance criteria were also implemented as additional evaluation tools. The results indicate that Google scholar at the moment has to be seen as a necessary complement in retrieving electronic information due to the fact that Summon is not yet fully functioning on all levels. This is a two years master’s thesis in Archive, Library and Museum studies.

Uppsatsen undersöker hur informationsanvändningen och informationsbehoven ser ut i designstudenters arbete med olika projekt, i syfte att ta fram kvalitetskriterier för informationssystem och informationsresurser. Underlaget för uppsatsen bygger på utforskande ostrukturerade djupintervjuer med 5 master-studenter i industriell design vid Umeå Designhögskola. Informanterna fick i detalj beskriva arbetsprocessen i minst ett projekt de deltagit i och frågor ställdes sedan kring vilken information som användes i denna process, och vad denna information bidrog med. Analysen av detta material gav 6 stycken kategorier av information. Dessa kopplades samman med olika användningsområden: Informationen inom kategorin textuell information (artiklar, böcker, projektbeskrivningar, etc.) kan delas in i två huvudsakliga användningsområden: A) den används för att få specifika faktauppgifter om ett område; och/eller B) den används för att mer allmänt göra sig en bild av hur relationerna i projektets kontext ser ut. Informationen inom kategorin visuell information (bilder, foton, skisser, etc.) kan delas in i fyra huvudsakliga användningsområden: A) den används som visuell inspiration; B) den används för att mer direkt guida vid skissning, modellering och liknande konstnärliga praktiker; C) den används för att illustrera någonting i själva projektpresentationen; och/eller D) den används för att mer allmänt förstå projektets kontext. Informationen inom kategorin audio-visuell information (videor från hemsidor främst Youtube) kan delas in i fyra huvudsakliga användningsområden A) den används för visuell inspiration; B) den används för attmer direkt guida vid utformnings- och konstruktionsprocessen; C) den används för att illustrera någonting i själva projektpresentationen; och/eller D) den används för att mer allmänt förstå projektets kontext. Informationen inom kategorin taktil/skapande information (beröra och uppleva,att skissa och skissen, att modellera och modellen, etc.) kan delas in i fem huvudsakliga användningsområden: A) den används för att nå en personlig förståelse av en form, yta ellerliknande hos den egna designen; B) den används för att mer direkt guida vid vidare skissning, modellering och liknande konstnärliga praktiker; C) den används för att illustrera någonting i själva projektpresentationen; D) den används för att testa designens genomförbarhet; och/eller E) den används för att nå och förstå en användargrupps reaktioner. Informationen inom kategorin interpersonell information (intervjuer, observationer, handledning, etc.) kan delas in i fyra huvudsakliga användningsområden: A) den används för att designern bättre skall kunna identifiera sig med sina tänkta användare; B) den används för att finna ut vilka problemområden som finns kring ett projekt; C) den används för att nå och förstå en användargrupps reaktioner; och/eller D) den används för att få andra perspektiv på designen. Personell information (tidigare erfarenheter) används, i de olika projektbeskrivningarna, som inspiration för designlösningar att forska vidare kring. Allt som allt handlar det om 14 olika användningsområden där ett fåtal överlappar flera olika av informationskategorierna. Hur dessa överlappningar sker syns tydligare i Illustration 2 (sida 29). En kronologisk modell över vilka faser ett projekt vanligtvis gick igenom konstruerades utifrån projektbeskrivningarna (faserna illustreras i Illustration 1, sida 28, och i Illustration 2 åskådliggörs vilka av de nämnda användningsområdena och informationskategorierna som är tydligast knutna till varje fas). De huvudsakliga frågeställningar som i varje projektfas krävde svar fick beteckna fasernas olika informationsbehov: Forskningsfasens informationsbehov: Vilka är de tänkta användarna? Hur agerar dessa? Vilken är den tänkta tekniken? Hur interagerar de tänkta användarna med den tänkta tekniken? Skissningsfasens informationsbehov: Vilka är problemområdena? Hur kan de olika problemområdena lösas designmässigt? Utvärderingsfasens informationsbehov: Är de tänkta designlösningarna realistiska? Hur reagerar användare och/eller kollegor på designlösningarna? Vilka lösningar förtjänar att fokuseras på för vidare arbete? Designfasens informationsbehov: Hur kan den valda designlösningen vidareutvecklas? Hur kan designlösningen utformas grafiskt? Vilken grafisk lösning fungerar bäst? Polereringsfasens informationsbehov: Hur skall designprojektet presenteras? Vilket material skall användas för att bäst åskådliggöra designprocessen? Slutsatserna av analysen angiven ovan är att informationssystem och informationsresurser riktade mot projektarbetande designstudenter både måste se till att de olika informationsformerna finns representerade i informationsrepertoaren samt att denna information klarar att tillfredställa projektfasernas informationsbehov. I denna process är samverkan och god kommunikation mellande parter som ingår i det övergripande informationssystemet av hög vikt. Informationen tillhandahållen genom informationssystem och informationsresurser måste även vara kontinuerligt uppdaterad och lättillgänglig. En diskussion kring hur biblioteken kan spela en roll för designstudenter avslutar uppsatsen och här läggs fokus på biblioteket som förmedlare av främst textuell, visuell och personell information. Biblioteken har traditionellt varit en plats för främst texter och i viss mån bilder, men kan även spela en viktig roll som en plats för inspiration och nya möten.

<p>Today every organization is committed to some kind of environmental scanning in order to get necessary knowledge of the world around them. The acquisition, organization and storage of information in combination with a strategic use, is today an important factor for a successful organisation in any sector of our society.In this Master thesis I have studied how an organisation such as The Confederation of Swedish Enterprise (Svenskt Näringsliv) handles its information resources. I have also looked at the flow of information within the organization. The Confederation of Swedish Enterprise is Sweden’s largest business federation representing 50 member organizations and 55 000 member companies. The core business is to create better business conditions for companies as well as opinionbuilding, research and developing positions on expert issues.As a theoretical framework I have used Chun Choos theories and his model on The Information Management Cycle. In this casestudy I have conducted (four of seven steps of) an Information Audit and interviewed employees of The Confederation of Swedish Enterprise, both experts and personnel in charge of the information resources. My results show that there is multitude of information resources within the organization. The users make individual choices concerning which resources to use and how to use them. This reflects the environment in which the organization exists and operates in. In my study I also find that The Confederation of Swedish Enterprise has a strategic approach to information and the process of communication, which constitutes a favourable position for the organisation to work towards its goals.</p>

Today every organization is committed to some kind of environmental scanning in order to get necessary knowledge of the world around them. The acquisition, organization and storage of information in combination with a strategic use, is today an important factor for a successful organisation in any sector of our society.In this Master thesis I have studied how an organisation such as The Confederation of Swedish Enterprise (Svenskt Näringsliv) handles its information resources. I have also looked at the flow of information within the organization. The Confederation of Swedish Enterprise is Sweden’s largest business federation representing 50 member organizations and 55 000 member companies. The core business is to create better business conditions for companies as well as opinionbuilding, research and developing positions on expert issues.As a theoretical framework I have used Chun Choos theories and his model on The Information Management Cycle. In this casestudy I have conducted (four of seven steps of) an Information Audit and interviewed employees of The Confederation of Swedish Enterprise, both experts and personnel in charge of the information resources. My results show that there is multitude of information resources within the organization. The users make individual choices concerning which resources to use and how to use them. This reflects the environment in which the organization exists and operates in. In my study I also find that The Confederation of Swedish Enterprise has a strategic approach to information and the process of communication, which constitutes a favourable position for the organisation to work towards its goals.