“Serendipity” has both a classical origin in literature and a more modern manifestation where it is found in the descriptions of the problem-solving and knowledge acquisition of humanities and science scholars. Studies of information retrieval and information seeking have also discussed the utility of the notion of serendipity. Some have implied that it may be stimulated, or that certain people...

Introduction. Meta-synthesis methods may help to make more sense of information behaviour research evidence. Aims and objectives. The objectives are to: 1) identify and examine the theoretical research strategies commonly used in information behaviour research; 2) discuss metasynthesis methods that might be appropriate to the type of research studies normally encountered in information behaviou...

Metadata plays a crucial role in a digital library/museum environment. However, the development of metadata is not an easy task. Its formulation starts with analyzing the attributes of collections as well as understanding the user information needs and information seeking behavior. The issue of interoperability also needs to be considered in terms of both semantics and syntax. This paper discus...

Purpose of this paper By describing some of the often ignored aspects of repository advocacy, such as disciplinary differences and how these might affect the adoption of a particular institutional repository, this paper aims to offer practical guidance to repository managers and those responsible for open access and repository policy. Design/methodology/approach The argument uses examples from ...

This article reports the results of a study aimed at identifying the information needs and uses of the informal sector in Uganda. The demographic and business characteristics of these entrepreneurs are highlighted and empirically tested with regard to their information needs. This study has largely employed qualitative research methodologies, such as the critical incidence technique for intervi...

User studies continue to be an important area of library research, as studying the information-seeking behavior of specific user groups has contributed to the development of a variety of library services. On university campuses, research into the information-seeking patterns of humanities undergraduates has influenced the design of information literacy programs and reference services. As well, ...

The Internet and electronic marketplaces have profoundly transformed the travel services industry and challenged the traditional value proposition of travel agencies: What is the reason for their existence if information is abundantly available and transactions can be flexibly conducted in direct buyer-seller interactions on the Internet? Traditional travel agencies are struggling to develop ne...

in particular have been an understudied group. These managers have much in common with their for-profit counterparts, but their environment also differs in significant ways. The goal of this exploratory research effort was to identify how senior administrators in fine arts museums and symphony orchestras go about identifying and acquiring the information they want to complete a range of managem...

Multidisciplinary teams are an essential aspect of modern organizational work. These teams often work in information-rich environments but little is known about their collaborative information seeking (CIS) behavior. We have been studying the CIS behavior of teams in the context of medical care. We conducted an ethnographic field study of a multidisciplinary patient care team in an emergency de...

Debra Engel is Associate Dean of Libraries for Public Services, Sarah Robbins is Web Services Coordinator, and Christina Kulp is Sciences Librarian at University of Oklahoma Libraries; e-mail: [email protected], [email protected], and [email protected], respectively. © Debra Engel, Sarah Robbins, and Christina Kulp Many studies of information-seeking habits of engineers focus on understanding the similar...