6-On-user-studies-and-information-needs.docx

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1、6. Onuserstudiesandinformationneeds1T.D.WilsonPostgraduateSChOOlof1.ibrarianshipand!nfomationScience.UniversityofSheffield.ShciYidd.UKAbstractPurpose:ApartfrominibmutionretrievalthereisvirtuallynootherareaofinformationsciencethathasoccasionedasmuchIVSCarChCftbrtandwritingas“userstudies.Withinuserstu

2、diestheinvestigationofInformationneedshasbeenthesubjectofmuchdebateandnolittleconfusion.TheHimofthisPaPerisIoittcnpt(oreducethisconfusionbydevotingallenliontoIhcdefinitionofsomeconceptsandbyproposingthebasisIbratheoryofthemonscience.Findings:Ihepaperfindsthattheproblemseemstolie,notsomuchwiththelack

3、ofasingledefinition,aswithafailuretouseadctlnitinappropriatetothelevelandpurposeoftheinvestigation.OriginatiIyZvaIuc:Theanalysismaybeusedasaspringboard(oreseiirchbaseduponawider,holisticviewoftheinformationuser.Keywords:Intbrmationscience.Informationretrieval.UserstudiesPapertype:ResearchPaPerIntrod

4、uctionApanfrominfbrmaionretrievalthereisVinTlynootherareaofinformationsciencethathasoccasionedasmuchresearcheffortandwritingas4fcuserstudies,.WiAinuserstudiestheinvestigationofInformationneeds*hasbeenthesubjectofmuchdebateandnolittleconfusion.hcaimofthispaperistoattempt(oreducethisconfusionbydevotin

5、gattcntkntothedefinitionofsomeconccpongddU.information*andknowledge*,andrecentlytherehavebeenalle11plsalasinglecimceplof,Theideasinthispaperhavebeendevelopedoveranumberofyears-infact,sincewrestlingwiththeconceptof,informationneedwithstudentsattheUnivcniityofMar)landin1971!OralPivsentationsofearlierP

6、aPeISweremadeatanIBICTseminarinRiodeJaneiroandataresearchseminaratSheffieldUnivcniityPostgraduateSchoolof1.ibrarianshipandInlbrmationScience,bothin1979.andIamgratefulIotheparticipantsalthesemeetingsfor(heirdiscussionoftheissues.Funhcr,usefulcommentshavebeenmadeonearlierdraftsof(hispaperbythroecollea

7、gues.ProfessorWilfredSaunders.NonnanRobertsandDavidSlreatfield.and.mostrecentlyandveryhelpfully,byananonymousreferee.Iamawareof(heimperfections(hatremain,however,andacccpfullresponsibilityforthem.ThisarticlewasfirstpublishedinJhi11mIofD(umeniutiontVol.37No.I(I981)ftpp.3l5.informationforinformationsc

8、ience.However,theproblemseemstolie,nosomuchwithIhclackofasingledefinitionaswithafailuretouseadefinitionappropriateothelevelandpurposeof(heMvesiigalion,Thewordinformation*isused,inthecontextofuser-sludiesresearch,todenoteaphysicalentityorphenomenon(asintheeaseofquestionsrelatingtothenumberofbooksread

9、inaPCriOdoftime,thenumberofjournalssubscribedto,cen(salmostcertainlyrt.Even(henitisSomemneSunclearwhichofthesenses(heresearcherhadinmilwhensellingthercscrchobxtives.UserstudiesFigure1presentsawayofthinkingofthefield.MUSerstudies*;itsaimisnotto“model”info11nalin-seekngbehaviourbut(odrawattentiontothe

10、interrelationshipsamongconceptsusedinthefield.Ihcfiguresuggeststhatinformation-scekingbehaviourresultsfromtherecognitionofsomeneed,perceivedbytheuser.ThatbehaviourmayIakCseveralforms:forexample,theusermaymakedemandsuponformalsystems(hatarecustomarilydefinedasinfo11naiionsystems(suchaslibraries,on-li

11、neservices.Preslelorinformationcentres),oruponsystemswhichmayPerforminformationfunctionsinadditiontoaprimary,non-informationfunction(suchasestateagentsofficesorcarsalesagencies,bothofwhicharcconcernedwithselling,butwhichmaybeusedtoobtaininformationoncurrentprices,arcasofsuitablehousing,ordetailsofca

12、rsthatholdtheirsecond-handvalue.Alternatively,theusermayseekinformationfromotherpeople,ratherthanfromsystems,and(hisisexpressedinthediagramasinvolvingintbmationexchange.Theuseofthewordexchange0isintended(odrawattentiontoIheelementofreciprocity,recognizedbysociologistsandsocialpsychologistsasaIundaiiwntalaspectofhumaninlcractio11.InIemisofinfomalionbehaviour,theideaofreciprocitymaybefairlyweakinsomeeases(aswhenajuniorscicnlistseeksinformationfromaseniorbuthierarchicallyequalcolleague)butino(hcreasesmaybesostrongIhalIheprocessisinhibited,as