While most previous research focused only on the textual content of documents, advanced support for document management in digital libraries, for open science, requires handling all aspects of a document: from structure, to content, to context. These different but inter-related aspects cannot be handled separately and were traditionally ignored in digital libraries. We propose a graph-based unifying representation and handling model based on the definition of an ontology that integrates all the different perspectives and drives the document description in order to boost the effectiveness of document management. We also show how even simple algorithms can profitably use our proposed approach to return relevant and personalized outcomes in different document management tasks.
Publication date: September 2022
Source: Information Processing & Management, Volume 59, Issue 5
Author(s): Xiaolin Liu, Rongye Shi, Qianxin Hui, Susu Xu, Shuai Wang, Rui Na, Ying Sun, Wenbo Ding, Dezhi Zheng, Xinlei Chen
Publication date: September 2022
Source: Information Processing & Management, Volume 59, Issue 5
Author(s): Bo Zhou, Wenliang Liu, Wenzhen Zhang, Zhengyu Lu, Qianlin Tan
Despite the disproportionate impact of the novel coronavirus on Black Americans, there is little research that centres Black college students' information behaviours during the pandemic.
The objective of this study is to identify information needs, resources and use regarding the novel coronavirus pandemic among Black American college students.
This is a quantitative study among 389 college students in the USA. Data were collected using an online crowdsourced survey instrument. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse data through SPSS.
The most salient information needs related to Covid-19 symptoms, personal protective equipment, vulnerable populations, and risk assessment; however, students also wanted information on Covid-19's impact on the Black community. There were no statistically significant gender differences in students' information seeking, resources or use with one exception; male students believed the internet alone could provide all relevant information about the coronavirus in comparison to female students. Barriers related to the volume of information, information fluidity and determining the quality of information.
Colleges and universities can play a critical role in information dissemination during crisis events. Students need critical information literacy skills that intersect with everyday information needs, particularly health literacy.
Publication date: July 2022
Source: Information Processing & Management, Volume 59, Issue 4
Author(s): Xiao-Kun Wu, Tian-Fang Zhao, Lu Lu, Wei-Neng Chen
Publication date: July 2022
Source: Information Processing & Management, Volume 59, Issue 4
Author(s): Bo-Hyun Seong, Chang-Yu Hong
Publication date: October 2022
Source: International Journal of Information Management, Volume 66
Author(s): Mohammad Alamgir Hossain, Mohammed Quaddus, Matthew Warren, Shahriar Akter, Ilias Pappas
Publication date: July 2022
Source: Information Processing & Management, Volume 59, Issue 4
Author(s): Duoqi Song, Wenpei Wang, Ying Fan, Yanmeng Xing, An Zeng
Publication date: July 2022
Source: Information Processing & Management, Volume 59, Issue 4
Author(s): Qiujing Xu, Bobo Li, Fei Li, Guohong Fu, Donghong Ji
Publication date: Available online 24 June 2022
Source: International Journal of Information Management
Author(s): Praveen K. Choudhary, Susmi Routray, Parijat Upadhyay, A.K. Pani
Technology advances and collaborations with information technology and computer science groups have enabled library services to expand into new domains. Listening to user needs, eliminating administrative burden and saving users time remain strong foundations on which to build new library services enabled by technology. Examples of what is now possible is described, including service to user groups, successes, failures and challenges. Although technology advances have enabled library service enhancements to all user groups, special emphasis on new library services in support of the research enterprise is discussed. As Lindberg and Humphreys predicted in 2015, the research enterprise's need for responsible curation of research data has created new opportunities for library services and examples of those services are discussed. As technology continues to advance, new library services are expected to emerge. These may include regulatory and compliance services. By developing these services with user feedback to save users time and expedite their work, and in collaboration with technology experts, libraries can expect to offer sustainable and valued services for years to come.
Publication date: September 2022
Source: Information Processing & Management, Volume 59, Issue 5
Author(s): Baohua Zhou, Rong Miao, Danting Jiang, Lingyun Zhang
Community health workers (CHWs) bridge the gap in health and social services delivery for marginalized communities, providing critical health information to those with limited access to health resources.
The purpose of our study was to understand CHWs' approaches to identifying salient and credible health information for migrant and seasonal farmworkers in rural North Carolina (NC).
Two focus group discussions were held with CHWs in eastern NC and one in western NC in February 2020.
CHWs seek health information on chronic health conditions disproportionately experienced by farmworkers such as diabetes and high blood pressure. They search for information from existing resources in their possession, via the internet, and through consultation with health professionals. CHWs also verify the information and transform the content into resources that are accessible to farmworkers.
Our findings suggest that CHWs possess a strong set of information literacy skills that could be enhanced through additional training in crediting sources, creating new materials, and organization and storage.
This study adds to the very limited body of knowledge about how CHWs seek and transmit information to their communities and sheds light on their information need and literacy abilities.
Publication date: Available online 17 June 2022
Source: International Journal of Information Management
Author(s): Lukas-Valentin Herm, Kai Heinrich, Jonas Wanner, Christian Janiesch
Crowdsourcing platform owners and operators constantly search for ways to improve contestant performance. One novel proposal for improving performance is the introduction of an online community to the crowdsourcing contest platform. However, research regarding the potential benefits of an online community on such platforms is unclear. Furthermore, prior research often assumes the single dimensionality of prior experience, whose impacts on crowdsourcing performance are also inconclusive. Building on knowledge collaboration and cognitive diversity research, we model the direct effects of introducing an online community on contestant performance and the moderating effects of the amount of experience and experience diversity. Leveraging a natural quasi-experiment in a large crowdsourcing contest platform, we collected 24 months of contestant data to test our hypotheses. Our propensity score matching and difference in differences analysis demonstrated that contestants' performance (winning contests and crowdsourcing income) increases significantly with the presence of an online community. Additionally, the positive effect of an online community on performance is more pronounced for contestants with less experience and those with more diverse experience. Our findings provide insights into the causality of incorporating an online community and inform community investment decisions for crowdsourcing contest platforms.
Publication date: July 2022
Source: Information Processing & Management, Volume 59, Issue 4
Author(s): Daifeng Li, Kaixin Lin, Xuting Li, Jianbin Liao, Ruo Du, Dingquan Chen, Andrew Madden
Publication date: July 2022
Source: Information Processing & Management, Volume 59, Issue 4
Author(s): Siyeong Yun, Woojin Cho, Chulhyun Kim, Sungjoo Lee
Publication date: October 2022
Source: International Journal of Information Management, Volume 66
Author(s): Xuequn Wang, Xiaolin Lin, Bin Shao
Publication date: October 2022
Source: International Journal of Information Management, Volume 66
Author(s): Onyi Nwafor, Xiao Ma, Jinghui (Jove) Hou, Norman Johnson
Public librarians often address patron inquiries regarding health concerns. However, prior research indicates that public librarians may be unprepared to meet the health information requests of patrons.
This study examined the availability of health-themed courses in American Library Association (ALA) accredited Master of Library and Information Studies/Science (MLIS) programs.
Accredited MLIS programs were identified using the ALA directory. Curricula were reviewed for health content and public librarianship, children's, and young adult concentrations. Descriptive and bivariate analyses assessed the percent of programs that offered various health-related course content and the differences in availability of such content.
Of the 59 accredited MLIS programs, only 35 (59.32%) listed at least one health elective and none listed a required health course. No MLIS programs that had a public library concentration (n = 21) listed a required or elective health course, two programs with a children's concentration (n = 25) listed health course electives, and one program with a young adult concentration (n = 25) listed a health course elective.
ALA-accredited MLIS programs should consider increasing their offerings or requiring health-related courses to improve the training of public librarians to meet the health information needs of communities.
Publication date: July 2022
Source: Information Processing & Management, Volume 59, Issue 4
Author(s): Hongzhi Zhu, Fang Wang