Search results for ""Author Amanda Spink""

Information behavior has emerged as an important aspect of human life, however our knowledge and understanding of it is incomplete and underdeveloped scientifically. Research on the topic is largely contemporary in focus and has generally not incorporated results from other disciplines. In this monograph Spink provides a new understanding of information behavior by incorporating related findings, theories and models from social sciences, psychology and cognition. In her presentation, she argues that information behavior is an important instinctive sociocognitive ability that can only be fully understood with a highly interdisciplinary approach. The leitmotivs of her examination are three important research questions: First, what is the evolutionary, biological and developmental nature of information behavior? Second, what is the role of instinct versus environment in shaping information behavior? And, third, how have information behavior capabilities evolved and developed over time? Written for researchers in information science as well as social and cognitive sciences, Spink’s controversial text lays the foundation for a new interdisciplinary theoretical perspective on information behavior that will not only provide a more holistic framework for this field but will also impact those sciences, and thus also open up many new research directions.

Read more less

This book brings together a range of chapters about the trends in education and research in the field of library and information science (LIS) in the Asia-Oceania region of the world. Why a book about LIS in the Asia-Oceania region? One key reason for a book on the topic is the huge growth of the field in terms of students and schools particularly in Asia. Information is an important part of the human condition and critical to the development of the Asia-Oceania region.

Read more less

New Research in Information Behaviour, co-edited by Professor Amanda Spink and Dr. Jannica Heinstrom provides an understanding of the new directions, leading edge theories and models in information behaviour. Information behaviour is conceptualized as complex human information related processes that are embedded within an individual's everyday social and life processes. The book presents chapters by a range of scholars who show new research directions that often challenge the established views and paradigms of information behaviour studies. Beginning with an evolutionary framework, the book builds our understanding of information behaviours over various epochs of human existence from the Palaeolithic Era and within pre-literate societies, to contemporary behaviours by 21st century humans. Drawing upon social and psychological science theories the book presents a more integrated and holistic approach understanding of information behaviours. This book is directly relevant to information scientists, information professionals and librarians, social and evolutionary psychologists, social scientists and people interested in understanding more about their own information behaviours.

Read more less

"Web Search Engine Research", edited by Dirk Lewandowski, provides an understanding of Web search engines from the unique perspective of Library and Information Science. The book explores a range of topics including retrieval effectiveness, user satisfaction, the evaluation of search interfaces, the impact of search on society, reliability of search results, query log analysis, user guidance in the search process, and the influence of search engine optimization (SEO) on results quality. While research in computer science has mainly focused on technical aspects of search engines, LIS research is centred on users' behaviour when using search engines and how this interaction can be evaluated. LIS research provides a unique perspective in intermediating between the technical aspects, user aspects and their impact on their role in knowledge acquisition. This book is directly relevant to researchers and practitioners in library and information science, computer science, including Web researchers.

Read more less

"Library and Information Science Trends and Research: Europe", co-edited by Professor Amanda Spink and Dr. Jannica Heinstrom provides an understanding of the new directions in library and information science/management, education and research in Europe. The volume focuses on new research directions within the field but will also discuss curriculum changes due to the rapidly developing information world. Europe has developed substantially both socially and economically in the last ten years with a growing population and economy. The field of library and information science/management has also grown in educational and research developments as information increasingly has become a part of people's everyday social and life processes. This book is directly relevant to information scientists, information professionals and librarians, social scientists and people interested in understanding more about the trends and research in library and information science/management in the European region. Undergraduate and graduate students, academics, educators, and information professionals interested in library and information science will find this book of particular benefit.

Read more less

Information we receive from and create together with our social networks is becoming increasingly important. Social information has a great impact on our information behaviour and there are many possible angles and layers in studying social aspects in information science. This book presents some of these angles. Social Information Research, co-edited by Gunilla Widen and Kim Holmberg communicates current research looking into different aspects of social information as part of information behaviour research. There is a special emphasis on the new innovations supporting contemporary information behavior and the social media context within which it can sit. As a concept, social information has been studied in biology, psychology and sociology among other disciplines. This book is relevant for various actors in the library and information science field and will be useful for researchers, educators, and practitioners while coordinating empirical research on social information and providing an overview of some of the present research about social information.

Read more less

New Directions in Information Organization, co-edited by Dr. Jung-ran Park and Dr. Lynne Howarth seeks to provide an overview and understanding of the future directions, leading edge theories and models for research and practice in information organization. New information standards and digital library technologies are being developed at a rapid pace as diverse communities of practice seek new ways to organize massive quantities of digital resources. Today's digital information explosion creates an increased demand for new perspectives, methods and tools for research and practice in information organization. This new direction in information organization is even more critical owing to changing user needs and expectations in conjunction with the collaborative and decentralized nature of bibliographic control. The general aim of this book is to present the current state of the digital information revolution with the associated opportunities and challenges to information organization. Through an interdisciplinary perspective, it presents broad, holist and more integrated perspective on the nature of information organization and examines new direction in information organization research and thinking. The book highlights the need to understand information organization and the Web 2.0 in the context of the rapidly changing information world and provides an overview of key trends and further research.

Read more less