1. Users: Dead, Alive and Otherwise SIG CON 2005 Joseph Janes Associate Professor Associate Dean for Academics The Information School of the University of Washington jwj@u.washington.edu

2. Information Behavior: Not What You Think SIG CON 2004 Joseph Janes

3. Information Behavior: Not What You Think SIG CON 2004 Joseph Janes Assistant Professor School of Information and Library Studies University of Michigan janes@umich.edu

4. Information Behavior: Not What You Think SIG CON 2004 Joseph Janes Assistant Professor School of Information University of Michigan janes@umich.edu

5. Information Behavior: Not What You Think SIG CON 2004 Joseph Janes Assistant Professor School of Information University of Michigan janes@umich.edu

6. Information Behavior: Not What You Think SIG CON 2004 Joseph Janes Director Internet Public Library janes@ipl.org

7. Information Behavior: Not What You Think SIG CON 2004 Joseph Janes Director Internet Public Library janes@ipl.org

8. Information Behavior: Not What You Think SIG CON 2004 Joseph Janes Visiting Associate Professor School of Information Studies Syracuse University janes@umich.edu

9. Information Behavior: Not What You Think SIG CON 2004 Joseph Janes Visiting Associate Professor School of Information Studies Syracuse University janes@umich.edu

10. Information Behavior: Not What You Think SIG CON 2004 Joseph Janes Assistant Professor The Information School of the University of Washington jwj@u.washington.edu

11. Information Behavior: Not What You Think SIG CON 2004 Joseph Janes Assistant Professor The Information School of the University of Washington jwj@u.washington.edu

12. Information Behavior: Not What You Think SIG CON 2004 Joseph Janes Associate Professor Chair, Library and Information Science The Information School of the University of Washington jwj@u.washington.edu

13. Information Behavior: Not What You Think SIG CON 2004 Joseph Janes Associate Professor Chair, Library and Information Science The Information School of the University of Washington jwj@u.washington.edu

14. Users: Dead, Alive and Otherwise SIG CON 2005 Joseph Janes Associate Professor Associate Dean for Academics The Information School of the University of Washington jwj@u.washington.edu

15. yet another another new line of research as administration continues to suck away my creative life an increasing focus and work in information behavior, way beyond “user studies” of old and previous studies of user makeovers and behavior of information perhaps there’s something more, that this work is missing an idea suggested by session at this very conference acknowledgement of contribution of Fisher et al (2005-6)

16. review of the literature in this case, my own; research on several key populations twins (1993) chimpanzees (1994) space aliens (1997) psychics (1999) the dead (????) the undead (????) it all seems to be pointing me towards one question

17. conceptual framework important concepts “alive” “dead” “freshly dead” (M. Brooks, 1974)

18. freshly dead

19. less freshly dead

20. conceptual framework important concepts “alive” “dead” “freshly dead” (M. Brooks, 1974) “mostly dead”

21. Miracle MaxMiracle Max: He probably owes you money huh? I'll ask him. Inigo MontoyaInigo Montoya: He's dead. He can't talk. Miracle MaxMiracle Max: Whoo-hoo-hoo, look who knows so much. It just so happens that your friend here is only MOSTLY dead. There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive. With all dead, well, with all dead there's usually only one thing you can do. Inigo MontoyaInigo Montoya: What's that? Miracle MaxMiracle Max: Go through his clothes and look for loose change. (W. Goldman, 1985)

22. research question RQ1: is the user dead?

23. methodology ask them Ss were 150 “entities” using information systems simple survey instrument 1 Q “Are you alive?” little need to operationalize concepts, seems pretty straightforward

24. results Are you alive? 115 Yes 33 N/R 2 No encouraging, but…. could be a response bias, social desirability effect

25. follow-up survey [applied for IMLS grant funding, $200,000] [positive support for grant, but concern by agency not asking for enough, encouraged to reapply] resurveyed same sample, n = 150 1 Q “Are you dead?”

26. results Are you dead? 92 No 36 N/R 2 Yes consistency, further evidence that most users are generally alive some dropouts tho mortality effect?

27. more evidence needed follow up with a qualitative/naturalistic approach, try to get more in-depth data, further insight into experience of “entities” using systems participant observation boo transcription of commentary drawbacks to methodological approach, refinement under consideration

28. further research suggested appears to be a particularly fertile area once you get going RQ: Are people who study “users” alive? preliminary investigation, unobtrusive observation relevant sessions at 2005 ASIS conference jury still out further investigation required, perhaps at the bar

29. Users: Dead, Alive and Otherwise SIG CON 2005 Joseph Janes Associate Professor Associate Dean for Academics The Information School of the University of Washington jwj@u.washington.edu