Users´ Behavior and Institutional Repositories Jela Steinerová Comenius University Bratislava

Structure Changing paradigm of information use and behavior Net Generation Results of our research:  Information styles  Relevance behavior Information ecology

Information use - changes Active information use More interaction Collaboration Social tagging Blogosphere Folksonomies Wiki (pedia) More context Deeper representations, structures Communication Discussions Comments Annotations Evaluation Visualization

HIB in electronic environment Easy access Quick online reading Social networking Cognitive mapping visualization

Net Generation Digitally literate Fast response time Images / text Parallel processing Does it change thinking? Does it change thinking? Is information used? Is information used? New policies in higher education E- learning University infrastructures Information repositories E-science

Information Styles Preferences, typical ways of information processing Academic information environment:  resources and information activities  Results of the study Interaction of Man and Information Environment Pragmatic style Analytic style Majority:  „Google“ paradigm  Digital consumers

Pragmatic and analytic styles pragmaticanalytic seeking horizontalexplorative terminology clear, simplemultidisciplinary assessment surface, serendipityexperience in relevance judgments organization surface, field dependenceintegrative, based on expert knowledge and experience planning intuitive, simple queriescomplex queries purpose orientationintellectual processing emotions trust, optimismdoubts motivation fast solutionunderstand contexts access navigationinterpretation

Information styles and learning Example: Valley of the Shadow  First person learning by doing in the electronic environment  Digital Based Game Learning

Relevance behavior Project Information use  Information behavior in assessing relevance (doctoral students), concept maps Results:  value, utility, importance  discover, make decisions, participation  multidimensional, multicriteria in electronic environment  origin of source, authority  preliminary relevance, analytical relevance

Relevance: traditional and electronic environments Traditional library environment Electronic environment (internet, web, digital library) System relevance Bibliographic level, formal matchInteractivity, complexity of relations Topical relevance Orientation, navigation to sources Content, intellectual - knowledge Criteria One-dimensionRich multi-criteria Organization of Information LinearityNon-linearity Added value Context, visualization, collaboration Cognitive relevance Cognitive state, style, user categories Personalization, intelligent interfaces Information structures DeterministicFlexible, concept linking, mosaic-like Communicative relevance Reference interview, communication styles Group sorting, recommendation, dialogue Situational relevance Tasks, problems, situationsUncertainty reduction by contexts, links, organization Motivational relevance Preferences, goalsEasy access, service forms, discovery, creativity

Integration – information ecology Complex relationships and adaptations between humans and information environment Concepts: Davenport, Prusak Nardi, O´Day Ecological model of information seeking (Williamson 2004) Affective information ecology (Given 2007)

Ecological model of information seeking

Affective information ecology (Given, 2007) Micro-information behavior Macro-information behavior

Information ecology Meaningful information activities in academic information environments:  Information behavior of social actors Information literacy – relevance judgments  Information tools Knowledge organizations: concepts maps

Institutional repositories Digital sources, services, tools – intellectual outputs of intellectual and cultural life  Open repositories – open sources movements Information ecology – part of re- conceptualization of scholarly communication Examples:  European DRIVER, Human Genome  MIT Courseware,  arXiv.org, PubMedCentral, CogPrints, RePec

Examples UNESCO Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD) Slovak electronic theses and dissertations (

Ecological aspects of information repositories 1. Information services, products, systems – part of holistic environment (organisms) 2. Links between external and internal knowledge, emotions and social networks 3. Reuse of objects, services, products

Information ecology of the academic information environment New project:  Explore information activities in a repository  Interactions between social actors and objects in repositores  Organize knowledge based on information behavior (tools – concept maps, C-Maps D- Space, E-Prints)

Information ecology – model Social actor valuescommunity tool Institutional repository Knowledge component, information objects Communicative component, activities Value component, evaluation Meaning component, representations Technological component Creation Registration Certification Distribution, publishing Archiving,updating

Conclusion Pathways – social actors in electronic environment  designers of systems, services Information ecology:  „the networked social library“ Contexts, sense-making:  enhance information use by deeper organization of knowledge

References DAVENPORT, Thomas H., Prusak, Laurence Information Ecology : Mastering the Information and Knowledge Environment. New York : Oxford Univ. Press, s. ISBN GIVEN, Lisa Emotional Entanglements on the University Campus: The Role of the Affect in Undergradutes‘ Information Behaviors. In Information and Emotion. Ed. By D. Nahl, D. Bilal. Medford: Information Today, 2007, p NARDI, B. A., O´Day, V.L Information Ecologies: Using Technology with Heart. Cambridge: MIT Press. ISBN