scholarly journals Academics are Reading More Electronic Journal Articles in More Subjects, Using Varying Strategies to Find and Manage Them

2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 87
Author(s):  
Christina E. Carter
Keyword(s):  
Information Management ◽  
Quantitative Study ◽  
Personal Information ◽  
Journal Article ◽  
Scientific Information ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Google Scholar ◽  
Electronic Information ◽  
Electronic Journals ◽  
E Mail

Objective – To assess how the increase in number of electronic journals available to academic scholars has changed their information-seeking or consulting behaviour, with respect to 1) the amount and diversity of sources they read; 2) strategies they use to keep up-to-date in their fields; 3) use of personalized information services; 4) determining the value and relevance of articles; and 5) personal management of scientific information. This study is a follow-up to an earlier quantitative study (Borrego, Anglada, Barrios, & Comellas, 2007) in the same setting. Design – Qualitative, using an open-ended questionnaire, followed by personal interviews of a small group of the respondents. Setting – Universities that are members of the Consortium of Academic Libraries of Catalonia (CBUC), which is made up of the eight public Catalan universities and the National Library of Catalonia, Spain. Subjects – One hundred thirty-seven scholars from the member universities of diverse ages and disciplines. Eleven of these academics were selected for personal interviews. Methods – The authors used a two-staged approach to gather comments from researchers on their use of electronic journals. First, an open-ended, self-administered questionnaire (with some pre-testing done) was sent by e-mail to some 490 academics who had provided e-mail addresses in the quantitative study; 137 were returned and analyzed. Personal interviews were then conducted with 11 scholars who had given the most detailed answers in the questionnaire. Their ages ranged from 28 to 67; each was from a different discipline, and from six of the universities. Informed consent sheets (describing the study and guaranteeing anonymity) were given to the 11 interviewees. Personal interviews were conducted in the subjects’ offices by one of the authors, and lasted between 45-60 minutes. In the interview stage, the authors wanted to examine: use and assessment of the library, access to electronic information, and impact of e-resources on information behaviour. Subjects were also asked to provide three suggestions on improving access to scientific information. Main Results – The amount of reading and number of electronic journals and other sources consulted among the scholars who participated in this study has increased. Three-quarters of survey respondents consult more journals and read more articles. The scholars reported that they are grateful for the increase in electronic information and its enhanced ease of access, and are not overwhelmed by it. Their reading has become more discriminatory, though, with many reporting “skimming” much of what they read to save time. Scholars keep up-to-date in three main ways: web browsing of journal issues, library database searches, and TOC e-mail alerts. More than 90% of survey respondents reported conducting database searches. Google and Google Scholar were often mentioned ahead of specific library database names. In determining value and relevance of an article, its author and abstract are key for scholars. In addition, personal information management techniques used by scholars were all over the board. The three main methods were use of print or electronic folders, reference management software, and no system. Many of the academics felt their information management systems were “rudimentary” (p. 225). The request for suggestions and comments on the questionnaire was not answered by “most of the sample” (p. 226). Those who did respond to this request asked for more library resources. The main complaint expressed by scholars concerned the difficulty and complexity of finding journal article content using the Library website (e.g., varying databases, difficulty of interpreting what journal electronic and print holdings are available). Because of this, a number of scholars used Google to find library-subscribed content. Conclusion – By having greater and easier access to e-journals, scholars accessing the CBUC read more articles from more disciplines. Scholars would prefer a simpler library interface to search for online content. Due to the complexity of finding article content, they use web search tools like Google and Google Scholar to get to what they need faster. The authors of this study believe research should be conducted on the use of the Consortium’s metasearch tool to reduce the complexity. Research should also be conducted on value-added features of search interfaces for particular disciplines.

The Group Management Alternative

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ofer Bergman ◽  
Steve Whittaker
Keyword(s):  
Information Management ◽  
Potential Benefit ◽  
Personal Information ◽  
File Sharing ◽  
Personal Information Management ◽  
Traditional Methods ◽  
Group Management ◽  
Management Alternative ◽  
Group Information ◽  
E Mail

People who are collaborating can share and organize files in two main ways: performing Group Information Management (GIM) using a common repository or performing Personal Information Management (PIM) by distributing files as e-mail attachments and storing them in personal repositories. One potential benefit for GIM is that it reduces the need for every collaborating participant to individually organize their information. However people are less successful and less efficient at finding files from common repositories than personal folders. Consistent with this, people show a preference for more traditional methods of file-sharing using email. PIM may induce better retrieval because it encourages people to actively organize their files using personal classifications. Such active personal organization is less likely with GIM.

Modeling the process of personal digital archiving through ubiquitous and desktop devices: A systematic review

2021 ◽  
pp. 096100062199641
Author(s):  
Irfan Ali ◽  
Nosheen Fatima Warraich
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Information Management ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Personal Information ◽  
Cloud Services ◽  
Task Completion ◽  
Personal Information Management ◽  
Digital Archiving ◽  
Ubiquitous Environment

The purpose of this study is to explore Personal Digital Archiving, and its practices, reasons, and challenges in desktop and in ubiquitous environment such as desktop computers, laptops, mobile phones or smartphones, tablets, and cloud services. Moreover, it is also aimed to develop a model of Personal Digital Archiving process for desktop and ubiquitous devices. This study used Preferred Reporting Items for the Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis guidelines for searching and devising, and inclusion and exclusion criteria. The Search was conducted from selected repositories, databases, and core journals, potentially containing studies related with Personal Digital Archiving. Consequently, 21 studies were included through identification, screening, eligibility, and inclusion of studies process. It was found that people used multiple devices such as mobile phones or smartphones along with other devices. It was established that people had also used cloud services with different devices including computers and smartphones or tablets for Personal Digital Archiving. Five major categories of individuals’ Personal Digital Archiving practices, that is, backup, replication or duplication, reorganizing and updating, cleaning or removing, and migration of information were found. Moreover, emotional motives, technological causes, alternative access, easy retrieval, and task completion were the reasons to adopt Personal Digital Archiving. On the basis of findings of selected studies, researchers developed a four steps model of Personal Digital Archiving process, consisting of initiation, identification, action, and evaluation constructs. Personal Digital Archiving challenges were also identified such as the individuals had to face through the use of desktop and ubiquitous devices including technical, fragmented and overloaded information, lack of training and expertise, and psychological and miscellaneous challenges. Personal Digital Archiving process model is based on the extracted data from studies published worldwide, and it is useful for both desktop and ubiquitous devices with reference to Personal Information Management context. The findings of the study will be helpful for software designers and android application developers to design and develop users’ centered Personal Information Management software.

Information overload in business organizations and entrepreneurship: An analytical review of the literature

2021 ◽  
pp. 026638212110549
Author(s):  
CA(Dr.) Gaurav Bhambri
Keyword(s):  
Intelligent Agents ◽  
Information Overload ◽  
Personal Information ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Business Organizations ◽  
Professional Literature ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
Paradoxical Situation

In this paper I analytically review the literature on the information overload problem, with special reference to the business organizations and entrepreneurship and the study mainly reveals that the problem of the information overload has been existed for many years, whereas in current years the problem has become more clearly recognized and experienced. A concern stressed in the literature is the paradoxical situation that most probably there is an abundance of information available and it is often difficult to obtain useful, and relevant information when it may be needed. Both perceptions and the actual effects of information overload have exacerbated by rapid advances made in the information and communication technology, whereas it is not clear cut as to whether Internet has worsened/improved the situation. Some solutions have put forward to reduce the information overload are a reduction in duplication of the information found in professional literature; the adoption of the personal information management strategies, along with the integration of software solutions such as push technology and intelligent agents; and the provision of value-added information. Main emphasis is placed on the technology as a tool and not driver, while increased in information literacy may provide key to reducing the information overload in organisations.

scholarly journals A three-phase model proposal for the evolution of scientific communication: from first print periodicals to current electronic communication system

2008 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrícia Bertin
Keyword(s):  
Electronic Publishing ◽  
Scientific Information ◽  
Scientific Communication ◽  
Phase Model ◽  
Electronic Journal ◽  
Electronic Journals ◽  
Effective Dissemination ◽  
Three Phase ◽  
Evolutionary Phase ◽  
Consolidation Phase

Scientific communication has undergone deep transformations, since the emergence of Internet. Aiming to provide further thought on the evolution of scientific communication, this paper features a historical overview of the scientific communication advances over the last twenty years through a three-phase model for the evolution of the electronic journal and the preprints services, and presents Brazilian contemporary panorama for scientific communication. The three-phase model presented in this work is an adaptation of that one proposed by Tenopir et al. (2003) to describe the patterns of journal use by scientists since 1990. The early evolutionary phase followed the emergence of the first digital journals and the creation of repositories in the Web for publishing preliminary versions of scientific literature on the author’s initiative; by that time, most academics reproved electronic publishing initiatives. From 1996 and forward, in the consolidation phase, electronic journals were commonly identical to their print counterparts; the acceptance of the electronic format began to increase, and preprint services got underway in several disciplines. The advanced evolutionary phase started with the world discussion on open access to scientific information. The comparison of the current electronic journal with that viewed by enthusiasts in the first years of the 1990s shows that some aspects still remain to be improved in electronic formal and informal communication, towards effective dissemination of scientific information.

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