INLS 151

wednesday, january 13

agenda / learning outcomes

• First-day “quiz” follow-up• Putting a $ on information• Case reading– how might we define information?– starting to thing about human information

behavior– dubious assumptions about info seeking

• “Google effect” brief – your reactions

Correction from first day handout: “status report”Course schedule webpage – ongoing updates…

Ways to find/determine more reliable, credible, high quality, accurate & authentic sources

14

Efficient & productive methods for information search 7Learn how to read/analyze/use info for my purpose/use (papers/projects)

7

Improve skills in organizing and synthesizing information from multiple sources

4

Statistical software 2Fresh perspective into info systems of today’s world 1Find data/resources to support classes in my major 1Better understand digital collections 1Job search 1

What would you like to learn?

Library databasesComponents of an abstract of a journal articleWhat does scholarly / peer reviewed mean? How do you determine whether an article is of this type?Special collections on campusPrimary sourcesDetermining experts in a discipline (citation count/bibliometrics)

UNC Libraries ResourcesElectronic Journals, 2014-2015

These figures would not include e-book expenses or subscriptions that include a print component. These figures would also not represent resources paid for solely by the Health Sciences or Law libraries for campus-wide access.

UNC Libraries ResourcesDatabase Subscriptions, 2014-2015

These figures would not represent resources paid for solely by the Health Sciences or Law libraries for campus-wide access.

UNC Libraries Resources

Health Sciences Library: 5,451Law Library: 783

$ 15 $ 20,000

What do you estimate a university-wide subscription to Science costs per year?

$ 200,000

Brain approximately $25K/year

Discipline Average Price Per TitleChemistry $4,871Physics 4,341Engineering 3,039Biology 2,977Technology 2,058Math & Computer Science 1,866Heath Sciences 1,694General Science 1,643Geography 1,571

Average 2015 Price by Discipline

SOURCE: Library Journal PERIODICALS PRICE SURVEY 2015

2016 Ferrari 488 Spider (MSRP $242,737

Donald Case reading

Introductory chapter on current research perspectives on information seeking, information needs and information behavior

human information interaction

• people interact with information routinely– seekers– targeted audience– “innocent bystanders” – prospectors

• interactions are influenced by situational variables

• information as a personal construct

Carefully craft one sentence to answer:

WHAT IS INFORMATION?

information as Thing

Something that is evidence that:– we can study– has meaning– can pass from one person to another

Tangible physical objects, items, and entities are examples.

Knowledge and ideas must be represented – and representations are “things”

information as Thing

Information appears to us in a material form … and can be described in a language of physical things. As material objects, [information] can then be collected, organized, and retrieved for use.

Raber, 2003

*Western view/perspective

information as Process

Involves learning, it is the act of informing – as you learn, you change

Information as a “verb” – transfer of information, communication.

information as Knowledge

When information is internalized – it becomes part of you

Intangible ideas, etc. are examples

more definitions of information

• Marchionini– anything that changes one’s understanding

• Shannon & Weaver–uncertainty reduction

Data= “are sets of symbols not necessarily understood by, found meaningful by, or causing a change of state in the destination.” (e.g. hieroglyphics)

Information= “if a message is understood, found meaningful, or changes the state, then it is properly called information.” “….it gets through to the recipient’s mind (or mechanical equivalent).”

Knowledge= when information is used to make a decision, take an action, to understand future messages… “…knowledge is seen as the …integration of information received by any given entity”

Vegetation CategoriesBarren Rock and Rock with Sparse Vegetation

Foothill Chaparral

Foothill Hardwoods and Grasslands

Giant Sequoia Groves

Lodgepole Pine Forest

Meadow

Mid-elevation Hardwood Forest

Montane Chaparral

No (or missing) Data

Other(Mostly Water Bodies)

Ponderosa - Mixed Conifer Forest

Red Fir Forest

Subalpine Conifer Forest

White Fir Mixed Conifer Forest

Xeric Conifer Forest

Major Waterways

RoadsDirt

Primary

Secondary

Unknown

Trails

Legend

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Marten detections (n=10)$TActual Site UTMs (n=30)c

Key

Kevin Durant’s closely guarded attempts happen all

over the court

…but he actually makes his shots in only a few select areas

Information Interactions Caveats

• We interact with information constantly• Our interactions are related to our past

experiences, our current situation, and our goals (among other things)

• We do not have the same reactions to the same piece of information

• We do not notice the same things• Designing interaction is a complex problem

In the reading from Information Behavior, the author attempts to explain the difference in and the shift from "old" to "new" ways of information seeking.

What is the difference between the two and are there some ways that we still follow the "old" way of information seeking. If so, is it because we have to or because we choose to?

-Kalsey

• Quick overview of a study that explored the cognitive consequences of having information at our fingertips and effect on memory

• when people expect to have future access to information, they have lower rates of recall of the information itself and enhanced recall instead for where to access it.

• the Internet has become a primary form of external or transactive memory, where information is stored collectively outside ourselves.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R2jE7VAzC8

Your comments, thoughts, reactions?

The author states in the article the plethora of complications that come with the dependency of the Internet in present society compared to previous years. I agree that individuals are becoming very dependent for the internet to remember and store information, but I feel that the article tries to craft the internet as a negative contribution. Although an increase in internet dependency is faced, the Internet has benefits and aided in more progressive endeavors for individuals. I also was curious of the dependency had any effect on individuals in the work place or in departments of work??

-Anis

10 dubious assumptions

• In small groups discuss one or two of the ten myths surrounding information seeking as described by Case/Dervin

• Do you agree / disagree with the “myth” label? How strongly?

• Identify a real-world example that supports the label of myth

• Identify a real-world example that contradicts the label of myth

handout

For next week…

• Monday: volunteer/service opportunities?• Wednesday: organizing information – categories,

classifying, how do we (professionals, regular folk, institutions, etc.) do that? How do we as information seekers use these systems to find what we need effectively?

• Question to ask your other professors: How do they regularly encounter new information in the field? What journal(s) do they regularly read?