Abstract While most research in the area of human‐information behavior has focused on a single dimension—either the psychological or the social—this case study demonstrated the importance of a multidimensional approach. The Cognitive Work Analysis framework guided this field study of one event of collaborative information retrieval (CIR) carried out by design engineers at Microsoft, including observations and interviews. Various dimensions explained the motives for this CIR event and the challenges the participants encountered: the cognitive dimension, the specific task and decision, the organization of the teamwork, and the organizational culture. Even though it is difficult at times to separate one dimension from another, and all are interdependent, the analysis uncovered several reasons for design engineers to engage in CIR, such as when they are new to the organization or the team, when the information lends itself to various interpretations, or when most of the needed information is not documented. Similar multidimensional studies will enhance our understanding of human‐information behavior.

Information retrieval is generally considered an individual activity, and information retrieval research and tools reflect this view. As digitally mediated communication and information sharing increase, collaborative information retrieval merits greater attention and support. We describe field studies of information gathering in two design teams that had very different products, disciplinary backgrounds, and tools. We found striking similarities in the kinds of information they sought and the methods used to get it. For example, each team sought information about design constraints from external sources. A common strategy was to propose ideas and request feedback, rather than to ask directly for recommendations. Some differences in information seeking and sharing reflected differences in work contexts. Our findings suggest some ways that existing team collaboration tools could support collaborative information retrieval more effectively.

Article Free Access Share on The effect of query type on subject searching behavior of image databases (poster session): an exploratory study Authors: Efthimis N. Efthimiadis School of Library & Information Science, University of Washington, Box 352930, Seattle, WA School of Library & Information Science, University of Washington, Box 352930, Seattle, WAView Profile , Raya Fidel School of Library & Information Science, University of Washington, Box 352930, Seattle, WA School of Library & Information Science, University of Washington, Box 352930, Seattle, WAView Profile Authors Info & Claims SIGIR '00: Proceedings of the 23rd annual international ACM SIGIR conference on Research and development in information retrievalJuly 2000Pages 328–330https://doi.org/10.1145/345508.345625Published:01 July 2000Publication History 6citation17DownloadsMetricsTotal Citations6Total Downloads17Last 12 Months3Last 6 weeks0 Get Citation AlertsNew Citation Alert added!This alert has been successfully added and will be sent to:You will be notified whenever a record that you have chosen has been cited.To manage your alert preferences, click on the button below.Manage my AlertsNew Citation Alert!Please log in to your account Save to BinderSave to BinderCreate a New BinderNameCancelCreateExport CitationPublisher SiteeReaderPDF

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This article analyzes Web searching behavior for homework assignments of high school students through field observations in class and at the terminal with students thinking aloud, and through interviews with various participants, including the teacher and librarian. Students performed focused searching and progressed through a search swiftly and flexibly. They used landmarks and assumed that one can always start a new search and ask for help. They were satisfied with their searches and the results, but impatient with slow response. The students enjoyed searching the Web because it had a variety of formats, it showed pictures, it covered a multitude of subjects and it provided easy access to information. Difficulties and problems students encountered emphasize the need for training to all involved, and for a system design that is based on user seeking and searching behavior.

Abstmd.~though falteringekctronic information is -8 qidly, vq fewstudiesexamined users'perceptions about the success of filtering.Users at the Boeing Company participated in a study which collected data throughobservation, verbal protocols, questionnaire, and interviews.Dsts analysis used four levels of relevance to assess the importance,and fkquency of use, of thirken criteria for relevance, and fourteen for non relevance, that are not topics or subject matters.Results showed that perceived precision ratios for tiltered information were higher then the ratios fbr non-falteredinfbrmatiorLbut not significantly and could still be improved even though most respondents were satisfied with these ratios.Developing methods to create and maintain useful profiles, and finding ways to incorporaterelevance as well as non-relevan= criteria into profdes, are neceswuy to improve the performanceof faltering medumisms.Filtering electronicinformationis a vital componentof contemporaryinformationwork, The rapid development of informationtihnology atkcted not only the wayusers look for Wormation and retrievei~but also organizational desi~intelligence,and managementdecisionmaking (Huber, 1990;Dow et al., 1993;GoodmaQ 1993).In additio~with the increasingamount of informationthat is availableelectronically,the need to developmechanismsto filter what a user receiveshas becomeof paramount importance.This need has been mcognimd by prof-ionals in various fields and on all levels: The Wall Street Journal sleti its readers to fight back data overload(Wdlcely, 1989); medicallibrarians have been examiningfiltering clinical informationfor a number ofyears (Marshall, 1993~and the ACM dedicateda whole issue of its Communications to Permissh to make digitdhrd copies of a)l or part of this material fbr personal or Classfoom use is granted without fee provided that the copies arenotmdeor distribefm~fmw mmmcrcial Wtwntage, the cmpyrigbt notkq the title of the publication and its date appear, and notice is &!kn that Wpyr@tt is by permission of the ACM, Inc.To mpy otherwise.to republit@ to post on serwrs or to redistribute to lists, requires specific permission andhr fx.

Two distinct approaches describe the process of indexing. The document-oriented approach claims that indexing summarizes or represents the content of a document. The user-oriented approach requires that indexing reflect the requests for which a document might be relevant. Most indexing, in practice as well as in theory, subscribe to both, but the document-oriented approach has enjoyed most visibility. While request-oriented indexing is a user-centered approach, it is very difficult to implement with human, a priori indexing. Automated indexing with its dynamic and flexible nature is most fit to tailor indexing to requirements of individual users and requests, yet most of current research in the area focuses on the development of global methods. Regardless of the method, user-centered indexing cannot be developed before searching behavior is understood better. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

The selection routine is a formal decision tree that represents the intuitive rules searchers use when they select search keys, textwords or descriptors. The case study method provided the data through: (1) observation of 47 professional online searchers performing their job-related searches; and (2) analysis of verbal and search protocols involved. Each option in the selection of search keys presents the use of a certain combination of textwords and descriptors which searchers choose because of request or database requirements, or because of their own beliefs. The routine delineates the terminological conditions which lead to the selection of each option. It is the first formal presentation of human knowledge that can be incorporated into the knowledge base of intermediary expert systems. © 1991 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Searching with descriptors from controlled vocabularies complements free-text searching with textwords. The case study method provided data about the manner in which the two types of search keys interact through: (1) observation of 47 professional searchers performing their job-related searches; and (2) analysis of verbal and search protocols, denoting reasons for the selection of each search key and for each search modification. Results show that searchers used thesauri and indexing when it was of satisfactory quality and available to them, and that these and other database-related reasons were the most influential in search-key selection. Further, having to perform a multidatabase search induced the use of textwords without consulting a thesaurus. There is a need for high quality thesauri which are easily available and for mechanisms, such as switching languages, to aid in multidatabase searches. © 1991 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Individual searching style has a primary effect on searching behavior. The case study method provided data about elements of searching styles through: (1) observation of 47 professional searchers performing their job-related searches; and (2) analysis of verbal and search protocols. Statistical associations among a number of variables reveal three dimensions of searching behavior: level of interaction, preference for operational or conceptual moves, and preference for textwords or descriptors. The interactive searcher actively modifies search strategies and uses a relatively large number of search keys (or search terms). The operationalist searcher prefers to employ operational moves and is less concerned with recall than his conceptualist counterpart. The free-text searcher prefers to use textwords, has developed a habit of not consulting a thesaurus, and is more likely to regularly receive practical questions. Findings also indicate that searchers encountered difficulties in achieving satisfactory recall, regardless of their searching style. Future research should focus on mechanisms to improve recall and on factors that affect the development of searching styles. © 1991 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Intermediary expert systems are designed to mediate between end-users and complex information retrieval systems. However, since most of these expert systems are based on text analysis rather than on models of hum man searching, they cannot process requestrelated criteria, such as precision or recall requirements. Analysis of the searching behavior of human intermediaries revealed a routine for the selection of search keys-freetext or controlled vocabulary-along a decision tree. Examples of decision rules demonstrate that although further research is required, these rules can be automated to significantly enhance the adaptability of inter. mediary expert systems.

Abstract The model of operationalist and conceptualist searching styles describes searching behavior of experienced online searchers. It is based on the systematic observation of five experienced online searchers doing their regular, job‐related searches, and on the analysis of 10 to 13 searches conducted by each of them. Operational‐ist searchers aim at optimal strategles to achleve precise retrieval; they use a large range of system capabilities in their interaction. They preserve the specific meaning of the request, and the aim of their iterations is an answer set representing the request precisely. Conceptualist searchers analyze a request by seeking to fit it into a faceted structure. They first enter the facet that represents the most important aspect of the request. Their search is then centered on retrieving subsets from this primary set by introducing additional facets. In contrast to the operationalists, they are primarily concerned with recall. During the interaction they preserve the faceted structure, but may change the specific meaning of the request. Although not comprehensive, the model aids in recognizing special and individual characteristics of searching behavior which provide explanations of previous research and guidelines for further investigations into the search process.

Abstract This article presents a conceptual framework for the organization of factors (independent variables) affecting online bibliographic retrieval; the variables were collected from major sources. The first part describes the various roles that variables play in a research study. The second part gives the conceptual framework for the factors with examples of individual variables for illustration. We consider the following elements of the total retrieval situation: the setting, the user, the request, the database, the search system, the searcher, the search process, and the search outcome. For each of these elements (excluding search outcome) a detailed list of variables is given in the Appendix. The variables are organized in a table according to themes that are applicable across elements.