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Articles 421 - 450 of 459

Full-Text Articles in Library and Information Science

‘Poster Meets Innis: Poststructuralism And The Possibility Of Political Economy’, Robert Babe, Edward Comor Jan 2006

‘Poster Meets Innis: Poststructuralism And The Possibility Of Political Economy’, Robert Babe, Edward Comor

FIMS Publications

This is the fifth and final column in the Topia series exploring intersections between political economy and cultural studies. The column in Topia 15 (Babe 2006: 91-101) documents the tendency on the part of mainstream American communication/media scholars—from John Dewey in the first decades of the 20th century to postmodernist writers of today—to obscure to the vanishing point concerns and methods of political economy. The earlier column suggests that “readers should scrutinize carefully the writings of contemporary poststructuralist/postmodernist authoritative figures to determine just where they stand on issues of political economy” (98). That is precisely what we do here: we …

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Why Are Hyperlinks To Business Websites Created? A Content Analysis, L. Vaughan, Y. Gao, M. Kipp Jan 2006

Why Are Hyperlinks To Business Websites Created? A Content Analysis, L. Vaughan, Y. Gao, M. Kipp

FIMS Publications

Motivations for the creation of hyperlinks to business sites were analyzed through a content analysis approach. Links to 280 North American IT companies (71 Canadian companies and 209 U.S. companies) were searched through Yahoo!. Then a random sample of 808 links was taken from the links retrieved. The content as well as the context of each link was manually examined to determine why the link was created. The country location and the type of the site where the link came from were also identified. The study found that most links were created for business purposes confirming findings from early quantitative …

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The Presentation Of Complementary And Alternative Medicine Information In Canadian Midwifery Care, Pamela J. Mckenzie, Tami Oliphant Jan 2006

The Presentation Of Complementary And Alternative Medicine Information In Canadian Midwifery Care, Pamela J. Mckenzie, Tami Oliphant

FIMS Presentations

Abstract: This paper uses discourse analysis to consider midwives’ and pregnant women’s discussions of conventional and complementary and alternative medicine interventions for inducing labour. Participants distinguished between “natural” and “medical” methods and used information sources based on both biomedical evidence and women’s experience to justify and challenge authority claims. Résumé : Cet article utilise l’analyse du discours pour examiner les conversations des sagesfemmes et des femmes enceintes au sujet des interventions en médecine traditionnelle, douce et alternative pour assister l’accouchement. Les participantes ont fait la distinction entre les méthodes « naturelles » et « médicales » et ont utilisé des …

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Critical Theory And Information Studies: A Marcusean Infusion, Ajit K. Pyati Jan 2006

Critical Theory And Information Studies: A Marcusean Infusion, Ajit K. Pyati

FIMS Publications

In the field of library and information science, also known as information studies, critical theory is often not included in debates about the discipline’s theoretical foundations. This paper argues that the critical theory of Herbert Marcuse, in particular, has a significant contribution to make to the field of information studies. Marcuse’s focus, for instance, on ‘technical rationality’ as a tool of domination in modern capitalist society is a useful construct for understanding how discourses of information technology are being used to perpetuate modernist notions of information and capitalist logics of consumption. It is argued here that critical theory theory and …

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Mapping Textually-Mediated Information Practice In Clinical Midwifery Care, Pamela J. Mckenzie Jan 2006

Mapping Textually-Mediated Information Practice In Clinical Midwifery Care, Pamela J. Mckenzie

FIMS Publications

No abstract provided.

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Let’S Not Get Psyched Out Of Privacy: Reflections On Withdrawing Consent To The Collection, Use And Disclosure Of Personal Information, Jennifer Barrigar, Jacquelyn Burkell, Ian Kerr Jan 2006

Let’S Not Get Psyched Out Of Privacy: Reflections On Withdrawing Consent To The Collection, Use And Disclosure Of Personal Information, Jennifer Barrigar, Jacquelyn Burkell, Ian Kerr

FIMS Publications

The technologies that we use and the values we embrace construct an information hungry society. Our mass adoption of them has transformed many of us into information junkies, and those whose business it is to feed our info-pangs continuously demand quid pro quo: in order to get information, you must give some up. In this article, we investigate PIPEDA’s conception of consent, with special emphasis on the right of individuals to withdraw consent.

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Anonymity In Behavioural Research: Not Being Unnamed, But Being Unknown, Jacquelyn Burkell Jan 2006

Anonymity In Behavioural Research: Not Being Unnamed, But Being Unknown, Jacquelyn Burkell

FIMS Publications

EMPIRICAL RESEARCH IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES should help answer a crucial question: how does anonymity influence behaviour? A quick perusal of the literature, however, reveals that the answer provided by this research is far from simple. According to the empirical literature, “anonymity” has broad, varied, and inconsistent behavioural effects. A deeper reading reveals that the complexity of behavioural effects is matched by the complexity and variety in the empirical definitions of “anonymity.” Analysis of empirical manipulations designed to operationalize the concept reveal that they reflect three distinct concepts: 1) identity protection (withholding of name or other unique identifiers); 2) visual …

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Legal Protocols And Practices For Managing Copyright In Electronic Theses, Mark Perry, Paula Callan Jan 2006

Legal Protocols And Practices For Managing Copyright In Electronic Theses, Mark Perry, Paula Callan

Law Publications

At Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Brisbane Australia, PhD and Masters by Research candidates are required to deposit both print and digital copies of their theses and dissertations. The fulltext of these digital theses is then made freely available online via the Australian Digital Thesis (ADT) collection. Management of copyright issues has been a major headache and workload problem for the Library: there are many parties involved in the deposit process, and the lack of a common understanding about the rights and responsibilities of the various stakeholders has made the process very complex and time consuming. The response of …

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Hogging The Remote (Search Button): How Western Libraries Is Using Remote Searching To Streamline Acquisitions, Paul Hamilton, Karen Marshall Sep 2005

Hogging The Remote (Search Button): How Western Libraries Is Using Remote Searching To Streamline Acquisitions, Paul Hamilton, Karen Marshall

Western Libraries Presentations

This presentation discusses how Western Libraries at the University of Western Ontario used remote searching to streamline acquisitions.

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“Can Con” On The Www, Keith Chapman, Lisa Rae Philpott Feb 2005

“Can Con” On The Www, Keith Chapman, Lisa Rae Philpott

Western Libraries Presentations

No abstract provided.

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Mla In Vancouver, B.C., Lisa Rae Philpott Feb 2005

Mla In Vancouver, B.C., Lisa Rae Philpott

Western Libraries Publications

No abstract provided.

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Information Provision For Informed Prenatal Decision Making, Jacquelyn Burkell, Pamela J. Mckenzie Jan 2005

Information Provision For Informed Prenatal Decision Making, Jacquelyn Burkell, Pamela J. Mckenzie

FIMS Presentations

Abstract: In decision making in maternity care, midwives provide information to support clientcentred decisions. Although midwives are expected to maintain neutrality, a variety of concerns limit nondirectiveness. The impact of these concerns is explored through qualitative analysis of midwife-client interactions. The results provide insight into what counts as “information” in these interactions. Résumé : Lors de la prise de décision dans les soins de maternité, les sages-femmes offrent des informations pour soutenir les décisions de leurs patientes. Bien que l’on suppose que les sages-femmes doivent conserver une certaine neutralité, de nombreuses préoccupations limitent le manque de directives. L’impact de ces …

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Interpretive Repertoires, Pamela J. Mckenzie Jan 2005

Interpretive Repertoires, Pamela J. Mckenzie

FIMS Publications

No abstract provided.

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Trying To Help Without Getting In Their Faces: Public Library Staff Descriptions Of Providing Consumer Health Information, C Brandi Borman, Pamela J. Mckenzie Jan 2005

Trying To Help Without Getting In Their Faces: Public Library Staff Descriptions Of Providing Consumer Health Information, C Brandi Borman, Pamela J. Mckenzie

FIMS Publications

Several recent studies have analyzed users' descriptions of the reference transaction, but little research has analyzed library staff members' accounts of reference encounters. This article builds on the work of Marie Radford and the authors of the "library visit" studies by examining library staff members' descriptions of providing consumer health reference services. WE conclude that an in-depth study of staff members' accounts can provide insight into the different ways that library staff members and users construct problems in the reference encounter and can therefore suggest potential solutions.

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‘‘What Does This Mean?’’ How Web-Based Consumer Health Information Fails To Support Information Seeking In The Pursuit Of Informed Consent For Screening Test Decisions, Jacquelyn A. Burkell, D Grant Campbell Jan 2005

‘‘What Does This Mean?’’ How Web-Based Consumer Health Information Fails To Support Information Seeking In The Pursuit Of Informed Consent For Screening Test Decisions, Jacquelyn A. Burkell, D Grant Campbell

FIMS Publications

Purpose: The authors analyzed online consumer health information related to screening tests to see how well this information meets known standards for supporting the understanding of test uncertainty. Setting/Subjects: MedlinePlus documents regarding maternal serum screening (6), prostate-specific antigen testing (6), and screening mammography (6) were analyzed. Methodology: The content of the documents was analyzed. Results: This study showed that most sites conscientiously report that tests are less than 100% accurate, but few provide important details about the level of uncertainty associated with test results. In particular, few resources give information about the predictive value of screening tests and have little …

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Interpreting Workplace Learning In Terms Of Discourse And Community Of Practice, Adrian K. Ho Nov 2004

Interpreting Workplace Learning In Terms Of Discourse And Community Of Practice, Adrian K. Ho

Western Libraries Publications

Based on the ethnographic data collected from the workplace of an academic library, I argue that workplace learning (WL) is a situated socio-cognitive process. It is expedited by knowledge management (KM), which is a collective effort to generate, share, and institutionalize work-related knowledge. KM is inherent in the face-to-face conversational interactions embedded in planned formal training, planned informal sharing, and spontaneous informal learning. When face-to-face interaction is not possible, KM is accomplished through textualization. It helps the members of the workplace acquire new work-related knowledge and integrate it to their common, contextualized knowledge base. The contents of the knowledge base …

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Mla In Washington, Dc, Lisa Rae Philpott Feb 2004

Mla In Washington, Dc, Lisa Rae Philpott

Western Libraries Publications

No abstract provided.

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Search Engine Coverage Bias: Evidence And Possible Causes, L. Vaughan, M. Thelwall Jan 2004

Search Engine Coverage Bias: Evidence And Possible Causes, L. Vaughan, M. Thelwall

FIMS Publications

Commercial search engines are now playing an increasingly important role in Web information dissemination and access. Of particular interest to business and national governments is whether the big engines have coverage biased towards the US or other countries. In our study we tested for national biases in three major search engines and found significant differences in their coverage of commercial Web sites. The US sites were much better covered than the others in the study: sites from China, Taiwan and Singapore. We then examined the possible technical causes of the differences and found that the language of a site does …

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New Versions Of Pagerank Employing Alternative Web Document Models, M. Thelwall, L. Vaughan Jan 2004

New Versions Of Pagerank Employing Alternative Web Document Models, M. Thelwall, L. Vaughan

FIMS Publications

Introduces several new versions of PageRank (the link based Web page ranking algorithm), based on an information science perspective on the concept of the Web document. Although the Web page is the typical indivisible unit of information in search engine results and most Web information retrieval algorithms, other research has suggested that aggregating pages based on directories and domains gives promising alternatives, particularly when Web links are the object of study. The new algorithms introduced based on these alternatives were used to rank four sets of Web pages. The ranking results were compared with human subjects' rankings. The results of …

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What Are The Chances? Evaluating Risk/Benefit Information In Consumer Health Materials, Jacquelyn Burkell Jan 2004

What Are The Chances? Evaluating Risk/Benefit Information In Consumer Health Materials, Jacquelyn Burkell

FIMS Publications

Much consumer health information addresses issues of disease risk or treatment risks and benefits, addressing questions such as ‘‘How effective is this treatment?’’ or ‘‘What is the likelihood that this test will give a false positive result?’’ Insofar as it addresses outcome likelihood, this information is essentially quantitative in nature, which is of critical importance, because quantitative information tends to be difficult to understand and therefore inaccessible to consumers. Information professionals typically examine reading level to determine the accessibility of consumer health information, but this measure does not adequately reflect the difficulty of quantitative information, including materials addressing issues of …

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Health Information Seals Of Approval: What Do They Signify?, Jacquelyn Burkell Jan 2004

Health Information Seals Of Approval: What Do They Signify?, Jacquelyn Burkell

FIMS Publications

Much of the health information available to consumers on the Internet is incomplete, out of date, and even inaccurate. Seals of approval or trustmarks have been suggested as a strategy to assist consumers to identify high quality information. Little is known, however, about how consumers interpret such seals. This study addresses this issue by examining assumptions about the quality criteria that are reflected by a seal of approval. This question is of particular importance because a wide variety of quality criteria have been suggested for online health information, including core aspects of quality such as accuracy, currency, and completeness, proxy …

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Finding And Creating Possibility: Reading In The Lives Of Lesbian, Bisexual And Queer Young Women, Paulette Rothbauer Jan 2004

Finding And Creating Possibility: Reading In The Lives Of Lesbian, Bisexual And Queer Young Women, Paulette Rothbauer

Data and Test Instruments

This study examines the voluntary reading practices of self-identified lesbian, bisexual and queer young women between the ages of 18 and 23 years. The practices associated with voluntary reading including finding, borrowing, buying, reading, sharing and talking about texts, especially those that fall into the genre of lesbian and gay literature, comprise the central theme of this study. Data collection and analysis were guided by principles of qualitative,interpretivist inquiry. Data was collected through in-depth interviews with seventeen young women in London and Toronto, Ontario. Three main themes related to reading emerged from analysis of interview transcripts. The first of these …

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The Internet In The Reading Accounts Of Lesbian And Queer Young Women: Failed Searches And Unsanctioned Reading, Paulette Rothbauer Jan 2004

The Internet In The Reading Accounts Of Lesbian And Queer Young Women: Failed Searches And Unsanctioned Reading, Paulette Rothbauer

Data and Test Instruments

In my dissertation research (Rothbauer 2004a), I explore the role of voluntary reading in the lives of self-identified lesbian or queer young women (18–23 years). The larger context of this inquiry concerns the negotiation of diverse meanings of alternative sexualities constructed by young people through the consumption of a range of self-selected reading materials, including lesbian and gay literature. Data collection and analysis were guided by qualitative principles of interpretive and reflexive research, and data are taken primarily from conversational interviews with 17 young women, conducted between November 2001 and February 2003. One area of significant findings encompasses the uses …

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"People Aren't Afraid Anymore, But It's Hard To Find Books": Reading Practices That Inform The Personal And Social Identities Of Self-Identified Lesbian And Queer Young Women, Paulette Rothbauer Jan 2004

"People Aren't Afraid Anymore, But It's Hard To Find Books": Reading Practices That Inform The Personal And Social Identities Of Self-Identified Lesbian And Queer Young Women, Paulette Rothbauer

Data and Test Instruments

A presentation of my doctoral research, in which I examine reading as a taken-for-granted and under-studied aspect of information seeking and information use. Specifically, I look at the role of voluntary reading in the negotiation of alternative sexual identities amongst young women (18-23 years of age) who self-identify as lesbian, queer, or bisexual.

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Uncharted Waters: "Hidden" Jazz Collections At The U.W.O Music Library, Lisa Rae Philpott May 2003

Uncharted Waters: "Hidden" Jazz Collections At The U.W.O Music Library, Lisa Rae Philpott

Western Libraries Presentations

Popular music has long been ignored by academic music programs and their associated libraries. If we are now playing 'catch-up' with pop music, then what is the status of jazz music? At Western, surprising collections of jazz music exist, but are hidden. This presentation offers an overview of the Simmons Collection and the CKGW Radio Orchestra collection, and highlights some of the Canadian content contained therein.

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Information Literacy For Music Librarians: Pre-Conference Workshop At Mla 2003, Monica Fazekas Feb 2003

Information Literacy For Music Librarians: Pre-Conference Workshop At Mla 2003, Monica Fazekas

Western Libraries Publications

No abstract provided.

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Mla In Austin, Texas, Lisa Rae Philpott Feb 2003

Mla In Austin, Texas, Lisa Rae Philpott

Western Libraries Publications

No abstract provided.

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Neo-Imperialism And The Crisis Of Time, Edward Comor Jan 2003

Neo-Imperialism And The Crisis Of Time, Edward Comor

FIMS Publications

This article applies the Innisian concept of media bias to contemporary U.S. foreign policy developments. The author argues that the common sense informing an emerging neo-imperialism has been profoundly influenced by Washington’s general neglect of time. Among others, consumption is assessed as a medium shaping such biases as well as contradictory policies related to the globalization project.

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Which Academic Subjects Have Most Online Impact? A Pilot Study And A New Classification Process, M. Thelwall, L. Vaughan, V. Cothey Jan 2003

Which Academic Subjects Have Most Online Impact? A Pilot Study And A New Classification Process, M. Thelwall, L. Vaughan, V. Cothey

FIMS Publications

The use of the Web by academic researchers is discipline-dependent and highly variable. It is increasingly central for sharing information, disseminating results and publicising research projects. This pilot study seeks to identify the subjects that have the most impact on the Web, and look for national differences in online subject visibility. The highest impact sites were from computing, but there were major national differences in the impact of engineering and technology sites. Another difference was that Taiwan had more high impact non-academic sites hosted by universities. As a pilot study, the classification process itself was also investigated and the problems …

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Connecting With Information Sources: How Accounts Of Information Seeking Take Discursive Action, Pamela J. Mckenzie Jan 2003

Connecting With Information Sources: How Accounts Of Information Seeking Take Discursive Action, Pamela J. Mckenzie

FIMS Publications

Taking a discursive approach to information seeking research can allow researchers to move away from considering information seekers’ accounts as transparent and unproblematic representations their information behaviour or underlying cognitive and affective processes. This paper uses a constructivist discourse analytic approach to study the discursive functions performed by accounts of information seeking in a particular context – the ways that individuals use information-seeking stories to “position” themselves discursively. This paper analyses four modes of information practice (Active seeking, Active scanning, Everyday monitoring, Information seeking by proxy) present in participants’ accounts of connecting with information sources. Although the four modes represent …

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