Amber L. Cushing

Effects of popularity and quality on the usage of query suggestions during information search

Many search systems provide users with recommended queries during online information seeking. Although usage statistics are often used to recommend queries, this information is usually not displayed to the user. In this study, we investigate how the presentation of this information impacts use of query suggestions. Twenty-three subjects used an experimental search system to find documents about four topics. Eight query suggestions were provided for each topic: four were high quality queries and four were low quality queries. Fake usage information indicating how many other people used the queries was also provided. For half the queries this information was high and for the other half this information was low. Results showed that subjects could distinguish between high and low quality queries and were not influenced by the usage information. Qualitative data revealed that subjects felt favorable about the suggestions, but the usage information was less important for the search task used in this study.

Highlighting the archives perspective in the personal digital archiving discussion

Purpose – The topic of personal archives has mainly been discussed by two research traditions in information science: archives and records management, and personal information management. The purpose of this paper is to compare a corpus of the archival literature written by the archival community with the concepts and challenges posed by Catherine Marshall, who exemplifies the personal information management approach. Many of the personal digital archiving challenges that Marshall identifies are related to discussions within the archival community.Design/methodology/approach – In order to demonstrate the similarities between Marshalls work with the archival discussion about personal archiving, Marshalls challenges, tasks and attributes of personal digital archiving were compared with a total of 33 articles from two library and information science databases.Findings – Many of the personal digital archiving challenges that Marshall identifies are related to discussions in the archival community. The autho...

Beyond everyday life: information seeking behavior in deeply meaningful and profoundly personal contexts

Information seeking behavior research is traditionally partitioned into two realms of life experiences: 1) work or job related; 2) everyday life information seeking (Savolainen, 2010). These two spheres encompass a significant share if not majority of lifes time and effort at the universal level. This paper examines information seeking behavior within two specific contexts far outside the realm of everyday life. Characterized as deeply meaningful and intensely personal with life-long impacts, these contexts may not easily fit within existing information seeking behavior framework. We use examples from lived experiences in two deeply meaningful contexts to explore the scope of everyday life information seeking (ELIS), through women who relinquished a child for adoption and from sperm donor offspring who have tried to uncover the identity of their donor. Situations like these have profound impact on the focal person; perceived information needs and search strategies directly affect processes of decision making, coping, and understanding of ones self. Continuing the shift toward a more person centric approach, we suggest information seeking behavior within some contexts should be explored as a third facet of life experience: the deeply meaningful and profoundly personal.

A Balance of Primary and Secondary Values: Exploring a Digital Legacy

This exploratory research explores the concept of a digital legacy as a general concept and as a collection of digital possessions with unique characteristics. The results reported in this article are part of a larger study. In Cushing (2013), the author identified the characteristics of a digital possession. In this study, these characteristics of a digital possession were utilized to explore how the characteristics of several digital possessions could form a collection, or a digital legacy. In addition to being explored as a collection of digital possessions, data was collected about the general concept of a digital legacy. In part I of the study, 23 participants from three age groups were interviewed about their general concept of a digital legacy. Five general characteristics describing a digital legacy were identified. In part II of the study, interview data from Cushing (2013) was used to create statements describing digital possessions. The statements were classified utilizing the archival concept of primary and secondary values, as well as the consumer behavior concepts of self extension to possessions and possession attachment. Primary value refers to the purpose for which the item was created, while secondary value refers to an additional value that the participants can perceive the item to hold, such as a perception that an item can represent one’s identity. Using standard Q method procedure, 48 participants were directed to rank their agreement with 60 statements (written on cards), along a distribution of -5 to +5, according to the characteristics of the digital possession they would most like to maintain for a digital legacy. The ranked statements were analyzed using Q factor analysis, in order to perceive the most common statements associated with maintaining digital possessions for a digital legacy. Q method results suggested that most individuals described the digital possessions they wanted to maintain for a digital legacy using various combinations of characteristics associated with primary and secondary values. This suggests that while some participants will respond to personal archiving based on the concept of preserving identity (a perceived secondary value), this will not appeal to everyone. Information professional could consider this difference in appeal when marketing personal archiving assistance to patrons.

Walk1916: Exploring non-research user access to and use of digital surrogates via a mobile walking tour app

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how non-research users access and use digital surrogates from archival collections via mobile walking tour app. Much of the existing literature that discusses outreach for digitised archival collections in libraries, archives and museums (LAMs) reports examples of single outreach events or discusses outreach broadly, without critically exploring the purpose and context of outreach as an activity. Further, these reports generally aim to introduce collections to potential researchers, amateur or professional, without consideration of how the collections could be used for purposes other than research, by non-researchers. The study aims to expand understanding of non-research use of digital surrogates contextualised by mobile technology. Design/methodology/approach Utilising an exploratory approach, Walk1916, a mobile walking tour app of Easter Rising sites in Dublin was first developed. It contextualised digital surrogates from archival collections, along with an audio and a textual description of the image, with augmented reality (AR) and geolocation technology. In all, 15 semi-structured interviews were then conducted to understand how contextualising digital surrogates with these mobile technology features influenced participants’ perceptions of the digital surrogate. Interview transcripts were transcribed and analysed via memoing and coding, using nVivo for Mac 10.2.2. Findings Findings from interview data suggest that contextualising the digital surrogate with AR and geolocation features allowed participants to perceive of the digital surrogate as enhancing their understanding of the Easter Rising, enhancing life and allowing for increased control of their experience. Originality/value This furthers work in the area of how individuals value digital surrogates, in different (non-research) contexts. These findings provide groundwork for the future study of non-research access to and use of digital surrogates held in institutional collections so that LAMs can utilise collections efficiently for a wider user base.

Using Citizen Science Projects to Develop Cases for Teaching Digital Curation

Previous research suggests that citizen science project may involve many digital curation issues. In order to develop real world cases for teaching digital curation, seventeen managers of citizen science projects were interviewed. After digital curation issues were identified, findings were used to create teaching cases for digital curation education. One case related to the conceptualise phase of the DCC lifecycle is described. Utilising existing research data to develop cases could be useful for researchers who wish to teach concepts contextualised by “real world” events.

Digital curation on a small Island: a study of professional education and training needs in Ireland

Abstract In this paper, we use the case study method to understand digital curation knowledge, skills, needs and challenges in Ireland, in order to direct the development of postgraduate digital curation educational programmes. Data was collected in three intervals over a two-year period: a web questionnaire about digital curation knowledge and skills and interest in continuing professional development (CPD); nine interviews with individuals who engaged in digital curation work about workplace challenges and CPD education; and a final online questionnaire about preferences for digital curation CPD education. Findings suggest that Ireland-specific issues emerged: (a) because there is so little understanding about digital curation in Ireland, even among information professionals, individuals were not always sure when they were doing digital curation work and if they needed to learn more and; (b) individuals were often the only ones in their institutions with digital curation skills and found themselves struggling to educate supervisors and colleagues about the necessity of their work as well as the resources needed to conduct their work. Considering these findings, comprehensive postgraduate digital curation education in Ireland would need to include a focus on these issues.

Understanding interest to inform recruitment: What characteristics of digital curation interest computer science and computer engineering students?

According to the Digccurr Project Matrix of Digital Curation Knowledge and Competencies, future digital curators will need sufficient technical skills to address the challenges presented by digital curation (Lee et al. 2007). In addition, interviews with Digccurr advisory board members identify a specific need to recruit individuals with technical backgrounds. Students pursing majors in computer science (CS) and computer engineering (CE) possess sufficient technical skills included in the Digccurr matrix. In this study, a group of CS students and CE students will be interviewed about their current career plans and reactions to three digital curation job postings. Data will provide information that can inform recruitment of individuals that possess the skills needed to conduct digital curation work.