Sally Burford

The impact of mobile tablet devices on human information behaviour

– Mobile computing devices are a significant access point for information activities. Theories and models of human information behaviour have developed over several decades but have not considered the role of the users computing device in digital information interactions. The purpose of this paper is to explore the information behaviours of young adults when they are given unlimited access to mobile tablet devices. , – As information tasks, behaviours and communities shift into digital environments, a researcher of these phenomena is required to mirror that movement with techniques that allow a full exploration of human behaviour and interaction in the online world. Following Kozinets (2009), “netnography” (ethnography in online communities) is applied in this study and all data are collected online from within a community of iPad users, established for the research purpose. , – This study reveals that access to mobile tablet devices creates significant shifts in the behaviours of young adults whose lives are immersed in digital information. Mobile tablet devices establish the potential for constant access to digital information and that opportunity is grasped by the participants in this research. Extensive use of mobile device applications or “apps” establishes a more selected and restricted view of information than that encountered in the open and expansive World Wide Web. , – This paper invites extension to human information behaviour theories and models to include a consideration of computing access device and of new mobility and constancy of access – all of which changes the circumstances and behaviour of the information actor.

Divergent Approaches to Knowledge and Innovation in the Public Sector

This review of the knowledge management literature reveals differences between mainstream and public sector literatures. This is demonstrated in the predominant representation of managerialist perspectives of knowledge in organizations in the public sector literature and the relative lack of reference to contemporary practice-based perspectives. It is argued that the resulting gap has implications for public sector innovation and effectiveness. The review underlines the paucity of public sector case studies that present organizational practices as emergent, self-organizing sites of knowledge in action.

A longitudinal study on the uses of mobile tablet devices and changes in digital media literacy of young adults

This study examined whether gaining access to a new digital device enhanced the digital media literacy of young adults and what factors determine such change. Thirty-five young adults were given a mobile tablet device and observed for one year. Participants engaged in an online community, responding regularly to online surveys and discussion forums. Digital media literacy, using multidimensional scales, was measured at the beginning and end of the study. Usage was measured every month to track changes over time. When measured with multiple dimensional scales, the participants’ digital media literacy levels increased over time. Those who used the tablet device for information access and social activities increased their digital media literacy in some dimensions. However, an increase in digital media literacy was not directly related to the time spent on the tablet.

Complexity and the practice of web information architecture

This article describes the outcomes of research that examined the practice of web information architecture (IA) in large organizations. Using a grounded theory approach, seven large organizations were investigated and the data were analyzed for emerging themes and concepts. The research finds that the practice of web IA is characterized by unpredictability, multiple perspectives, and a need for responsiveness, agility, and negotiation. This article claims that web IA occurs in a complex environment and has emergent, self-organizing properties. There is value in examining the practice as a complex adaptive system. Using this metaphor, a pre-determined, structured methodology that delivers a documented, enduring, information design for the web is found inadequate – dominant and traditional thinking and practice in the organization of information are challenged.

A grounded theory of the practice of web information architecture in large organizations

Organizing and structuring online information becomes a mainstream activity within large organizations as increasing volumes of information are made available via the web. General methodologies, best practice, and guidelines for web information architecture (IA) have been developed and refined. This research paper extends the knowledge base for web IA by examining situated practice within large organizations and building theory to provide a deeper understanding of how large organizations construct information‐rich websites. A grounded theory, The Situated Practice of Web IA in Large Organizations, is proposed as an integrated theoretical framework for practice in this context. The theoretical framework is composed of 4 foundational constructs titled: owning, negotiating, enacting, and knowing web IA. Building on these foundations, an integrating central construct of practicing web IA is proposed. This theoretical framework will inform large organizations and practitioners as they approach web IA.

A Comparative Analysis of Conceptions of Knowledge and Learning in General and Public Sector Literature 2000–2009

In this article we analyze the ways in which concepts of “knowledge” and “learning” are represented in public sector management literature and compare these with contemporary concepts in the broader knowledge management and organizational learning disciplines. Gaps and differences between the two sets of literature are discussed and clarified. How differences emerge and are displayed is discussed, and implications for the variation on practice and organizational effectiveness in the public sector are presented. The articles contribution is in its illustration of the gap between representations of knowledge and learning in public sector literature and the disciplinary literature in knowledge management and organizational learning.

The Role of Digital Engagement in the Self-Management of Type 2 Diabetes

ABSTRACT Mobile tablet devices and applications have the potential to help type 2 diabetes patients in the self-management of their disease. However, users must be equipped with an appropriate level of digital literacy in order to use the tools and technologies effectively. This study reports from an exploratory mobile health (mHealth) pilot program that was conducted at a large, local clinic in Canberra, Australia. The research team provided digital training and support opportunities to participants as part of the longitudinal study. The aim of the research project was to examine the diverse range of participant digital literacy and how it impacted on self-management and the adoption of mHealth. Mid-study results from online surveys conducted at 2 and 5 months after enrolling 28 participants in the pilot program revealed that digital engagement is crucial to the patients’ participation in mHealth activities. Support, by way of digital training, was essential to the patients’ sustainable use of the devices and applications for health care.

The Use of Supporting Documentation for Information Architecture by Australian Libraries

This article reports the results of an online survey that examined the development of information architecture of Australian library Web sites with reference to documented methods and guidelines. A broad sample of library Web managers responded from across the academic, public, and special sectors. A majority of libraries used either in-house or external documents or both, but the nature of these documents varied greatly. Most external documents were guidelines handed down by libraries’ parent bodies, though some documents produced by independent organizations were used. More general guides on best IA practice were also consulted. The extent of libraries’ control over their own Web sites also varied widely, from minimal control to complete autonomy. Although guiding documentation was considered useful in some ways, respondents were more interested in developing the necessary IA skills and competencies than in cross-site standardization. The lack of these skills and resource and management issues were a greater concern than a lack of documentation. The influence of parent bodies and the diverse purpose and context of library Web sites suggest that a generic set of guidelines for libraries would not be particularly helpful. Instead, librarians with greater IA skills would be in a better position to apply the most appropriate standards and guidelines according to their local contexts.

From the Inside Out: Examining a Knowledge-Based Practice in Large Public Organizations

This article outlines a study into a specific knowledge-intensive practice (Web information architecture [IA] — the organizing and structuring of information on an organizations website) across a number of large public organizations. Using a practice as the unit of analysis it is found that the practice is fledgling, fragile, and lacks legitimacy and that a mindlessness of the practice exists. These new understandings of specific practice enable organizational members within and outside the practice to provide more supportive environments for the work. The article argues that attention to practices uncovers subtle, deeply held realities and knowledge that would otherwise remain obscured.

Introduction to the Special Symposium on Knowledge Management and Public Administration: Good Bedfellows or Potential Sparring Partners

There has been a dramatic rise in the discussions around knowledge management and innovation within the public management arena in the last six years. Advocates of the fields of research argue that they enable agility, novelty, and value creation in policy development, policy implementation, and service delivery. However, there is an argument that attention to knowledge and innovation is often overly linear and simplistic and that, if more complex or practice-based approaches were made, the potential public administration outcomes would be quite different. Gherardi (2009a) argues that practice is more than just “routine” or “what people really do,” rather it is located in the significant pattern of how conduct or activity takes place: “Theories of practice assume an ecological model in which agency is distributed between humans and non-humans and in which the relationality between the social world and materiality can be subjected to inquiry” (Gherardi, 2009a, p. 115). In other words, it is the interplay between items that convey knowledge (such as objects, reports, money, or texts) and the individuals who create and transfer a practice that will reveal knowledge. While there are differences in terms of defining what is meant by practice-based study (Geiger, 2009; Burford et al., 2011) there is agreement that it is concerns something that has become socially recognisable or legitimised by being stabilised and institutionalised (Gherardi, 2009a); thus practices provide agreed ways of doing things. This stabilisation does not ossify the practice,