Sely Maria de Souza Costa

Participation in the global knowledge commons: Challenges and opportunities for research dissemination in developing countries

Purpose – This paper aims to provide a review of recent trends in the open access (OA) movement, as well as to discuss the significance of those trends for information access in developing countries.Design/methodology/approach – An analysis of the recent literature was carried out, focusing on the benefits of a greater information access in developing countries. The paper also brings together the diverse experiences from the authors on OA publishing and archiving with institutions in a number of developing countries.Findings – Knowledge workers in developing countries are now getting access to scholarly and scientific publications and electronic resources at a level that is unmatched historically. This is highly significant, if developing countries are to meet the millennium development goals. The OA movement and the growing number of Open Archive Initiative‐compliant institutional repositories promise to provide even greater access to resources and publications that were previously inaccessible. These lo...

Comportamento dos professores da educação básica na busca da informação para formação continuada

O estudo de caso objetiva descrever as caracteristicas dos docentes e identificar os canais e fontes utilizados, assim como os fatores que influenciam o padrao de comportamento na busca de informacao para formacao continuada. Utilizou-se como referencial teorico o modelo de busca de informacao de Wilson, xom enfoque nas necessidades cognitivas dos professores, de acordo com o modelo proposto por Imbernon. Os instrumentos de coleta de dados foram o questionario auto-administrado e a entrevista semi-estruturada. Os resultados mostram que as fontes mais usadas sao os livros didaticos e paradidaticos, alem dos jornais. Concluiu-se que as novas tecnologias ainda nao sao usadas por professores de educacao basica como um recurso cotidiano de apoio a formacao continuada, e os canais de informacao mais utilizados sao os arquivos pessoais, arquivos dos colegas e a biblioteca escolar.

Evolução teórico-metodológica dos estudos de comportamento informacional de usuários

Este artigo visa a contribuir para o conhecimento mais aprofundado sobre estudos de comportamento informacional de usuarios com base em como sao tratados na literatura da ciencia da informacao nas ultimas seis decadas. Para tanto, a analise se fundamenta nas revisoes publicadas no periodico Annual Review of Information Science and Technology (Arist) e em outros trabalhos que complementam o tema abordado, mostrando sua evolucao teorica e metodologica. Uma diferenca crucial esta relacionada a mudanca conceitual observada, a qual denota a ampliacao da visao epistemologica dos estudos. Tal mudanca referese, especialmente, a nova terminologia adotada, que passa de “estudos de usuarios” ou “necessidades e uso de informacao” para “comportamento informacional de usuarios”. Trata-se, contudo, nao somente de alteracao terminologica, mas, sobretudo, de mudanca paradigmatica, resultado de transformacoes no modo como o topico e defi nido e abordado, e na forma como e investigado. link para o texto completo: http://revista.ibict.br/index.php/ciinf/article/view/1737/1354

Investigating citizens’ information needs through participative research: a pilot study in Candangolândia, Brazil

This paper reports on a pilot investigation in Candangolândia, near Brasilia, in Brazil in 2010. The purpose of the investigation was to determine the efficacy of a participative research methodology for investigating: people’s information needs; developing an information literate approach to problem solving; fostering problem solving and collaborative capabilities and enhancing a sense of citizenship. The research applied techniques that enabled people to collaborate and identify their information needs, as well as information solutions, through the exploration of a social problem that they had identified. Participatory Research and Action (PRA) was the chosen methodology. Nineteen techniques were applied. The findings indicated that it was possible to use PRA to explore information needs. Participants were able to identify, classify and prioritize information needs and use information in order to suggest solutions for the selected social problem. The intervention helped develop collaborative problem solving skills and a heightened sense of citizenship.

The Use of Participatory Techniques in the Communication of Information for Communities: Information Literacy and Collaborative Work for Citizenship Development

This qualitative study was carried out in Candangolaˆndia, in Brasilia’s surroundings, Brazil. It comprised procedures that aimed to test the use of participatory research and action (PRA) in interactive and multidirectional communication amongst community members, in order to enable them to work together in the identification, access and use of information to solve social problems. The assumption behind this proposal was that as doing so, citizens develop abilities of information literacy and capabilities of collaborative work. The research tested the efficacy of PRA specifically in information science, using principles of critical thinking and participatory techniques within an epistemological interpretative approach in the identification of community information needs, access and use. Specific techniques such as oral presentation, people introduction, cards, games, brainstorm, workgroups, discussion, and question and answer were applied in 24 activities performed during six meetings with an intentionally selected group of citizens. The set of activities in each meeting was related to the meeting objective. Data analysis was based on grounded theory principles, particularly the coding process. Findings confirmed that PRA is a suitable methodology to explore abilities of information literacy and attitudes of collaborative work as a result of an interactive and multidirectional communication. In fact, community participants were able to identify, classify and prioritise information needs, as well as use information solutions for a selected social problem. Ultimately, these actions have proved to be helpful for participants to develop a heightened sense of citizenship.

Brazilian scientific journals that use the Open Journal Systems (OJS): a quality analysis

This study aims to assess the quality of Brazilian journals that use the Open Journal Systems (OJS) in order to be published. For this purpose, the main criteria used to assess quality were sought in the available literature, and a selection was made of those considered to be of great relevance. The universe of the research was comprised of journals that were correctly registered under their respective subject heading in the system website by June 2010, a total of 236. The samples nature is intentional and, according to the established criteria, 78 journals were selected for the study. The quality aspects evaluated were: editorial board, authors, rules for article submission, peer review, age, format, language of publication and the journal impact. The criteria were assessed by indicating the presence/absence of the quality indicator or by attributing a poor/reasonable/good, quality scale, according to the criterion assessed. The results indicate that the criteria established for authors, rules for article submission, and format were positively evaluated. The editorial board was also positively assessed, although 38% of the journals analysed did not present the composition of this group on their websites. The peer review criterion was negatively assessed, since only 17% of the journals correctly inform how the article evaluation process occurs and what criteria are used in the assessment of the submitted articles. Furthermore, it was identified the existence of a moderate positive relation between the H-index of the journals and their ages, and that there is no correlation between the language of article publication and the H-index of the journals.

Comunicação da informação, gestão da informação e gestão do conhecimento

The conceptual model developed by the researcher organizes and shows ideas from mass communication theory applied to public services delivery through the Internet, and suggests a few alternatives to evaluate the fidelity of this electronic communication process, from Government and citizens’ points of view. From this model, which draws a parallel between communication process fidelity and public service quality, as a new focus to the field of Information Communication, this research aimed to define and validate an evaluation method of electronic government program results, from citizens’ point of view. To achieve the research objective, the researcher identified, during literature review, documents about electronic government programs, methods and metrics for their evaluation; elaborated electronic government evaluation models, and other, based on methods identified and selected from literature; selected the Brazilian E-Gov Program and five electronic public services to be evaluated; and, at last, proposed an electronic government evaluation method, which was applied and validated during the research. The proposed evaluation method includes, besides focus groups and heuristic evaluation, many data collection, data analysis and quality control techniques and tools generally used in program evaluations: document research, interviews, surveys, stakeholder and SWOT analysis, risk diagram, audit planning and finding matrixes, reference panel. As significant contributions of this research, one may highlights the electronic government, satisfaction and program evaluation models; the e-gov portals and services evaluation checklist, and the data collection tools related to this research’s objectives, available as appendixes; the comparison between the proposed satisfaction evaluation model and similar models developed by other researchers; and also the results achieved by applying the proposed method. In summary, for academy, this research will serve as a new angle on communication process fidelity between government and society, and public service quality; as bibliographic source about egov evaluation from citizens’ point of view; as reference to new data collection instruments development; and as inspiration to other researchers. For technical community, this research offers an electronic government evaluation method, with e-gov portals and services evaluation checklist, validated data collection instruments, detailed procedures, and critical analysis about advantages and disadvantages of each technique, to be applied in real-life programs and electronic public services evaluation, in order to support decision-making to improve these programs and services. Applying this method periodically will provide quality control and monitoring of e-gov services offered to citizens.This book gathers results of research carried out in the scope of Information Science and that have adopted theoretical reference frames of the information communication, information management and knowledge management. Now addressed in isolation from each other, sometimes approached in association with each other, they are all tangential to the notion of context. Throughout the work the authors offer readers a web of conceptual approaches - through the theoretical models - methods and results that make up a set of knowledge elaborated by research carried out over a little more than a decade. Consisting of seventeen chapters, the book is structured in parts being the first Introduction, and the others entitled, respectively, Communication of Organizational Information, Communication of Scientific Information, Communication of Information in Communities, Information Management and Knowledge Management, Communication and Management Information and Knowledge. The organizers and authors hope to offer useful contributions to the theoretical basis of other works that undoubtedly will expand this discussion.This study aimed to identify the relationship between information behaviour of managers and analysts in the credit risk sector and the organizational communication amongst them, within financial institutions from the federal government in Brazil, namely CAIXA Banco do Brasil S/A. Based on the work of Tubbs (2003), Wilson (1981) and Kunsch (2003), the conceptual model built up for the study suggests that variables of information behaviour of the subjects investigated should be taken into account in order to improve the communication process amongst them. Based on the authors studied, the study theoretical framework pointed the way to be followed in terms of methodological procedures. It has also been the base for the discussion of the research data. Qualitative and quantitative approached used, and the consequent triangulation of data through the use of questionnaires and interviews make possible to minimize some of the disadvantages of these research instruments. Driven by each specific objective, the study has allowed describing managers and analyst’s characteristics, the communication process amongst them, their information behaviour patterns and aspects of this behaviour that can be taken into account in the communication process within their organizations. Results show that managers and analysts of credit risks within federal governmental financial institutions in Brazil have higher education studies, mostly in Management, Account and Economics. They also have a good level of professional experience. In terms of the communication process, it should be highlighted that the internal communication is very intense and is essential for carrying out their professional activities. Quanto ao processo de comunicacao, destaca-se que a comunicacao interna e intensa entre os gestores e analistas de risco de credito estudados, e essencial para realizacao das atividades de analise e avaliacao de risco de credito. Results obtained allowed identifying the major elements of the organizational communication process in the institutions studied. Regarding the information behaviour patterns, the study showed that the tasks performed by managers and analysts of credit risks have influence on their information needs, seeking and use. The study took account of the cognitive aspects of the information behaviour, only. The trial of finding a theoretical relationship between information behaviour as an input to communication has been an academic exercise within the context of the Post-Graduate Programme in Information Science at the University of Brasilia. From the results of the present study, it was possible to find out that knowing the information needs of colleagues and the way they seek and use information facilitates the communication with them. Therefore, information seeking and use patterns constitute an important factor for a good communication. It is therefore possible to state that, from the theoretical point of view, the present study added to previous ones that has focused this relationship. This, in turn, meets the approach of theorists like Belkin and Brookes, and positively adds to epistemological issues in Information Science. From the applied side, the study results shall be taking into account in both institutions studied. Its questionnaire has, in fact, been used as a model for services related to the communication process in one of them.

Mudanças institucionais nas políticas de direitos autorais na comunicação científica: discussão teórica e realidade brasileira

Objetivo. Apresenta revisao da literatura relevante a respeito dos topicos comunicacao cientifica, acesso aberto a literatura cientifica, papel das instituicoes no contexto de politicas publicas e o direito autoral no acesso aberto a literatura cientifica. Metodo. Trata-se de estudo analitico-descritivo que se baseou no uso do metodo de pesquisa bibliografica em conjunto com analise documental, em uma abordagem qualitativa, visando a identificar questoes relevantes a construcao de referencial teorico sobre os temas estudados. Resultados. Com base na literatura e em documentos legais, construiu-se referencial teorico para o estudo do direito autoral na comunicacao cientifica, no contexto do acesso aberto, levando em conta a teoria da ACF, cujo enfoque principal e a formacao de coalizoes. Apresenta nova proposta de modelo do processo de comunicacao cientifica, em que sao incluidas etapas relacionadas com o direito autoral. Situa a discussao no contexto brasileiro e na importância das instituicoes nas politicas publicas. Conclusoes. A abordagem da ACF oferece um modelo para identificacao de coalizoes que realmente reflitam a Agenda de uma nacao no contexto da comunicacao cientifica e do movimento do acesso aberto.

O uso de modelos de negócios por editoras de periódicos científicos eletrônicos de acesso aberto

Estuda o uso de modelos de negocios no contexto da atividade de publicacao de periodicos cientificos eletronicos de acesso aberto, em que as diferencas disciplinares sao consideradas, especificamente quanto as seguintes questoes: velocidades de publicacao exigidas, financiamentos e particularidades que envolvem a edicao de um periodico cientifico. Objetiva identificar os componentes necessarios para configurar modelos de negocios adequados a atividade de publicacao de periodicos cientificos eletronicos de acesso aberto, e relaciona-los com as especificidades das areas do conhecimento. Caracteriza-se como uma pesquisa bibliografica, de orientacao essencialmente qualitativa. Como resultado, obtem-se modelos de negocio para atividade de publicacao de periodicos cientificos de acesso aberto, constituidos de um grupo de componentes sugerido por Stahler, quais sejam: proposicao de valor, produtos e/ou servicos, arquitetura de valor e fontes de recursos. Cada modelo representa as particularidades das areas das Ciencias Exatas e Naturais, das Ciencias Sociais e Humanas, e das Artes e Humanidades, respectivamente. Conclui que a configuracao dos modelos de negocios para periodicos das Ciencias Exatas e Naturais diferencia-se fortemente em relacao aos periodicos das demais areas. Ja quanto entre os modelos de negocios para periodicos das Ciencias Sociais e Humanas, e das Artes e Humanidades, ha significativas semelhancas entre eles.