Soojung Kim

Best-answer selection criteria in a social Q&A site from the user-oriented relevance perspective

As an attempt to better understand how people seek, share, and evaluate information in a social Q&A environment, this study identifies the selection criteria people employ when they select best answers in Yahoo! Answers in the context of relevance research. Using content analysis, we analyzed the comments people left upon the selection of best answers to their own questions. From 1,200 samples of comments, only 465 mentioned the specific reasons for their selection, thus becoming eligible for analysis. Through an iterative process of evaluating the types of comments, the best-answer selection criteria were inductively derived and grouped into seven value categories: Content value, Cognitive value, Socio-emotional value, Information source value, Extrinsic value, Utility, and General statement. While many of the identified criteria overlap with those found in previous relevance studies, the Socio-emotional value was particularly prominent in this study, especially when people ask for opinions and suggestions. These findings reflect the characteristics of a social Q&A site and extend our understanding of the relevance of an electronic environment where people bring their every day problem-solving and decision-making tasks.

Selecting and measuring task characteristics as independent variables

This paper presents a first step toward a systematic framework for organizing numerous task characteristics or variables that are important in studying the effect of task on information behavior. The paper discusses issues related to selecting, operationalizing, and measuring task characteristics to be used as independent variables. It assembles a list of task characteristics and task classifications based on the characteristics to identify potential independent variables. The study also addresses research design issues to study the effect of task characteristics on information seeking and task performance. Finally, it summarizes findings about relationship between particular task characteristics and information seeking to help researchers form new hypotheses.

A Study on the Development of Metadata Elements for Intangible Cultural Heritage Records Based on FRBR

본 연구는 무형문화유산 기록물의 효과적인 관리, 검색, 활용을 위하여 FRBR 모형을 기반으로 한 메타데이터 요소들을 개발하였다. 무형문화유산은 추상적인 개념에서부터 이를 구현한 물리적 자료에 이르기까지 논리적 계층을 가지고 있고, 특정한 무형유산이 영상, 음향 등 여러 매체로 표현되기 때문에 다양한 연관 관계들을 충분히 표현하는 작업이 반드시 필요하다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 FRBR 모형에서 제시하는 제1집단 4계층 구조를 바탕으로 무형문화유산 및 관련 기록물을 저작, 표현형, 구현형, 개별자료의 4개 수준으로 나누어 각 수준에서 필요로 하는 메타데이터 요소를 제안하였다.

Developing a digital library model for virtual universities in Korea: Current state and prospective model

This study examines the current status of 21 virtual university libraries in Korea and explores the possibilities of establishing a national-level central digital library through which these libraries could share resources. Interviews were conducted with 16 virtual university administrators to investigate their opinions and requirements of a central digital library. It was found that many virtual university libraries do not provide sufficient library resources and services due to a lack of qualified librarians and necessary funds. The interviewed administrators were willing to participate in a central digital library initiative to benefit from joint acquisition of databases and resource sharing, but they wanted to ensure local autonomy and control in managing their digital library sites. Therefore, the present study proposes a hosting model in which shared applications and resources reside on a central server and users from different universities access them remotely through the interfaces of individual library sites.

A Study on the Current State of Online Subject Guides in Academic Libraries

본 연구는 국내 대학도서관 웹사이트를 조사하여 온라인 주제가이드의 현황을 분석하고 개선 방안을 제언하였다. 조사된 100개 대학 중 14개 대학만이 온라인 주제가이드를 제공하고 있는 것으로 나타나 국내 온라인 주제가이드의 구축은 초기 단계인 것으로 나타났다. 온라인 주제가이드들은 내용 구성면에서 볼 때 접근성, 포맷의 일관성, 자원통합성 영역은 우수한 것으로 평가되었으나 주제 다양화, 이용자 교육, 검색 영역에서 낮은 수준에 머물러 있는 것으로 나타났다. 향후 온라인 주제가이드가 지향해야 할 방향은 신속한 정보자원으로의 접근,. 주제 특화된 이용자 교육, 사서와의 원활한 커뮤니케이션을 제공하는 원스탑(one-stop) 서비스가 되어야 할 것이다.This study investigated the current state of online subject guides in Korean academic libraries and suggests improvement. Through the examination of 100 academic libraries` Web sites, only 14 online subject guides were identified, showing that the development of online subjects guides in Korea is still in infancy. The examined online subject guides were evaluated as high quality in terms of accessibility, integration of information resources, and format consistency, but low quality in the provision of specialized subjects, user instruction, and information retrieval systems. An online subject guide should be a one-stop service that provides fast access to information resources along with subject-specialized user instruction and effective communication with librarians.

A Study on the Current State and Improvements of Digital Libraries in Cyber Universities

This study examined the current state of digital libraries in Korean cyber universities and suggested recommendations for improvements. The study conducted a survey and face-to-face interviews with people in charge of managing cyber university digital libraries, and analyzed library Web sites as well as library holdings and budget information available from the university information disclosure. The examples of cyber university digital libraries in other countries were also analyzed. Based on the findings, the study developed guidelines and policies for improving cyber university digital libraries and suggested a hosting-based digital library system. The findings of this study is expected to contribute to enhancing the quality of education in cyber universities.

Learning from experts: collection development in business

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the types of information useful for the business domain and resources for specific information types. Also, it aims to discuss a methodological approach for identifying core resources in a particular discipline.Design/methodology/approach – Content analysis of business materials identifies a set of business tasks and questions. Based on the results of content analysis, a survey simulating real reference situations is conducted with academic business reference librarians.Findings – The paper identifies the types of information most useful both for business as a whole and for the sub‐fields (entrepreneurship, finance, management, and marketing). The resources suggested by participants are summarized for each type of information.Practical implications – The findings are helpful for academic business librarians for collection development as well as for database selection for a specific query.Originality/value – The suggested methodology for identifying core r...

A Study on the Current Status of an Archive Village Project and Its Improvement Plan: The Case of I County

In 2008, the National Archives of Korea initiated the Archive Village project for the purpose of protecting valuable private records and enhancing the awareness of archival culture. To justify the expense of the government-supported project and determine its future direction, it is necessary to analyze the current status of the project. To do that, the researchers visited an Archive Village in I county and examined its accessibility, exhibition contents, facilities, equipment, etc., through observation. Interviews were also conducted with the person in charge of the project in the National Archives of Korea, as well as eight residents and three persons who were involved in building and managing the Archive Village in I county. Based on the results of the observation and interviews, the study suggests recommendations to improve the operation of the Archive Village in I county. The findings of the study will help other villages plan acquisition and management, as well as how to make important private records in local areas available.

Undergraduates’ Use of Social Media for Health Information

The present study surveyed 225 undergraduates to examine their social media use behaviors and their perceptions of usefulness, trustworthiness, and privacy of social media for seeking and sharing health information, 151 respondents reported using social media for health information while 74 reported not using it for health matters. Results show that the most popular medium were social Q&As, followed by blogs and social networking sites. Age, gender, school year, and the presence of a health problem were associated with the social media use behaviors. This study suggests the potential of social media as a desired channel for providing health information to undergraduates.

Research Trends of the Credibility of Information in Social Q&A

Social Q&A sites such as Yahoo! Answers and Naver Knowledge-iN have become a viable method for information seeking and sharing on the Web. Considering their immense popularity and growing concerns about their validity as information sources, questions about the credibility of the information provided on social Q&As are timely. Therefore, this paper summarizes recent research on credibility related to the social Q&A context, identifies research gaps, and presents a research agenda for future research to advance this newly developing area.