Working towards an understanding of digital library use
Bishop, A. P.
1995 A Report on the User Research Efforts of the NSF/ARPA/NASA DLI Projects, D-Lib Magazine, October, http://www.dlib.org/dlib/october95/10bishop.html
Bishop, A. P., (1995), "Working towards an understanding of digital library use", A Report on the User Research Efforts of the NSF/ARPA/NASA DLI Projects, D-Lib Magazine, October, http://www.dlib.org/dlib/october95/10bishop.html.
Abstract:
The Digital Library Initiative (DLI) projects, funded jointly by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) began about a year ago. Their user study teams have already produced some valuable findings and described some provocative theoretical and methodological challenges. From my vantage point as coordinator of the University of Illinois DLI Social Science team, I will highlight the efforts of the six projects to communicate with each other about user research. Links to the DLI project home pages and to some of the papers published by project members have been included for more in-depth coverage of some of the issues summarized. In this article, I will also discuss the upcoming Allerton Institute at the University of Illinois, a methodological forum on digital library use that will provide another means for researchers in a variety of disciplines and settings to share their ideas and concerns about the conduct of social science research related to digital library use.
The Growth of Digital Libraries and the Challenge of Understanding Their Use
Improvements in information technologies and increased support directed towards our national information infrastructure have led to the development of a wide range of digital library collections and services. Academic, special, and public libraries are implementing on-line systems that provide their patrons with electronic access to library catalogs and a variety of other information resources. NASA is developing on-line collections of images and data for scientists and engineers. Museums are digitizing their collections and making them available on the Internet. Members of scientific communities are building collaboratories to support their work and communication. Publishers are experimenting with the creation of digital archives of their journals and books. And individuals and groups from all walks of life are using community-based networks to provide local and global access to information resources they have created. In addition to this array of existing networked information tools and resources--all of which can be thought of as variations on theme of the digital library or as pieces and layers of the digital information infrastructure--research and development projects related to building the next generation of digital library systems are also flourishing.
Digital libraries pose fascinating socio-technical challenges for understanding their use. Those supporting the construction of digital libraries are naturally concerned that their investments pay off in terms of attracting users and making information services more effective and efficient. The design and evaluation of digital libraries, however, are complicated by the newness of the systems, their ability to integrate a range of functions that were previously designed and evaluated separately, the heterogeneity of their user population, the physically distributed nature of usage, the ability to fragment and rearrange previously integrated documents and images, and the rapid versioning of digital objects. Appropriate user-centered research objectives, measures, and methods for the digital library are just beginning to emerge.
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