# Presentation: 583127

## Improving Electronic Information Seeking in Interdisciplinary Research

- Ling Hwey Jeng, Ph.D.
- School of Library and Information Science
- University of Kentucky
- Hong Young Yan, Biological Sciences
- Gerald Benoit, Library and Information Science

## Discipline-Based Arrangement

-    Practical approach to knowledge and to efficient information seeking
*Assumptions*
- Researchers mostly specialize
- Little cross-disciplinary information needs perceived
- Better service by disciplinary literature

**Notes:**
All of us are familiar with discipline-based arrangement of information systems (library collections or databases).
Traditionally library classification systems reflect the reality of academic disciplines.
Most researchers specialize in only one very narrow area
The majority of researchers are content to stay within the boundary of their specialization

## Discipline-based approach to Information Seeking

- Good for specialization
- Detrimental to interdisciplinary searchers
- Lack of understanding in interdisciplinary information seeking
- Problems in interdisciplinary information seeking not clear
- Some research areas have stronger interdisciplinary collaboration

## A Case of Interdisciplinary Research

- Bio-acoustics
- The study of sound production and sensing by animals of all kinds, including humans

## Bio-acoustic Research

- Physics of sound wave measurement in birds
- Neurophysiological anatomy of hearing system of fish
- Calling patterns of maternal penguins in Antarctica
- Damages caused by antibiotics on human hair cells

## IBAC

- International Bio-Acoustics Council
- Verified members as sample population
- Member profile

**Notes:**
Membership varies around 100 to 150.

Profile:
	Male 80%
	Age 30-50 (65%)
	Academic researchers (70%)
	Work in Italy, U.S. and France (55%)
	Doing research projects in U.S., Italy, France, Denmark, Great Britain, and other places

## Discipline background

- Agriculture
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Computer science
- Electrical engineering
- Environmental science
- Ethnology
- Oceanography
- Physics
- Statistics

**Notes:**
Top Ten Research Subjects
	Birds, 
	Fish
	marine mammals, 
	Bats, 
	Insects, 
	Dolphins, 
	Humans, 
	Seals, 
	Whales, 
	frogs

## Survey of Information Seeking

- Databases used
- Familiar search engines
- Platforms preferred
- Success and difficulties

**Notes:**
Web based questionnaire survey

To describe the information seeking activities of bio-acoustic researchers
To identify problems created by discipline-based information systems
To suggest design solutions for the information system that is friendly to interdisciplinary researchers

## Preliminary Findings

- Most frequently used systems
- Frustrations
- Don’t care
- Cost as frustration and as non-concern
- Browsing as supplement to focus search

**Notes:**
Most frequently used system:
	Current Content
	SCI / Web of Science
	Biosis
	Medline
Frustrations
	lack of needed publications
	no document delivery
	results not relevant, not enough information, lack of 
	frequent switching
Don’t care about
	inaccurate indexing terms
High cost as both the frustration and a non-concern

Majority of researchers said they do more focus searches. Only 1 in 4 says they prefer browsing.
However  more than 70% also use these browsing methods:
	citation chasing (82%)
	journal TOC scanning (72%)
	Bibliographies and review articles

## Preferred Systems

- Electronic over print
- Free over feed-based
- Accessibility
- Physical browsing

**Notes:**
CDROMs over Printing

CDROMs over fee-based online systems

Internet over CDRoms

Physical browsing (scanning shelves, journals, print bibliographies) over electronic browsing

## Success v. Satisfaction

- Satisfactory, successful commercial I&As
- Satisfactory, successful CDRoms
- Satisfactory, yet unsuccessful OPACs
- Successful, yet unsatisfactory fee-based systems
- Satisfactory, yet unsuccessful Internet

**Notes:**
We asked them to rank the various information systems in terms of 
	what they like and 
	what gives them the most success

## Needs in Information Seeking

- Rich document surrogates
- Multiple databases searching
- Multiple topics searching
- Both focus search and browsing
- Electronic document delivery

**Notes:**
Rich document surrogates
	more information about the results. At least abstract. Prefer full text
Multiple database searching
	This is an frustrating area of interdisciplinary information seeking
Multiple topics searching
	terminology differences across disciplines
	functional grouping, not topical grouping of terms (topic imported not for theme, but for functional reasons)
Both focus search and browsing
	Although they do have a lot of difficulties in focus searches as is

## Essentials in Design

- Cross database search capacity
- Simple searching language
- Easy search refining capacities
- Easy guide to functional search terms
- Search history maintenance

## Ling Hwey Jeng

- School of Library and Information Science
- University of Kentucky
- <lhjeng00@pop.uky.edu>