Information Use in Art: A Citation Analysis of Sources Used in Art Theses in Turkey

Abstract

his study illustrates some of the characteristics of scholarly communication in the arts and includes a citation analysis of theses written between 1983 and 2007 in the Faculty of Art at Haceteppe University, in Turkey. It shows how students studying for a Master's degree or Proficiency in Art (a higher research degree) make use of resources in both Turkish and English, drawing primarily on books and monographs, a common pattern in humanities disciplines.Humanists, especially artists, are a neglected group in information use studies. There is a deficit in the number of studies on information behavior of artists, and little consensus in their findings. Cobbledick 1 suggests that although artists make up a significant proportion of the educational professional class in the US, their information needs are somehow neglected. This prevents librarians from identifying the information needs of artists, creating problems in designing information services for them. In order to identify the information use characteristics of artists and the difficulties they face in information retrieval, there is a need for detailed user studies. The majority of what research there is on this subject is based on data collected by polls, inquiries and interviews conducted with artists. However, these data need to be supported even further by bibliometric research conducted especially to reveal how scholarly communication takes place in the field of arts. This study therefore features the results of a citation analysis which sheds light on scholarly communication in the field of arts. LITERATURE REVIEWResearch conducted on the information needs of artists began much later and progressed much slower compared to other disciplines. With the foundation of The Centre for Research on User Studies-CRUS" with the support of British Library in 1976, the information needs and information seeking behavior of artists was conclusively included in the fields of humanities research. 2 However, although research on artists' information needs and uses has increased recently, it is still inadequate. In a recent literature review Hemming 3 cites an article by Toyne's 4 as the first user study conducted in this field. Aiming to fill a gap in knowledge, Toyne conducted a descriptive study on the art library users in the library in which he was working. In Hemming view, the problems identified in relation to the information needs of artists back in 1967 are still valid today.Most of the studies dealing with artists focus on their use of sources. Studies show that in the field of art, books are the primary information

In their own image? a comparison of doctoral students' and faculty members' referencing behavior

“…Many referencing studies that focus on the products of graduate and doctoral students have been done to inform collection development in the library (e.g., Keat & Kiran, ; Kumar & Dora, ; Wu & Chen, ) and often involve a comparison with the local collection (e.g., Feyereisen & Spoiden, ; Sherriff, ). Studies of theses examine many of the same variables examined in other referencing studies: age, language, format, discipline of cited materials, and well as the most cited authors and venues (e.g., Buttlar, ; Conkling, Harwell, McCallips, Nyana, & Osif, ; Feyereisen & Spoiden, ; Gooden, ; Keat & Kiran, ; Kumar & Dora, ; Kushkowski, Parsons, & Wiese, ; Sherriff, ; Smyth, ; Sugimoto, ; Uçak, ; Walcott, ; Wu & Chen, ). Kushkowski et al.…”

Information needs and information-seeking behavior of visual artists: a systematic review of the literature

“…Despite the large amount of information available on the internet, the importance of certain sources of printed information and the love of visual artists for libraries is evident (Beaudoin and Brady, 2011; Daniels, 2018; Krtalic and Dinnen, 2022; Lo and Chu, 2015; Mason and Robinson, 2011; Usak, 2011). Artists make considerable use of libraries and printed materials (Cobbledick, 1996; Challenger, 1999).…”

“…Fine arts students mainly use published books and monographs (Usak, 2011), while traditionally, they use the library for inspiration and impetus in their creative pursuits (Frank, 1999). The art faculty members in art schools use both electronic resources and print resources equally (Gregory, 2007).…”

Bilimsel İletişim ve Literatür Kullanım Kültürü: Literatür Eskimesi Üzerinden Bir Değerlendirme

“…Bilimsel iletişim çeşitli kanallar üzerinden yürütülebilen bir faaliyettir. Güncel bilgi ihtiyacının olduğu disiplinlerde dergi kullanımının diğer bilimsel iletişim araçlarına oranla daha yüksek olduğunu gösterir birçok çalışma bulunmaktadır (McDonald, 2007;Mine, 2004;Ucak, 2011;Ucak & Al, 2009). Aynı zamanda dergi kullanımının güncel bilgi ihtiyacı ya da disiplinlere göre farklılaşmadığı sonucuna ulaşan çalışmalar da bulunmaktadır (Daniel, 2016).…”

“…Kaynak gösterme ya da atıf verme alışkanlığı, bilimsel iletişim süreci içerisinde gerçekleştirilen davranışların başında gelmektedir. Tarihçesi 600 yıl kadar eskiye dayandırılabilecek bu davranış günümüze değin birçok çalışmaya konu olmuş (Cronin, Mckenzie, & Stiffler, 1992;Hakanen & Wolfram, 1995;Hollman, Murrey, & Homaifar, 1991;Karki, 1996;Osareh, 1996) ve bu bilgiler üzerinden disiplinlere yönelik en verimli yazarların, kurumların ve dergilerin belirlenmesinden disiplinlerde kullanılan literatürün eskime hızının hesaplanmasına kadar çok farklı alanlarda uygulama imkânı bulmuştur (Liu, 2003;Rowlands, 1999;Sandstrom, 2001;Ucak, 2011;Ucak & Al, 2009). Araştırmamızın amacı, iletişim bilimlerinde yayımlanan literatürün kaynak biçimi bakımından nasıl şekillendiğini ortaya koymaktır.…”