The INFORMATION USES AND NEEDS OF SOCIAL SCIENTISTS: AN OVERVIEW OF INFROSS

Abstract

When INFROSS began in the autumn of 1967, although a large number of studies had been conducted into the requirements of scientists for information, very little had been done in the field of social science information. There are a number of possible reasons for this. Social scientists, faced with a much smaller total volume of information, were much less information‐conscious and less inclined to seek for solutions. There are very few specialist libraries in the social sciences, and few librarians were therefore confronted with social scientists' information needs in the same way as librarians in scientific libraries were confronted with users and their problems. Finally, until OSTI came along there was little in the way of funds to support this kind of research. This almost total absence of previous research had its disadvantages and advantages. There were very few clues to guide us, and we were therefore working to a certain extent in the dark. On the other hand, we had a clean and open field uncorrupted by confusing and non‐comparable studies. There is something to be said for being one of the first in a field. (For an extended review of relevant work previously carried out, Michael Brittain's book should be consulted.)

A framework for understanding user requirements for an information service: Defining the needs of informal carers

“…Another area that authors consider important is the source and the character of sources (Line, 1971, Wilson et al 1979, Choo 1994. This has been the traditional focus of user studies in library science -identifying which sources (such as books or e-serials) people use and want.…”

“…Behavioural data is important because it indicates a demand that implies wants and needs as well as preferences for use. Studies that have focused, primarily, on behavioural data, include Line (1971), Wilson et al (1979), Ellis (1989) and more recently Spink et al (1998), Spink et al (2001). For the purpose of this research and the development of a conceptual framework the broad label of behavioural data was chosen to represent this type of data.…”

Information-seeking behavior and use of social science faculty studying stateless nations: a case study

“…There are numerous studies of the characteristics of social science information and the information-seeking activities of social scientists, both academic and nonacademic (e.g., Ellis, 1989Ellis, , 1993Ellis, Cox, & Hall, 1993;Garvey, Lin, & Nelson, 1970, 1971Line, 1971Line, , 1973Line, , 1979Line, , 1981Line, Brittain, & Cranmer, 1971). These and other more recent studies have, in turn, been extensively reviewed (e.g., Adam, 1982;Eager & Oppenheim, 1996;Ellis, 1986;Hogeweg de Haart, 1983a, 1983bPreschel & Woods, 1989).…”

“…243).Theseworkshavealsofound that even though social scientists commonly use informal sources of information [e.g., conversation with colleagues, electronic mail (e-mail), and conferences], they do not have as a well-developed invisible college as do physical scientists. Social science faculty largely depend on formal sources of information, such as books and journals, for conducting research (Folster, 1989;Hart, 1993Hart, , 1997Hernon, 1979a;Line, 1971Line, , 1973Line et al, 1971;Shoham, 1998).…”

The Instrumentality of Information Needs and Relevance

“…There are always given solutions to the problems specific for a certain practice, from which it follows that it is possible to more or less objectively define information needs and, thus, relevance. Concerning empirical studies, the approach, as traditionally applied in user studies, usually prefers large surveys where relations between structural factors and behaviors, alternatively experiences, can be "discovered" [12], [13]. This can be exemplified with one of the research questions in Maurice Line's report from the, at that time ground breaking, INFROSS project: "/…/ did the basic pattern of information need divide according to discipline, or according to environment, or what?"…”