Information seeking behaviour of Greek astronomers

Hara

Brindesi*, Sarantos

Kapidakis*

*Laboratory

on

Digital

Libraries

and

Electronic

Publishing, Archive

and

Library

Sciences

Department, Ionian

University

1st Workshop on Digital Information Management

Contents

Aims of Information seeking behaviour

studies

Aims of the study

Methodology -

Population

Methodology

Main results

Conclusions

Bibliography

Information seeking behaviour

studies Aims

Evaluation of information collections

(Broadus, 

1980).

Improvement of Information systems

(Ellis, 

1993,

Kuhlthau, 1993,

Marchionini, 1995)

Information literacy seminars

(Hepworth, Μ and 

Wema, Ε. 2006, Pinto, María

and Sales, Dora 2007,  Walker, J. R., Moen, William E., 2001).

Aims of the study

Our main aims were to investigate three aspects of the Greek astronomers’

information seeking behaviour.

I. The importance they place in keeping up to date with current developments.

II.

The methods they depend on for keeping up to date.

III.

The information sources they mostly use.

Further aims of the study

The study uses an intradisciplinary

approach in order to investigate:

similarities and differences in information seeking behaviour among astronomers with different characteristics, including academic status, age, subfield of astronomy or affiliated institution.

Methodology -

Population

106 astronomers of

the area of Athens

Professors of the Department of Physics and Astronomy of University of Athens

Athens

University PhD and MSc students

Academy of Athens researchers

Athens National Observatory researchers

Methodology

13 face-to-face semi-structured interviews

Analysis of the interviews

Online questionnaire, which was filled in by 73 recipients

Main results I. Interest in keeping up to date with current

developments

The rapid awareness for new papers is absolutely important for the majority of the astronomers

2.8

18.3

26.8

52.1

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

1

Interest for rapid awareness

A little importantSomewhat importantQuite importantAbsolutely important

The interest for rapid awareness is apparent for the professors and researchers, less for the PHD students and even less for the MSc

students.

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

Professors Researcher MSC PHD

Rapid awareness/Status A little important

Somew hat important

Quite important

Absolutely important

Cosmolo

gy

History

and p

hilos

ophy o

f ...

Space

phys

icsStars

Astrop

hysic

s

Extrag

alacti

c astr

onomy

Dynam

ical a

stron

omy

S1

100%100%90,50%

76,90%70% 66,70%

60%

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

Percentage distribution of importance of keeping up-to-date by subfield of astronomy

How many hours per week do astronomers spend for keeping up-to-date?

Astronomers in Greece spend on average 7 hours per week for keeping up-to-date.

Professors and researchers show greater interest in keeping in touch with current developments in comparison to PhD and MSc

students.

Academy of Athens researchers spend more hours per week for keeping up-to-date, in comparison to the scholars of Athens University and The Athens National Observatory.

There are no great differences among various age groups, except for the groups “18-24”

and “25-34”

that seem to show lower interest in

comparison to the rest.

14.33 14.00

7.30 7.00 6.00 5.90 5.08

0.002.004.006.008.00

10.0012.0014.0016.00

Cosmolo

gy

History

and ph

ilosophy

of ...

Space

physi

cs

Dynam

ical as

tronom

y

Extrag

alactic

astro

nomy

Astrop

hysics

Stars

Hours/week (on average) for keeping up-to-date in relation to the subfield of astronomy

University of AthensAcademy of Athens

National Observatoryother

Institution

0

10

20

30

hour

s/w

eek

for s

uppo

rtin

g cu

rren

t aw

aren

ess

18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55 and above

Age

0

10

20

30

hour

s/w

eek

for s

uppo

rtin

g cu

rren

t aw

aren

ess

Main results II.

Methods used for keeping up-to-date

63.8% 62.3%

55.1%

17.4%

31.9% 31.9%24.6%

5.8%

68.1%

81.2% 81.2%

71.0%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%

Browse ADS

Browse arXiv

Browse e-journals

Browse print journals

ADS email alerts

Journals email alertsNewsletters

Publishers catalogsSeminars

ConferencesColeagues

Online searches

Methods considered important for keeping up with current developments

Methods

Main results III.

Information sources usage

88.20%

29.70%

67.60%64.20%

60.90%

20.60%

58.60%

55.40%

21.70%

54.30%

38.80%31.80%

25.40%22.10%

17.10%11.60%

7.40% 4.30%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Goo

gle

Goo

gle

Scho

lar

ADS

W

ebsi

tes

Elec

troni

c re

fere

nce

mat

e ria

lPr

inte

d re

fere

nce

mat

eria

lAr

Xiv

Elec

troni

c jo

urna

lsPr

inte

d jo

urna

lsC

itatio

nsPr

inte

d bo

oks

Elec

troni

c bo

oks

Col

leag

ues

OPA

Cs

DBs

with

obs

erva

tions

Occ

upat

iona

l mee

tings

ISI W

eb o

f Sci

ence

Web

of K

nowl

edge

Sources usage at least twice a week

Main results concerning usage of information sources

ADS is used by everyone in our sample

Google is used by everyone in our sample.

Google Scholar is not used so much, mainly when it is compared to the use of Google.

Databases such as “ISI Web of Science”

or

“Web of

Knowledge”

are not so popular among the Greek astronomers.

Wikipedia is increasingly used.

The use of printed materials as well as the use of libraries has been decreased to the minimum

With the only exception of the printed books that are more popular than those in an electronic format.

Main results

Information sources usage vs. academic status

Journals and books in printed format, as well as Google Scholar are used mainly by professors.

Books in electronic format are used mainly by PhD and MSc students.

Citations are used heavily by researchers.

Unlike the majority of astronomers, MSc

students don’t use ADS neither do they use arXiv

database heavily.

Main results

Information sources usage vs. subfield of astronomy

Scholars occupied with the subfield of “dynamic astronomy”

don’t use arXiv.org

so heavily.

Cosmologists use ADS less than the scientists of the other subfields.

Observations΄

databases as well as the printed

reference material are used mainly by the scholars of the subfield of “Stars”.

Main results

Information sources usage vs. age

Astronomers of 55 years old and above, rarely use the eprint archive arXiv.org, as well as electronic library catalogs and

electronic books.

The same age category uses mostly "Google Scholar"

and printed journals.

The age category of “18-24”

uses mostly Google, websites, electronic reference material and printed books.

Main resultsMost important sources of information in relation to information

needs

Observation needs: Observations΄

databases, ADS.

Research needs: ADS, ArXiv.org, electronic journals

However, Athens University scholars favour

Google as a source of information.

Current developments needs: ArXiv.org, ADS

However, Athens University scholars as well as Academy of Athens

researchers favour

the use of printed books.

Teaching needs: ArXiv.org, Websites, printed books

However, Academy of Athens

researchers as well as those of The National Observatory

favour

Google as a source of information.

Writing needs (articles, books, e.tc.):

ADS, ArXiv.org, Web of knowledge, OPACs.

Personal information needs: Websites, Google, ArXiv.org, Wikipedia.

Investigation needs for a subject area not well known : Wikipedia, Websites.

However, Academy of Athens researchers favour

printed books.

Conclusions

Statistical results revealed that participants΄

information seeking behaviour is significantly affected by variables such as academic status, age, subfield of astronomy or affiliated institution.

Usage of printed materials as well as usage of libraries have been decreased to the minimum, as astronomers currently use, mainly, electronic resources.

The rapid awareness of new developments is absolutely critical for the majority of them.

As far as the resources and methods participants use for keeping

up to date is concerned, there is high reliance on resources entailing

human

contact (e.g. seminars, colleagues, etc.).

Bibliography 1/3

Broadus, R.N. (1980). "Use studies of library collections". Library Resources & Technical Services, 24(4), 317–324.

Brown, C.M. (1999). Information seeking behavior

of scientists in the electronic information age: Astronomers, chemists, mathematicians, and physicists. Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 50 (10), 929-943.

Ellis, D. (1993). "Modeling

the information-seeking patterns of academic researchers: A grounded theory approach". The Library Quarterly, 63(4), 469–486.

Hemminger, B.M., Lu, D., Vaughan, K.T.L., & Adams, S.J. (2007). Information seeking behavior of academic scientists. Journal of the American Society for InformationScience

and Technology, 54 (14),

2205-2225.

Hepworth, Μ

and Wema, Ε. (2006)

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theory

and information behaviour research: a Tanzanian pilot study" ITALICS, Vol. 5 Νο1, [Avalilable

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(Date of access: 1/07/08)]

Bibliography 2/3

Hjørland, B. (1995). "Toward a new horizon in information science (I.S.): Domain-analysis", Paper presented at ASIS 56’s Annual Meeting. Columbus, Ohio, 25 October 1993.

Jamali, H.R. and Nicholas, David (2008), "Information-seeking behaviour of physicists and astronomers", Aslib

Proceedings:

New Information Perspectives, Vol. 60 No. 5, pp. 444-462.

Jamali, H. R. and Nicholas, D. (2009). "E-print depositing behavior

of physicists and astronomers: an intradisciplinary

study", Journal of Academic Librarianship, 35, (2), 117-125.

Kuhlthau, C.C. (1993). Seeking meaning: A process approach to library and information services. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.

Marchionini, G. (1995).

Information seeking in electronic environment. Cambridge:

Cambridge

University Press

Pinto, María

and Sales, Dora (2007). "A research case study for user-centred information literacy instruction: information behaviour of translation trainees". Journal of Information Science, 33 (5) 2007, pp. 531–550

Bibliography 3/3

Tenopir, C., King, D. W., Boyce, P., Grayson, M. and Paulson, K.-L. (2005)."Relying on electronic journals: Reading patterns of astronomers". Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 56:

786–802.

Walker, J. R., Moen, William E., (2001)

"Identifying and Categorizing Information Seeking Behaviors

in the Networked

Environment: An Exploratory Study of Young Adults, School of Library and Information Sciences University of North Texas, Final Report". [Avalilable

at

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http://home.swbell.net/walkerjr/ISBS/internetart.pdf

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: 15/05/08)]

Wilson, Thomas

D, (2000).

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