information and information sources in a task context: method and results the swedish school of...
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Information and Information Sources in a Task Context:
Method and Results
The Swedish School of Library and Information Studies
Katriina Byström,
The research questions considered
… the relationship between information types and information sources
… the relationship between task complexityand information types
… the relationship between task complexityand information sources
Sorting the concepts out ... Perceived task complexity
a priori determinability of information inputs, processing and outputs
automatic information processing tasksnormal information processing tasksdecision tasks
Information types acquired information need - information types needed to acquire task information / domain information / task-solving
information
Information sources used information seeking - sources consulted documentary sources / people as sources / visits as sources internal / external to the work organisation
Method I: Participants and data
Participants Municipal
administrators, whose duty was to prepare matters for the decision-making organs
39 participants long experience
Data main data:
78 task diaries with subsequent interviews
additional data:e-mail questionnaire for background information about the participantsobservation and guideline documents for information about the organizations
MethodII:
Task diary
MethodIII:
Task diary
MethodIV:
Complexity form
Results: Information types & sources
Info types/Source type
Noinformation
task n=16source n=20
Taskinformation
task n=34source n=187
Task &domain
informationtask n=22
source n=222
Task, domain &task-solvinginformation
task n=6source n=79
Peopleint. sourcesuse/task
10 %0 %0.1
57 %71 %3.2
62 %77 %6.2
71 %80 %9.3
Doc. sourcesint. sourcesuse/task
90 %100 %
1.1
41 %97 %2.3
33 %88 %3.4
25 %85 %3.3
Visitsuse/task
0 %0
2 %0.1
5 %0.5
4 %0.5
Totalint. sourcesuse/task
100 %90 %1.3
100 %81 %5.5
100 %77 %10.1
100 %78 %13.2
Results: People as information sources
Info types/Source type
Noinformation
task n=16source n=20
Taskinformation
task n=34source n=187
Task &domain
informationtask n=22
source n=222
Task, domain &task-solvinginformation
task n=16source n=79
Peopleconcernedint. sourcesuse/task
10 %0 %0.1
18 %15 %1.0
12 %31 %1.2
6 %0 %0.8
Expertsint. sourcesuse/task
0 %0 %
0
27 %94 %1.5
30 %80 %3.0
40 %94 %5.1
Meetingsint. sourcesuse/task
0 %0 %
0
12 %87 %0.7
20 %100 %
2.1
25 %80 %3.3
Results: Documentary sources
Info types/Source type
Noinformation
task n=16source n=20
Taskinformation
task n=34source n=187
Task &domain
informationtask n=22
source n=222
Task, domain &task-solvinginformation
task n=6source n=79
Literatureint. sourcesuse/task
0 %0 %
0
2 %67 %0.1
14 %90 %1.4
9 %86 %1.2
Official doc.sint. sourcesuse/task
90 %100 %
1.1
35 %99 %1.9
17 %84 %1.7
15 %83 %2.0
Registersuse/task
0 %0
4 %0.3
2 %0.2
1 %0.2
Results: Information & task complexityTask complexity/
Informationtypes
Automatic ...taskstask n=26
Normal ... taskstask n=35
Decision taskstask n=17
No informationacquired 54 % 6 % 0 %
Task information38 % 57 % 21 %
Task & domaininformation
8 % 31 % 47 %
Task, domain &task-solvinginformation
0 % 6 % 32 %
Total 100 % 100 % 100 %
Results: Effects of task complexityTasks with acquisition of
task informationTasks with acquisition of
task and domain informationEffects ofperceived task
complexityon
Autom. ... taskstask n = 10
source n = 36
Normal ... taskstask n = 20
source n = 133
Normal ... taskstask n = 11
source n = 144
Decision taskstask n = 9
source n = 78Share of tasks- anticipated- acquired
88 %38 %
60 %57 %
31 %31 %
56 %47 %
Sources / task 3.6 6.7 13.1 8.7
Source int. 81 % 78 % 83 % 81 %
Typical source POD POD / EWO EWO EWO
Source type- people- documentary- visits
44 %50 %6 %
58 %41 %1 %
60 %36 %4 %
69 %27 %4 %
Tasks /Characteristics
TypicalAutomatic...task
TypicalNormal...task
TypicalDecision task
Taskcomplexity
Process familiar,no considerations
Process largelyfamiliar
Process largelyunfamiliar
Ambition moderate level high level high level
Subjectexpertise
very good good fairly good
Taskfrequency
almost daily less than monthly less than monthly
Informationneeded
task information,if any
task information(+domain info)
task and domaininformation
Informationsources used
few; only internaldocuments
many; ofteninternal expertsand documents
many; mostlyinternal experts
Duration about ½ hour at most a day several days
Taskcomplexityalterations
no alteration unlikely to alter likely to alter
Conclusions I: Information types and information sources
As soon as information acquisition requires an effort people as sources become more popular than documentary sources.
The more information types are acquired, the more sources are used.
The more information types are acquired, the greater the use of people as sources.
Conclusions I: ...
The more information types are acquired, the greater the share of general-purpose sources and the smaller the share of task-oriented sources.
The more information types are acquired, the greater the use of people internal to the organisation and the greater the use of external documentary sources.
Conclusions II: Effects of task complexity
The more complex a task is perceived, the more probable the acquisition of multiple information types is (in the following combinations: first task information, then task and domain information, and finally all task, domain and task-solving information)
Increasing task complexity fosters the use of people as information sources.
An evolving model
The results indicate that the need for different types of information primarily determines what types of information sources are consulted. Task complexity mainly affects the types of information needed to acquire, but simultaneously creates a preference for certain type of sources.
TC IT IS