Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences

Abstract Information retrieval (IR) tools are engaged to find information in electronic form, in databases, digital libraries, and networks. However, the advent of the web technology has boosted the amount of information available to us way beyond our cognitive capacity. The importance of good IR tools has thus increased and the tools have become natural focal points for organisational information seeking. This situation offers a possibility to exploit the collaborative efforts of the individual users. However, is the opportunity utilised?

2009

One of the key components of designing usable and useful collaborative information retrieval systems is to understand the needs of the users of these systems. Our research team has been exploring collaborative information behavior in a variety of organizational settings. Our research goals have been two-fold: First, to develop a conceptual understanding of collaborative information behavior and second, gather requirements for the design of collaborative information retrieval systems. In this paper, we present a brief overview of our fieldwork in a three different organizational settings, discuss our methodology for collecting data on collaborative information behavior, and highlight some lessons that we are learning about potential users of collaborative information retrieval systems in these domains.

2009

Traditionally information retrieval (IR) research has focussed on a single user interaction modality, where a user searches to satisfy an information need. Recent advances in both Web technologies, such as the sociable Web of Web 2.0, and computer hardware, such as tabletop interface devices, have enabled multiple users to collaborate on many computer-related tasks. Due to these advances there is an increasing need to support two or more users searching together at the same time, in order to satisfy a shared information need, which we refer to as Synchronous Collaborative Information Retrieval. Synchronous Collaborative Information Retrieval (SCIR) represents a significant paradigmatic shift from traditional IR systems. In order to support an effective SCIR search, new techniques are required to coordinate users' activities. In this chapter we explore the effectiveness of a sharing of knowledge policy on a collaborating group. Sharing of knowledge refers to the process of passing relevance information across users, if one user finds items of relevance to the search task then the group should benefit in the form of improved ranked lists returned to each searcher.In order to evaluate the proposed techniques the

Computer, 2000

Annual Review of Information Science and Technology, 2007

Information Processing & Management, 2005

In this article we investigate the expressions of collaborative activities within information seeking and retrieval processes (IS&R). Generally, information seeking and retrieval is regarded as an individual and isolated process in IR research. We assume that an IS&R situation is not merely an individual effort, but inherently involves various collaborative activities. We present empirical results from a real-life and information-intensive setting within the patent domain, showing that the patent task performance process involves highly collaborative aspects throughout the stages of the information seeking and retrieval process. Furthermore, we show that these activities may be categorised and related to different stages in an information seeking and retrieval process. Therefore, the assumption that information retrieval performance is purely individual needs to be reconsidered. Finally, we also propose a refined IR framework involving collaborative aspects.

2008

It is natural for humans to collaborate while dealing with complex problems. In this article I consider this process of collaboration in the context of information seeking. The study and discussion presented here are driven by two dissatisfactions: (1) the majority of IR systems today do not facilitate collaboration directly, and (2) the concept of collaboration itself is not well-understood. I begin by probing the notion of collaboration and propose a model that helps us understand the requirements for a successful collaboration. A model of a Collaborative Information Seeking (CIS) environment is then rendered based on an extended model of information seeking.

Computer, 2000

Proceedings of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 2008

Collaboration plays an important role in the information seeking and retrieval activities within a team setting. In this research, we examined the impact of collaborative design features in two information retrieval tools that explicitly support collaboration. We designed the two collaborative information searching prototype, MUSE (Multi-User Search Engine) and MUST (Multi-User Search and Talk) and evaluated both systems. Results indicate that the communication (i.e., chat) function played an important role in enhancing the information seeking process by establishing common ground among group members. We also identified unexpected challenges that arose as the prototypes were used during these activities. These challenges were both technical and social in nature. We discuss implications for system design and directions for future research.