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Site Visit and Quarterly Reports send comments or questions to: l-neuma1@uiuc.edu |
User EvaluationSocial Science Research- Social Science TeamQuarterly Report (work from January through March, 1997) Overall Activities During the past quarter, the Social Science Team has been involved in system design, testbed usage evaluation, and the conduct of research aimed at producing new insights into the intersection of digital infrastructure with scientific and engineering work and communication. Team members became heavily involved in the early phase of design and implementation for our web client. They also began producing more detailed analyses of registration and transaction log data. A study of the work and information practices of an engineering workgroup was launched, a preliminary analysis of data on the use of document structure was completed, and a study of office classification practices continued. The Social Science Team also continued its efforts to foster the emerging research community in the social informatics of DLs through presentations, publications, and planning for the production of a monograph devoted to human-centered design and analysis of DLs. The Social Science Team began working closely with both intended users and designers on the preliminary development of our new web client. A focus group with science and engineering librarians provided suggestions for design as well as deployment. Librarians contributed ideas about how to enhance use of the web client through improved functionality and interface design, marketing, user instruction and support, and increased involvement of librarians in the design and implementation process. The Social Science Team began meeting on a weekly basis with web client designers, bringing their expertise on user needs and preferences to bear on the design of system features and promotional material. Team members increased their analysis and reporting of usage data produced by the custom client's registration and transaction logging procedures. The usage data reveal such things as the field and career level of testbed users, the number of searches performed by patrons in different fields, the frequency of log-ins per user, and the number of transactions per search session. In addition, the in-depth analysis of individual sessions was begun. The particular question pursued was the nature of use of individual components of documents, but exploring session logs to address this question also served as a good trial of log analysis techniques. One team member conducted interviews with a research group in mechanical and industrial engineering and began observing their work practices. This study will contribute to understanding group and individual work practices and information use. It encompasses study of the use of physical materials, electronic information systems and software as well as interaction of people in the work group. This will lead to further development of the concepts of information convergence and floating information, as well as other emerging points of interest, such as how groups manage and share electronic information resources and collaborate across large geographic distances. Another team member began work on a study of how researchers use the individual components of journal articles. This study will seek insights into the nature of document disaggregation as well as produce data on usage of DLI testbed capabilities related to searching and viewing, via SGML, the individual components of journal articles. In this initial phase of the study, a preliminary categorization of component use was developed from data from earlier interviews and focus groups, several new interviews on component use, and both usability and transaction logging data on use of SGML features. In the third significant study currently under way, another team member continued exploring the organization of people's office spaces (piles of papers on desks, file cabinets, and personal computer desktops) through the lens of everyday or folk classification. Following the analysis of data gathered in visits to people¹s offices this past fall, a web site was designed this quarter, inviting people to describe their work sites. This study will encompass both DLI-impacted communities and others. This study will link people's everyday classification of information with web tools, structures, and practices and shed light on federated DLs, broadly conceived. Social Science Team members continued their efforts to foster a research community focused on human-centered studies of information systems. One significant contribution in this area was Leigh Star's service as co-organizer, with Rob Kling, of the Social and Organizational Section for an NSF Workshop on Human Centered Computing and Intelligent Systems held in February, 1997. As a culmination of the Allerton Institutes, Ann Bishop is working with Barbara Buttenfield (from UC Santa Barbara's DLI project) and Nancy Van House (from Berkeley's DLI project) to publish an edited volume devoted to human-centered design and analysis of DLs. Authors will be solicited, primarily from Allerton participants, to write chapters (1) serving as case studies of particular DL user needs and evaluation projects, (2) describing relevant theories and methods for human-centered DL analysis, and (3) discussing important social, political, and management issues related to DL design and evaluation. Publications L. Neumann, G. Bowker and S. L. Star, "Things Come Together: Information Convergence," submitted to Journal of the American Society for Information Science, February, 1997. S. L. Star and A. Strauss, "Layers of Silence, Arenas of Voice: The Dialogues between Visible and Invisible Work," submitted to Journal of Computer-Supported Cooperative Work, April, 1997. Presentations Bishop, Ann P. UIUC DLI Spring '97 Partners Workshop, research presentation: ``Social Science Research,'' April 3, 1997. Bishop, Ann P. NSF/DARPA/NASA Illinois site visit, research presentation: ``Social Science Research,'' April 24, 1997. Star, Susan Leigh. "The Politics of Classification," Colloquium, School of Library and Information Science, Indiana University, Bloomington, April, 1997. Star, Susan Leigh, NSF/DARPA/NASA Illinois site visit, research presentation: ``Toward a language for Convergence in the Workplace and Digital Library: Office Classification Project,'' April 24, 1997. Star, Susan Leigh. "Layers of Silence, Arenas of Voice: The Dialogues between Visible and Invisible Work," Science and Technology Studies Program, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, April, 1997. Star, Susan Leigh. "Invisible Work and Information Technology," Science Studies Program, University of California at San Diego, March, 1997. Star, Susan Leigh. "Infrastructure and Learning," to the Technologies in Learning Program, Graduate School of Education, University of Illinois, February, 1997. Star, Susan Leigh. "Understanding Infrastructure and Work," Colloquium, Department of Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management, Stanford University, February, 1997. Star, Susan Leigh. "Studies of Infrastructure, Libraries and Classification," Colloquium, Graduate School of Education, Library and Information Studies, University of California, Los Angeles, February, 1997. Professional Activities Ann Bishop participated in a grantees workshop sponsored by NSF's Information Technology and Organizations Program. The goal of the workshop, held in Arlington, VA on April 18-20, 1997, was to build on the cross-fertilization of research in ITO and help plan for the future of ITO-related research initiatives. Star, Susan Leigh, Elected Scholar of the Year (elected by graduate students), Science Studies Program, University of California, San Diego, March, 1997. Star, Susan Leigh. National Science Foundation. Ethics and Values Proposal Review Panelist, 1995-1998, continuing service. Star, Susan Leigh (with Geoffrey Bowker), Co-organizer, "Opening the Pod Bay Doors: Social and Cultural Perspectives on Cyberspace," Day-long conference in association with Cyberfest '97, at University of Illinois, February, 1997. Star, Susan Leigh, Consultant and Group Leader, NSF Workshop on "Human Centered Computing and Intelligent Systems, " February, 1997. |