[Sigia-l] Call for Participation -- SIG USE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM

[Eileen Abels]

PLEASE EXCUSE CROSS-POSTING

2nd Annual Research Symposium of the Special Interest Group on
Information Needs, Seeking, and Use (SIG USE) of the American Society
for Information Science and Technology (ASIST)

Saturday, November 16, 2002, 1:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.
Wyndham Franklin Plaza Hotel, Philadelphia, PA


MEASURING SEARCH BEHAVIORS:  CURRENT AND PROPOSED METHODS

Call for Participation

In 1999, Yuan and Meadow (JASIS, 50(2), 140-150) completed a study of
the variables used in research related to online searching and
information retrieval system use.  Variables related to search behaviors
included the search commands (types of commands, sequences/chains of
commands, and search moves), errors, search cycles (number, items
retrieved), search termination, records retrieved and viewed, amount of
time and effort expended, comparisons between search strategies, search
outcomes (relevance/utility), and search value.  They reviewed examples
of user studies that included measures of search behaviors as a basis
for developing this typology.  The 2002 SIG USE Research Symposium will
focus on methods for measuring these variables.

The symposium will begin with an introductory presentation by Charles
Meadow, Professor Emeritus, University of Toronto.  The remainder of the
symposium will consist of informal discussions of the methods that
participants have used (or are planning to use) in studies of search
behaviors.  Participants will work in small groups to critique
particular methods currently in use or develop proposals for new methods
that can be used to measure particular searching behaviors.  The
intended outcome of the symposium is a set of recommendations for
researchers embarking on investigations of users’ interactions with
retrieval systems.

Those wishing to participate in the symposium should submit a brief (1-2
page) synopsis of their current work or interests that are pertinent to
the symposium topic.  Experienced researchers are invited to
participate; the submitted synopsis should summarize current or past
research experiences that involve the measurement of search behaviors.
Those interested in this area, but not experienced in it, are also
invited to participate; the submitted synopsis should describe current
research interests and how measurement of search behaviors is pertinent
to those interests.  Formal papers are not expected; the symposium
format will be that of a seminar, focusing on participant discussion.

The brief synopses of participants’ research experience/interests will
be posted to a symposium web site in advance of the meeting and will be
used to further organize the small-group discussion session(s).

The brief synoposis should be submitted to Barbara Wildemuth,
wildem at ils.unc.edu, in electronic form.  They are due by August 15,
2002; participants will be notified by August 30.  Participation will be
limited to 40 people; participants will be expected to register for the
symposium (registration fee: $45 for ASIST members; $60 for
non-members).

Symposium organizers:  Barbara Wildemuth, School of Information and
Library Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,
wildem at ils.unc.edu, and Eileen Abels, College of Information Studies,
University of Maryland, ea29 at umail.umd.edu.

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