User preferences for virtual information retrieval: a qualitative study.

MacLennan, Alan

Abstract

This paper presents results of a piece of research conducted in order to determine user preferences as to the nature of virtual worlds to be used as an environment for information retrieval. A study was carried out amongst postgraduate students and staff at Robert Gordon University, using a Grounded Theory methodology. Over one hundred interviews were carried out, in three cycles of interviewing, analysis, and integration with literature. The findings revealed that user preferences were determined less by structural features than by affective factors, such as familiarity, organisation, assistance, and quality of information and presentation.

Citation

MACLENNAN, A. 2011. User preferences for virtual information retrieval: a qualitative study. In Katsirikou, A. and Skiadas, C. (eds.) New trends in qualitative and quantitative methods in libraries: selected papers from the proceedings of the 2nd International conference on qualitative and quantitative methods in libraries (QQML2010), 25-28 May 2010, Chania, Greece. London: World Scientific [online], pages 279-285. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1142/9789814350303_0034

• Conference Name: 2nd International conference on qualitative and quantitative methods in libraries (QQML2010)
• Conference Location: Chania, Greece
• Start Date: May 25, 2010
• End Date: May 28, 2010
• Acceptance Date: Aug 31, 2011
• Online Publication Date: Aug 31, 2011
• Publication Date: Aug 31, 2011
• Deposit Date: Nov 14, 2011
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 14, 2011
• Publisher: World Scientific Publishing
• Pages: 279-285
• ISBN: 9789814350297
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1142/9789814350303_0034
• Keywords: Virtual worlds; Information retrieval; Grounded theory; User study; VRML
• Public URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10059/683