To read this content please select one of the options below:

Design and evaluation of a task‐based digital library for the academic community

N. Meyyappan (Division of Information Studies, School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore)
Schubert Foo (Division of Information Studies, School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore)
G.G. Chowdhury (Graduate School of Informatics, Department of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK)

Journal of Documentation

ISSN: 0022-0418

Article publication date: 1 August 2004

2206

Abstract

The paper discusses the design, development and evaluation of a task‐based digital library, the Digital Work Environment (DWE), for the academic community of higher education institutions (HEI) with Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, as a test case. Three different information organisation approaches (alphabetical, subject category and task‐based) were used to organise the wide range of heterogeneous information resources that were interfaced to DWE. A user evaluation study using a series of task scenarios was carried out to gauge the effectiveness and usefulness of DWE and these information organisation approaches. The time taken by respondents to identify and access the relevant information resources for individual tasks was also measured. The findings show that the task‐based approach took the least time in identifying information resources. Regression analysis of information resource location time with gender, age, computer experience and digital resource experience of the participants are also reported.

Keywords

Citation

Meyyappan, N., Foo, S. and Chowdhury, G.G. (2004), "Design and evaluation of a task‐based digital library for the academic community", Journal of Documentation, Vol. 60 No. 4, pp. 449-475. https://doi.org/10.1108/00220410410548162

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2004, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Related articles