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The purpose of this paper is to propose a multi‐dimensional taxonomy for information kiosk‐based self service technologies (SSTs). This taxonomy has an important contribution to make to the integration of research and development, in relation to information kiosks. There are aspects that may also be extended to e‐service, online service and self‐service.

The conceptual context for this work is established by a review of previous literature. This focuses on taxonomies and classification schemes relating to information kiosks, traditional services (p‐services) and e‐services. A comprehensive database of information kiosk technologies and their applications is constructed. Longitudinal observation of the development of information kiosk technologies is the basis for this and has been extended by web research.

An iterative analysis of the kiosk database defines the nature of service delivery from kiosks, and supports the identification and verification of the dimensions and sub‐dimensions of the taxonomy. It is informed by earlier classification schemes and taxonomies in the information kiosk, e‐service and p‐service literature.

This taxonomy has four main dimensions: Location, User, Task and Technology. Sub‐dimensions are developed for each of these main dimensions. It can be used to classify all information kiosks.

The purpose of this paper is to gain insight regarding the impact of consumer regret on shopping in mall kiosks and its relationship with consumer variety‐seeking tendencies.

Two experimental studies are carried out with students and consumers.

Findings of the two studies show that variety and regret play an important role in mall kiosk shopping. Both studies show that individual variety‐seeking tendencies naturally stimulate consumers' search for retailers that allow them additional options (i.e. kiosk retailers that provide higher perceived variety) in comparison with those who only offer minimal assortment sizes.

Mall kiosks are becoming an increasingly common avenue for the release of innovative products and quick entry into the retail market. These outlets have not been studied through academic research and experimentation, and this paper introduces the importance of consumer decision making in such environments.

Considering the findings of this research, it is in the best interest of retailers to minimize the perception of risk involved in purchases at mall kiosk retailers. For example, kiosk retailers should work toward creating service environments where consumers feel a sense of control, as this should help mitigate some of the perceived risks in those retailers.

This paper relates two constructs (regret and variety), which have proven to be very important in e‐tail and retail shopping, to show how they can minimize consumer's perceived risk during a shopping experience.

Touch‐screen kiosks are situated in a variety of locations to provide the public with ready access to health information. This paper examines their use, via the transactional logs, and makes comparisons between the types of organisation in which the kiosks are housed. Twenty‐one kiosks were selected and categorised into four groups – pharmacy, hospital, information centre and surgery. A small case study features a supermarket kiosk. Details of nearly 90,000 user sessions and 750,000 page views were used for the comparison. Comparisons between sites were made in terms of number of users, their age and gender, trends over time, the number of sessions conducted, page view time, session duration, pages viewed, site penetration, number of pages printed and health topics viewed. There were considerable differences between the kiosk locations. This early research provides the quantitative foundation for a fuller study of kiosk location and the differences in perceptions of the quality/authority of kiosk data.

Kiosks have the potential to be a significant application of information technology in retailing, information provision and service delivery. This article discusses and analyses the application of kiosks as a channel for in‐store service delivery. For these kiosks a taxonomy that characterises kiosks by their function – inform, interact, transact and relate – is proposed. Eight case study examples of in‐store kiosks are analysed in using a framework that includes environment, task, audience, and technology. Included are kiosks used by Halifax, Daewoo, Argos, Ikea, Debenhams, GNER, Sainsburys and Boots. Both the taxonomy and the framework provide a basis for further analysis of the role of kiosks in service delivery, by allowing analysis and discussion of individual kiosks to be contextualised within a wider framework.

This paper aims to discover the extended reference needs of Andrews University students by studying their understanding, value and use of library services; and receive input for setting up a reference kiosk.

Students from various buildings on campus filled out a self-administered 16-point anonymous survey during a two-week period in 2014. Researchers used descriptive statistics to analyze the data collected.

Students have an understanding of what libraries can do for them, and yet, they do not consider the librarians or use the library services as their first choice for completing their assignments. The respondents feel confident about their library skills and would rather consult their peers or use Google first before consulting a librarian or the information desk. Some of them claim that their classes do not require library use. Students are ambivalent about using an extended reference service outside the library.

This study was limited to one university and during a specific time period. Further research topics could cover why students start with Google or their peers before they use library services, verify the claim that classes do not require library use and evaluate how students’ use of electronic devices affect library use.

The study helped determine the students’ extended reference needs and how they understand, use and value the library.

This paper aims to provide an overview of the development of the Singapore Infopedia since its inception in 1998 as the InfoXpress until its relaunch in 2006. It seeks to look at some of the challenges faced in design, content creation and data migration.

This paper derives data from unpublished surveys, project papers, user feedback and studies of similar online encyclopedias. It also draws from the author's experience and involvement in the project development between 1998 and 2005.

The paper is a case study describing the conceptualization and user requirements for an online encyclopedia with guidelines on content management and delivery. The project also involved several surveys which provide invaluable insights to user preferences. Learning lessons gleaned in developing an online encyclopedia on Singapore were derived from early prototype design, studying existing online encyclopedias and user needs surveys of the InfoXpress.

The development, migration and re‐establishment of the Singapore Infopedia were followed closely by surveys of users and studies of existing online encyclopedias. Although not all user preferences were incorporated, the survey data and online encyclopedias studied give indication of preferences, design issues and content development strategy that can be applied to similar platforms.

Online kiosks have the potential to be a significant alternative to mobile technologies in retailing, information provision and service delivery. This article describes the development and use of different types of online kiosk in contexts where users are on the move and away from fixed technologies. A case study of a major UK airport terminal is used to illustrate different types of kiosk applications. Comparisons are made with mobile phone technologies. Online kiosks have a niche in allowing access to information, services and e‐commerce technologies for all potential consumers. However, they also have a much wider role in self‐managed, self‐service delivery of information, services, goods and relationships to consumers on the move.

The article aims to focus on how information technology allows firms to deliver services by means of information kiosks.

A total of 22 exploratory in‐depth interviews were conducted with key informants in the retail and other sectors, in primarily Belgium or France. Subsequently, 14 hypotheses were developed that were tested by means of two exploratory surveys, one with 84 customers and one with nine retailers.

The findings suggest that information kiosks can be implemented successfully with up to three easy‐to‐use kiosks at the entrance of the mall or inside the store and, if retailers allow, internet access to a limited number of web sites. Retailers must keep their information centrally updated and relevant, and customers are not interested in ordering all kinds of products and services.

The study is limited by the number of respondents, both customers and retailers, and the way that the sample was taken across three different locations may not be truly representative.

The managerial implications are discussed in terms of advantages and disadvantages vis‐à‐vis the customers and the retailers. What customers want from an information kiosk should be examined so that an appropriate balance is struck between being customer‐ and technology‐led. It is also possible to look at ways that allow firms to communicate with their customers using automatic speech recognition and verification by voice.

Success factors for implementation of information kiosks have not previously been identified in the literature.

Twinfo itself is not a publisher but for more than 20 years has occupied itself with new developments in the publishing process. It has gained expertise in the field of online technology (terminal emulation and client/server), CDROM, interactive television and other interactive media forms via governmental bodies that in practice are often acting as publishers, and via publishers wanting to open up new markets.