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Evidence Summary: Music Information Seeking Behaviour Poses Unique Challenges for the Design of Information Retrieval Systems
Get PDFObjective – To better understand music information seeking behaviour in a real life situation and to create a taxonomy relating to this behaviour to facilitate better comparison of music information retrieval studies in the future.
Design – Content analysis of natural language queries.
Setting – Google Answers, a fee based online service.
Subjects – 1,705 queries and their related answers and comments posted in the music category of the Google Answers website before April 27, 2005.
Methods – A total of 2,208 queries were retrieved from the music category on the Google Answers service. Google Answers was a fee based service in which users posted questions and indicated what they were willing to pay to have them answered.
The queries selected for this study were posted prior to April 27, 2005, over a year before the service was discontinued completely. Of the 2208 queries taken from the site, only 1,705 were classified as relevant to the question of music information seeking by the researcher. The off-topic queries were not included in the study.
Each of the 1,705 queries was coded according to the needs expressed by the user and the information provided to assist researchers in answering the question. The initial coding framework used by the researcher was informed by previous studies of music information retrieval to facilitate comparison, but was expanded and revised to reflect the evidence itself.
Only the questions themselves were subjected to this iterative coding process. The answers provided by the Google Answer researchers and online comments posted by other users were examined by the author, but not coded for inclusion in the study.
User needs in the questions were coded for their form and topic. Each question was assigned at least one form and one topic. Form refers to the type of question being asked and consisted of the following 10 categories: identification, location, verification, recommendation, evaluation, ready reference, reproduction, description, research, and other. Reproduction in this context is defined as “questions asking for text” and referred most often to questions looking for song lyrics, while evaluation typically meant the user was seeking reviews of works (p. 1029). Sixteen question topics were outlined in the coding framework. They included lyrics, translation, meaning (i.e., of lyrics), score, work, version, recording (e.g., where is an album available for purchase), related work, genre, artist, publisher, instrument, statistics, background (e.g. definitions), resource (i.e. sources of music information) and other.
The questions were also coded for their features or the information provided by the user. The final coding framework outlined 57 features, some of which were further subdivided by additional attributes. For example, a feature with attributes was title. The researcher further clarified the attribute of title by indicating whether the user mentioned the title of a musical work, recording, printed material or related work in their question. More than one feature could appear in a user query.
Main Results – Overall, the most common questions posted on the Google Answers service relating to music involved identifying works or artists, finding recordings, or retrieving lyrics. The most popular query forms were identification (43.8%), location (33.3%), and reproduction (10.9%). The most common topics were work (49.1%), artist (36.4%), recording (16.7%), and lyrics (10.4%). The most common features provided by users in their posted questions were person name (53%), title (50.9%), date (45.6%), genre (37.2%), role (33.8%), and lyric (27.6%). The person name usually referred to an artist’s name (in 95.6% of cases) and title most often referred to the title of a musical work. Another feature that appeared in 25.6% of queries was place reference, almost half of which referred to the place where the user encountered the music they were enquiring about. While the coding framework eventually encompassed 57 different features, a small number of features dominated, with seven features used in over 25% of the queries posted and 33 features appearing in less than 10%. The seven most common features were person name, title, date, genre, role, lyric, and place reference.
Lee categorized most of the queries as “known-item searches,” even though at times users provided incorrect information and many were looking for information about the musical item but not the item itself (p. 1035). Other interesting features identified by the author were the presence of “dormant searches,” long standing questions a user had about a musical item, sometimes for years, which were reawakened by hearing the song again or other events (p. 1037). Multiple versions of musical works and the provision of information gleaned third hand by users were also identified as complicating factors in correctly meeting musical information needs.
Conclusion – While certain types of questions dominated among music queries posted on the Google Answers service, there were a wide variety of music information needs expressed by users. In some cases, the features provided by the user as clues to answering the query were very personal, and related to the context in which they encountered the work or the mood a particular work or artist evoked. Such circumstances are not currently or adequately covered by existing bibliographic record standards, which focus on qualities inherent in the music itself. The author suggests that user context should play a greater role in the testing and development of music information retrieval systems, although the instability and variability of this type of information is acknowledged. In some cases this context could apply to other works (film, television, etc.) in which a musical work is featured. Another potential implication for music information retrieval system development is a need to re-evaluate the terminology employed in testing to ensure that it is the language most often employed by users. For example, the 128 different terms used in this study to describe how a musical item made the user feel did not significantly overlap with terms employed in a previous music information retrieval task involving mood classification conducted through MIREX, the Music Information Retrieval Evaluation Exchange, in 2007. The author also argues that while most current music information retrieval testing is task-specific – e.g., how can a user search for a particular work by humming a few bars or searching for a work based on its genre, in real life, users come to their search with information that is not neatly parsed into separate tasks. The study affirms a need for systems that can combine tasks and/or consolidate the results of separate tasks for users
Governance challenges for wildland preservation in Canada and Mexico
No full textThe proposed Castle Wilderness (Canada) and the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve (Mexico) are used to demonstrate the application of a pluridimensional spectrum of governance framework to evaluate the influence of governance on the establishment and management of pro-tected areas. The objectives are to understand (a) the relevant similarities and differences between the two countries, (b) the interactions across governance dimensions, and (c) the factors that influ-ence conservation outcomes. The analysis shows that in both cases protected area governance is affected negatively by weak environmental and economic governance. Public support, funding, and improvements in protected area governance do not deliver positive conservation outcomes because of apparent inconsistencies among economic and conservation policies
Evidence summary : an awareness of library patrons’ social styles may play a role in librarians’ satisfaction with the reference interview
Get PDFA Review of:
Sisselman, P. (2009). Exploiting the social style of patrons to improve their satisfaction with the reference interview. Library Review, 58, 123-133.
Objective – To determine if a patron’s social style affects how satisfied the patron and the librarian working with him/her are with the reference interview, and if a librarian’s knowledge of social styles leads to greater satisfaction with the reference interview for all involved.
Design – Direct observation, two survey instruments, and a checklist used to identify patrons’ social styles.
Setting – A public library system in the Northeastern US.
Subjects – A total of 24 library patrons who sought assistance at the reference desk of a public library and the five librarians who delivered reference services to them.
Methods – The researcher observed 24 reference interviews conducted by five different librarians at a reference desk in a public library system. It is unclear if all 24 interviews took place in the same library. Reference interviews that took place during the times the researcher was on site and did not relate to the use of the public computer terminals were included in the study.
During each interaction, the researcher compared the patron’s behaviour to a checklist of traits relating to assertiveness and responsiveness. For example, more assertive behaviours included moving and talking quickly and sustained eye contact. Less assertive behaviours included “waiting to be asked” and soft speech (p. 127). More responsive behaviours usually consist of a greater willingness to engage on an emotional level with the librarian and more open facial expressions and gestures.
The balance of behaviours across the two categories was used by the researcher to determine which of the following social style categories a patron belonged to: driver, analytical, amiable, or expressive. Drivers, described in social style theory as “practical and task orientated,” were those who demonstrated “less responsive” and “more assertive” behaviours at the desk (pp. 127-128). Those who were “less responsive” and “less assertive” were labelled analytical (p. 128). According to social style theory, analyticals “collect quite a bit of data before making decisions” and are methodical (p. 127). Patrons who were “more responsive” and “less assertive” were determined to be amiable; and expressives were those who were “more responsive” and “more assertive” (p. 128). Amiables are described as “easy-going” and expressives as “outgoing” and “spontaneous” (p. 127).
After the researcher had observed twelve reference interviews, the participating librarians received information on how to recognize and adapt to individual social styles. The information they received took the form of an article, a diagram of the four social style categories, and examples of famous people and their social styles. After the librarians received this information, the researcher then observed twelve additional reference interviews.
After each reference interview, the patron and librarian completed separate surveys. The surveys were adapted from the tools used by the Wisconsin-Ohio Reference Evaluation Program. Each survey consisted of ten questions, which gauged the patron’s and the librarian’s level of satisfaction with the reference experience. Librarians responded to questions relating to whether they were able to answer the patron’s question, their perceptions of the patron’s satisfaction, how comfortable and confident they felt during the interaction, and whether they “taught the patron something new” (p. 132). The patron survey asked about the quality of service patrons feel they received from the librarian, whether or not they found what they were looking for, and if they learned something new from the experience. A score was calculated based on the following possible responses: yes (4 points), partly (2 points) and no (0 points).
Main Results – Of the 24 patrons observed in the study, the majority (10) were analyticals. The next largest group was expressives (6), followed by amiables (4), and drivers (3). The remaining patron was classified as both a driver and an expressive because he/she held an equal number of characteristics for both categories.
The median survey scores indicated that, overall, librarians rated the quality of reference interview lower than their patrons. The median score for the librarian survey after the first twelve interviews was 28, while the median score for their patrons was 36. The correlation between these scores was r=0.27. After the librarians received information on social styles, the median score of the librarian survey rose to 32. However, the patrons’ median score dropped slightly to 35. The correlation of the scores after the intervention was r=0.57.
The responses of librarians and patrons most closely corresponded when the patrons were amiables. Amiables and the librarians who worked with them were in all in agreement on whether the patron’s question was answered. Only one of the expressives and one of the drivers disagreed with the librarians’ response to this question. In both cases, the librarians’ responses were “partly” while the patrons answered “yes” (p. 129). Twenty percent of the analyticals were satisfied with the information they received from the librarian. In some cases, they were satisfied even though the information they were provided was not what they were looking for when they first
approached the reference desk.
The study suggests that there may be a disconnect between librarian and patron responses in regard to whether the librarian taught the patron something new in the exchange. According to Sisselman, all expressives and 75% of amiables responded that they had learned something new, but only 93% of the librarians who worked with the expressives and 50% of those working with amiables felt that they had done so. The scores for drivers for this question were double those of the librarians they worked with – the actual figures were not provided by the author. The results for analyticals on this question were not reported.
Conclusion – The findings of the study suggest that a patron’s social style may play a role in how they perceive the reference interview. The author also suggests that “there may be a correlation between librarians’ understanding of the social styles of patrons (analytical, expressive, driver, or amiable) and the outcomes of reference interviews” (p. 130). Possible areas of application for these findings include improved public service and tailoring of communication and marketing strategies to the diverse social styles of current and potential patrons
Mapping library resources - an interactive exercise.
No full textLOEX of the West, Calgary.Handout for LOEX of the Wes
Mining E‐mail to Improve Information Literacy Instruction
Get PDFWhile there was no defined problem with the services being provided, the librarian was curious about the amount and type of e‐mail questions students were asking. Patterns within the types of questions being asked, the programs, levels, courses or assignments that were generating the questions, or the individuals asking the questions might reveal areas where IL might be improved to better
meet student needs. The librarian was also interested in the time of day students asked questions as an indication of when students
were working on their assignments
Unconventional classrooms, unconventional methods: Conducting scholarship of teaching and learning research in places you don't expect
No full textCentennial Symposium on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Banff, AB.Handout from Centennial Symposium on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Valores de impacto no corpo do judoca ao ser projetado pela técnica Ippon-Seoi-Nage
No full textThis exploratory study aimed to analyse the magnitude and duration of the impact generated on the athletes' body during training in Ippon-Seoi-Nage judo technique. Two black belt judo athletes were studied, the tori (the thrower) weighing 75 kg and having 19 years of practice, and the uke (the thrown) weighing 72 kg and having 15 years of practice. A Bruel & Kjaer 4321 Accelerometer Triaxial, fastened to the fist, hip and ankle of the uke, was used. Data were collected in the laboratory. Ten falls were performed for each of the three articulations investigated. The largest impact values were observed for the fist in the vertical axis (351.95 g) and the smallest values were for the hip anterior posterior axis (5.18g). Impact duration times were greater in the hip vertical axis (.58 s) with no differences for the impact on fist and ankle. Considering these high impact values as well as the high frequency of falls during judo training, it is suggested a reevaluation of this training pattern and the sort of tatami adopted, in order to decrease the resulting harmful effects over time.Este estudo exploratório objetivou analisar as magnitudes e o tempo de duração dos impactos gerados em diferentes regiões corpo do judoca projetado pela técnica Ippon-SeoiNage. Participaram dois judocas faixas pretas, sendo tori (judoca que projeta) com 75 kg e 19 anos de prática, e o uke (judoca que cai) com 72 kg e 15 anos de prática. Foi utilizado um acelerômetro triaxial 4321 da Brüel & Kjaer fixado no punho, quadril e tornozelo do uke. Os dados foram coletados em ambiente laboratorial, sendo realizadas 10 quedas para cada articulação investigada, totalizando 30 quedas. Os maiores valores de impacto ocorreram no punho no eixo vertical (351.95 g) e os menores valores no quadril no eixo antero-posterior (5.18 g); os tempos de duração dos impactos foram maiores no quadril no eixo vertical ( .58 s) não havendo diferença entre o punho e o tornozelo. Considerando os altos valores de impacto encontrados, bem como o elevado número de repetição de quedas por treino no judô, sugere-se que sejam revistas as metodologias de práticas e o tipo de tatame utilizado, objetivando minimizar os possíveis efeitos deletérios dos impactos ao organismo dos judocas em longo prazo
The life of the space : evidence from Nova Scotia public libraries
Get PDFObjectives – To describe aspects of the 21st century role of the public library as a physical space by observing the actual use of a selection of public libraries. This study seeks to reveal how patrons are using and experiencing these institutions as spaces and how patrons and staff characterize the role of public libraries in communities.
Methods – A multiple case study design was used to examine three urban and three small town public libraries within Nova Scotia, Canada. A triangulated set of methods including patron interviews and questionnaires, staff interviews, and seating sweeps was used to develop answers to the research questions.
Results – These public libraries are functioning as successful public places in that they are community spaces used in a multitude of ways and where patrons feel welcome. These libraries play important roles in the lives of respondents and, while respondents were willing to give critical feedback, they generally described the spaces positively. Patron use and experience of these library spaces can be broken into three themes that describe the roles of public libraries in communities. These include the role of provider of books and information, provider of access to technology and provider of a social space where members of the public are welcome.
Conclusions – Patron experiences in Nova Scotia public libraries show that libraries are vibrant places that are highly valued by their communities. A number of common themes about the use and perception of these spaces emerged, yet when examined individually each library was also revealed to be a unique place, reflecting the particular qualities of the community and the physical space of the library building itself. It is clear that public libraries are complex institutions which play a variety of valuable roles in the community
Self-recognition, theory-of-mind, and self-awareness: What side are you on?
Get PDFA fashionable view in comparative psychology states that primates possess self-awareness because they exhibit mirror self-recognition (MSR), which in turn makes it possible to infer mental states in others (‘‘theory-of-mind’’; ToM). In cognitive neuroscience, an increasingly popular position holds that the right hemisphere represents the centre of self-awareness because MSR and ToM tasks presumably increase activity in that hemisphere. These two claims are critically assessed here as follows: (1) MSR should not be equated with full-blown self-awareness, as it most probably only requires kinaesthetic self-knowledge and does not involve access to one’s mental events; (2) ToM and self-awareness are fairly independent and should also not be taken as equivalent notions; (3) MSR and ToM tasks engage medial and left brain areas; (4) other self-awareness tasks besides MSR and ToM tasks (e.g., self-description, autobiography) mostly recruit medial and left brain areas; (5) and recent neuropsychological evidence implies that inner speech (produced by the left hemisphere) plays a significant role in self-referential activity. The main conclusions reached based on this analysis are that (a) organisms that display MSR most probably do not possess introspective self-awareness, and (b) self-related processes most likely engage a distributed network of brain regions situated in both hemispheres
Eficiência mecânica do harai goshi em judocas com diferentes estaturas
No full textAbstract: This study aimed to evaluate the mechanics efficiency of harai goshi applied in judocas of different heights. It was compared: the tori angular variation of knee, hip and trunk; the time to perform each technique phase; the displacement of the vertical trajectory of tori center of mass (ΔCM). Were analyzed 10 harai goshi kinematic throws, the tori with an intermediate height against three uke with lower, equivalent and higher height of him. The images were recorded at 180 Hz, using the Peak Motus System. The data were analyzed by means of descriptive statistics, ANOVA and pos-hoc of Tukey (p≤ 0,05). In the angular displacement, uke of higher stature had greater efficiency of tori when projecting. The time to project uke higher was lower. The ΔCM showed the same standard behaves. We conclude that the harai goshi technique is more efficient when applied against equivalent or higher opponents.Resumo: Este estudo objetivou avaliar a eficiência mecânica do harai goshi aplicado em judocas de diferentes estaturas. Comparou-se: a variação angular de joelho, quadril e tronco do tori; o tempo para realizar cada fase da técnica; o deslocamento da trajetória vertical do centro de massa (ΔCM) do tori. Analisou-se cinemáticamente 10 aplicações do harai goshi pelo tori de estatura intermediária contra três uke (um de estatura menor, um equivalente e um maior a dele). Realizou-se aquisições de imagens a 180 Hz, utilizando-se o Sistema Peak Motus. Os dados foram analisados por meio da estatística descritiva, ANOVA e pos-hoc de Tukey (p ≤ 0,05). No deslocamento angular, houve maior eficiência do tori ao projetar o uke de maior estatura. O tempo para projetar uke mais alto foi menor. O ΔCM apresentou o mesmo padrão de projeção. Conclui-se que a técnica harai goshi é mais eficiente quando aplicada contra oponentes de estaturas equivalentes ou maiores