Hazman Aziz.com

“… do you always evaluated system in your daily job …”

Basically, almost everyday, I do a lot of evaluation of new system that were to be implemented and streamline the working process in an organsation. It is my nature of my job to be specialised in this process, as that is actually my first degree built on. Specialising in eBusiness Management, where project management experience is a key factor to my interest.

One of the systems, I have evaluated Information Retrieval System (IRS). Basically, most of the evaluation process are almost similiar, but depend of certain factors due to it environment. As this case, IRS are basically evaluated and considered based on 6 criteria. They are:

1. Coverage of the collection
2. Time lag taken to do the search request
3. The form of presentation when the search request is obtain and present
4. The effort involved building this system
5. The recall of the system (ability to present all the relavant items)
6. The precision of the system (ability to present only relavant items)

And, follow by the 5 steps of evaluation process.

1. Planning the scope of evaluation
2. Designing the evaluation programme
3. Execution of the evaluation
4. Analysis and interpretation of results
5. Modifying the systems in the light of evaluation results

In any system evaluation, there are two major paradigms of IRS Evalution. (i) system oriented and (ii) user studies approach. The difference between system oriented and user studies appoarch are user studies focus on real users. They are analysis more through the qualitative methods and measures. Of course, there are a couple of issues in using the user studies approach in IRS.

1. Generalisation – focus on specific user population
2. Utility – difficult to see the relationship between the results of user studies and IRS design & evaluation.
3. Conceptually – difficult to compare and synthesis results from user studies due to different data collection.

While in system orientated, they are:

1. Generalisability
2. Validity & Relaibility
3. Usefulness
4. Conceptual

In general, these are the above factors, I would like to share … For best results, it is better to check with Software Development Life Cycle Methodologies.

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I have just noticed a big mistake in one of my “indirect” project at work. I just could not site queitly, but to shallow deep in what the team decision has affirm with. Next time, my be in the next project, I will fight the principles just to achieve a simple usability principles to be success.

Yes, this mere project is to restructure and organise the bookmarks (or links) to all the invidual database vendor. If I was early, I would push for the approach on web 2.0 concept. But, I was late and only able to clear some of the usability problem, such as suggesting Opensoure WYSIWYG. This is might be a simple, suggestion but it plays a big impact to close the gap of interaction between the system and user.Imagine, users does not need to think about HTML codes. They could just add and edit from the text box like an HTML expert. For more details, you can refer to this url.

In contrast, when I check through, I think we forget to place a simple search box, to search this system.

Jakon Nelsion on search box:

Search is the user’s lifeline for mastering complex websites. The best designs offer a simple search box on the home page and play down advanced search and scoping.

URL: http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20010513.html

 A year later, he drafted out the top ten guideline for designing basic website in 2002. His guideline can be located on this url. Personally, as the student’s perspective, would it be easy if there is just as simple search box that bring me direct to the source information that I wish to access? Rather than going to one by one through the subject list or alphabetical list.

Why doesn’t the development team took in this consideration in the first place?

It is for me to keep on pondering further and questions about the system’s interoperability.

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There are basically a number of databases out there today in the wired community.
As database is actually a composition of number information as illustrated below.

Type of Databases

Bibliographic Database
It may be a database containing information about books and other materials held in a library (e.g. an online library catalog, or OPAC) or, as the term is more often used, an electronic index to journal or magazine articles, containing citations, abstracts–and often either the full text of the articles indexed, or links to the full text. Other example such as: LISA, ERIC, MEDLINE, Energyline

Numeric Database
It may contain records that are often in the form of tables of numerical data and often providing basic data formatting options. Example: Population Demographic (USA), Dun’s Financial Records.

Directory Database
It provides factual information about companies, organisation and products. For example, LexisNexis, Encyclopedia of Associations, Pesticide Fact File.

Fulltext Database
It contains records that have complete text of a book, article, new story and encyclopedia. For example: Business dateline, Business Wire.

So Hazman, will you design a database of such these kinds or services?

Project Open Access Journal Library and Project electronic Business Resource Information Network Library can be considered as a database of these kinds

Project Open Access Journal Network Library (Project OAJN)
It is actually built on two conceptual models. The bottom layers is a pool of link managed by a social bookmarking system called Netvous to access individual link to each open access journal access. Through, Netvous too, I am able to check the validlity of the url, in order to check if the link is alive or broken. Plus more to this, I will elaborate more soon.

The next top model is where the “customised search engine” sits, with all the crawls doing the indexing at a central server provided by Google Co-op. These search engine is able to searching into all these journals individually citing the queries that the requestor is seeking. Quite powerful if you know how to you the boolean operators on this search engines. Plus I am still exploring this Google Co-op’s capabilities.

Next model, “I am still thinking”. It will be integrated all these services into a library. This is where user will have the convinent of just browse and it will be similiar to an academic library.

Project electronic Business Resource Information Network Library (eBRIN Library)
As for project eBRIN Library, I am still developing and thinking. I will update more laters.

Basically, from the fundemental concept of web technologies and library science, I have done a little bit of an effort to share with the wired community. You, guys, can check out these out at through this urls:

1. Project Open Access Journal Network Library (Project OAJN)
   • Main Interface
   • Social Bookmark Management (aka Subject List)
   • Search Engine Interface
2. Project electronic Business Resource Information Network Library
   • Social Bookmark Management (aka Subject List)

Happy trying out and feel free to comment.

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A blog pal (Ivan Chew) of mine posted me from this site on a Google Group …

“… I’ve developed a profound respect for the library profession. Librarians as individuals are smart, inquisitive and very well informed …”

“…When I look at the library profession, exemplified at large by the American Library Association, I see a profession that is fully engaged with society and with their peers. They don’t always get everything right, but they’re on the ball.”

From Christopher Kenton
URL: Marketonomy : Falling from the Bandwagon

Here is my view for our industry and profession in Singapore,

“…Ya, I agreed what this guy remarks on his weblog. I did notice that for the last six month working in this industry.

One of these, most of our friends across the glode (so far I known), they are more focus to life satisfaction. They will do a job (not need to be in the library environment, for example the open source community), with one common incentive called “Satisfaction Centric“. Centric Satisfaction, I would defined it more to (i) you do the research first, (ii) followed by the development and enhancement, (iii) promotion of your information product, and lastly (iv) the acceptance and appreciation from the community. For example, they will provide a service first, work together with the community (or relevant stakeholders) and money will talk later.

Unlike us (in Singapore), from my personal expriences, I have been approached by a couple of people asking,”.. why do you do research and develop a lot of stuffs in your freetime? Do your organisation request to?”

Mine asked, “Nope.”

“… there is a lot of potential. Why do you thinking it into cash? This development can bring lots of money. Rather than being underpaid.”

At the end of the day, it all not about money. It is all about knowledge and how we share it and the community’s benefit from this. That is why from my understanding … “They don’t always get everything right, but they’re on the ball.”

For this case, incentive role do play a lot of contributions for an organisation (or community) to take note.”

Sadly, I have to accept the situation especially when I am currently noting down my work documentation for the past 6 months. But, just to shallow the environment’s comments around me. Worst of all, I am only 26, and most around me are above 36 or 40 at least in this industry.

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“I do not know where I could scribe my thoughts for the exam later. Maybe, I should do here as well …”

In chapter 1, basic concept of information management, 2 types of knowledge, that I should be aware of tacit and implict knowledge. Tacit knowledge, bascially built from the personal’s experience and skill toward it daily routine. While Implict knowledge, are buily from documentations and reports. As an IM professional, we should be aware of the value of information, such as (1) enable effects to combine & utilization of the factors, (2) differential abilities, absorb & put into action, and (3) align the information into a strategic factors.

The activities information management:

1. identication of information needs
2. selection of information sources and variables
3. collection of information
4. storage of information
5. dissemination of information
6. utilisation of information

In chapter 2, learning organisation refers to the existance of activities in a certain organisation such as (1) encourage learning, (2) develop learning and (3) taking advantagee of information resources and transforming into knowledge.  3 factos to achieve organisation intelligence level:

1. connecting
2. sharing
3. (re)structuring

There are also 2 mode of learning

1. Single loop learning
2. Double loop learning

Other effects to the disturbance of information management, external factors such as. market, technological and economic condition. While the turbulence experience refers to natural disaster, political changes, economic changes, demographics, legal, social, cultural and technology too.

In the information process model, chapter 3, refers to the information activities as mentioned above. There are also type of different information politics, such as monarchy, feaudalism, anarchy and federalism in the information sharing culture. Incentive such as competitive and coorporative model able to encourage and improve the culture to share information diversity. While selecting of information, IM professionals should consider:

1. accessibility
2. quality
3. accuracy and reliability
4. usefulness
5. comprehensiveness
6. responsiveness
7. past success
8. cost
9. format

Information can be available in three formats (1) human sources, (2) online sources and (3) textual sources. Issues in human sources ambigous, vague, unstructure, level of uncertain is hig, open to multiple intepretation and need depth understanding. But, it is familiar, reliable, immediate accessible, inexpensive & and often provide a onconcise answer through synthesis.

4 methods through online, web, searching, push technology, collaboration and communication tools.  While for textual always has the reliability, authencity, need to analyse, filter and highlight. In textual, there are problems too, such as no policy and no proper mechanism to handle these information.

4 types of scanning methods:

1. competitor intelligence
2. competitive intelligence
3. business intelligence
4. social intelligence

Market segmentation refers to the different needs and interests of the requestors (clients). These can be process down through activities conducted such as interview, focus group, survey, and telephonic survey. 4 Ps refers to product, price, place and promotions.

A couple of reason why information management is always outsource, due to inhouse uneconomical, lack of expertise, quality of inhouse unsatifactory and to reduce overheads. Advantages:

1. economical
2. staff reduction and re-deployment
3. vendor has higher experience and high level of skills
4. vendor has the state of art technology
5. can focus on core activities
6. reduction in overhead cost

Disadvantages:

1. lack of commitment
2. often quality of products/service is less than promised
3. loss of control, security and confidentiality
4. difficult to monitor the quality of service
5. communication barriers

Lastly, and most important of all will be information audit, there are benefits:

1. able to provide a clear strategy
2. help to achieve its objective
3. provide an inventory of information assets and make them move visible
4. reveals untapped information products
5. identify units with good IM pratices
6. identify bottlenecks
7. identify culutral and political issues

So when, should we audit:

• new initative plan
• staff not performing accordingly
• to indicate across industry
• mergers

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No, Internet cannot provide all the necessary information that many organizations need for the purpose of environment scanning.

Reason 1: Insufficiency of Information from Internet

• Three major information sources are human sources, textual/media sources and online sources.
• Cannot rely solely on either each source. Human and textual/media sources do play an important part in the environment scanning.

Reason 2: Mis-information or dis-information

• Information provided on internet may have mistake and not reliable since every single person can put information online.

Reason 3: Bias

• Website can be bias and misleading. E.g.: in favour of western culture.
• Some websites are controlled by government-link organization, the content may be misleading.

Reason 4: Information searching and retrieval

• The result of the information searching is highly depending on the understanding of the issue of a person. Different result may be retrieved when people perceive the concept differently.
• It is essential to conduct the environment scanning with an effective and efficient selection of sources.

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“These are taken from my class discussion that I would like to share with the community …”

Undirected viewing:

Information is exposed to a person without any specific purpose of information need in mind. This can take place at anytime and can alert the person to learn more about the information.

E.g.: Browsing through brochures, newspapers, or magazines when waiting for turn in medical center.

Conditioned viewing:

A person places himself in a position where he/she will be exposed to information in certain areas of information.

E.g.: Looking at classified sections in the newspaper, looking at different tour packages in the newspaper advertisement pages.

Informal search:

A person actively looks for specific information in a certain area. What makes it informal is the amount of effort and method of searching which tends to be limited/simple.

E.g.: A person is looking at an annual report of a company to find out the revenue growth of the company from year to year.

Formal search:

Structured and planned search strategy was intentionally prepared to obtain specific information in specific area.

E.g.: A person looks for the different definition of digital libraries by first locating the sources through catalogues and then looking into various books or journals to find the information.

As stated as examples in all 4 types of environment scanning, the 4 types are also applicable for print sources.

One thing that should be noted is that the same information sources can be used for different types of environment scanning. For example, a person who is waiting for his hair cut browsing through a newspaper. He/she then finds out that there is a section on career in that newspaper. So, from undirected viewing he/she goes to conditioned viewing, when he/she intentionally browses through the career section of the newspaper.

However, one should not rely on only one type of sources when doing environment scanning. All types of information such as online, print, human, and mass media sources should be explored and exploited to obtain complete and comprehensive information.

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