Use, acceptance and expectations for the ebook in a research library

Response distribution according to academic status and age

Objectives: This work attempts to establish the use and attitudes that users of the Library of the Institute of Physical-Chemistry ‘Rocasolano’ (Biqfr) of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) have with regard to scientific and technical ebooks. Thereby a better understanding will be obtained of the behavioural patterns towards this electronic resource which is in its early stages of implementation within the research environment.

Methods: An online survey was carried out of the users mentioned through the library blog, obtaining a sample of seventy users of which 63% use Biqfr ebooks.

Results: In the main, ebooks are used for the purpose of work and research, and the PC is the device most used to read them. Despite this, the attitude of the users towards ebooks is considered conservative, though at the same time optimistic, as they consider them as a useful tool when searching for information.

Issue 31 (December 2013)

  Tribune The Quality of Information in the Web || Michael Buckland Articles Case studies in the quality diffusion of Catalan museums and museum collections on the Internet || Joan-Isidre Badell, Miquel Térmens [ Spanish text | Catalan text ] The quality of official tourist destination websites offered by Spain’s regional tourism boards || José … Read more

Digital education and responsible behaviour: the gold standards for improving quality of medical and health-related information on the Internet

Objectives: The aim of this article is to present the state of the art in the quality of health information on the Internet; to identify who the leading actors are and which the situations of the new information and communication scenario where technologies, users and information converge are; as well as pointing out the ways which contribute to the improvement of both the quality of health and medical online information and users’ information literacy skills.

Methods: Literature review and analysis of the current context of information and communication regarding the quality of health and medical information on the Internet.

Results: Immersed in the so-called network society, we have identified the protagonists of the new information and communication scenario, the matters they share, and the recurrent problem resulting from the introduction of new technologies within their relationships. Health is an issue of general interest, and health and medical information is one of the most requested topics online. New technologies have led users to be more proactive in their personal health care, and social web has moved into a leadership position in the network. Users with different profiles share affinities and values ​​in a place where the quality of information becomes the cornerstone of the framework composed by provider-user-information. The gold-standard treatments for improving the quality of health and medical information on the Internet, as well as users’ literacy skills, are the responsible behaviour of all actors and the digital education.

The Quality of Information in the Web

  [Versión castellana | Versió catalana] Michael Buckland Professor Emeritus School of Information University of California, Berkeley buckland@ischool.berkeley.edu   All communities, all societies, all collaborations arise through and depend on interaction and communication among their members. There must have been concerns about the honesty, accuracy, completeness, currency, and verifiability of communications in prehistoric times. The … Read more