Online Information Services in the Social Sciences

This book shows how best practice in delivering online information services should be based on actual user needs and behaviour. A series of case studies provide real life examples of how social science information is being used in the community. The book then draws on these case studies to outline the main issues facing service providers: such as usability, metadata and management. The book concludes with a look to the future and how both technological and organisational changes will shape online information services. Key features are: Case studies show how information science issues relate to users' behaviour; The book is written by experts in the field, with each chapter drawing on both case studies and extensive experience in the field; The book can be used as a detailed reference or an overview. The contributors to the book are based at the Institute for Learning and Research Technology, University of Bristol, UK. The book is aimed at anyone providing an online service to those using social science information, including information officers, librarians and knowledge managers, together with related IT managers and students of LIS at undergraduate and postgraduate level. Contents include: case studies, describing how information is used in the health, government, academic, trades union, media and other sectors, with particular attention to online information practices; drawing the lessons from the case studies; the major issues facing service providers, including selection, metadata, usability, accessibility, management, and building user skills; and the future, covering both technological developments such as the semantic web and portals, and organisational issues such as the changing role of the information professional.