Day 2 Preparation for Needs Analysis

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Day 2 - Preparation for Needs Analysis

• Networks for the Future Workshop 4
• Dr. Dan Dorner Mr. Philip Calvert
• Victoria University of Wellington

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Review of Key Concepts

• Information need
• Information need analysis

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Information Need

• condition or situation in which some information
  that is necessary or desirable is required or
  wanted
• the value judgement that some group has an
  information problem that can be solved.

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Information Need Analysis

• is a tool to decide whether to act (or not to
  act) when the information services available to a
  community are (or are not) adequate
• involves evaluating information needs so
  information can be gathered, structured and
  presented to aid decision-making in order to
  resolve the problems

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Four Key Aspects of Need

• Recognising need involves values.
• A need is possessed by a particular group of
  people in a certain set of circumstances.
• A problem is an inadequate outcome, one that
  violates expectations.
• Recognising a need involves a judgement that a
  solution exists for a problem.

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Kinds of Information Needs

• Airline pilots need up-to-date accurate
  information about the weather
• Medical doctors need accurate information to
  identify patients illnesses and to determine the
  best way to treat them
• The public needs accurate information regarding
  transportation schedules

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Group TaskIn your group - identify a typical
information need for each of the following
communities

• civil engineers
• university academic staff whose subject area is
  Vietnamese history (or literature)
• parents of school aged children
• elderly people
• the National Assembly Standing Committee of the
  Communist Party of Vietnam

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In your examples -

• Where would each community obtain information
  to resolve the information need?
• Which information need among those you have
  identified would have the most time and money
  spent on resolving it? Why?

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As the importance of the information increases,
so do the amounts of time, money and other
resources to ensure that it is precise, accurate
and up-to-date!
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Factors that influence the informations value

• the role it plays in decision-making
• the type of information needed
• its accessibility and the effort needed to gain
  access to it.

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Information is sought from both formal and
informal sources

• Formal sources
• libraries
• databases
• books
• journal articles
• newspapers
• government agencies
• businesses

• Informal sources
• family
• friends
• colleagues
• neighbours
• email discussion groups

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Different communities will need access to
different kinds of information systems

• For example
• Scientists may need access to formal databases of
  information
• Elderly people may need access to informal
  information systems involving family members

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Individual differences within the community
affect how members resolve information needs

• cultural background
• political system
• organisational culture
• past experience
• individuals frame of mind

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Organisations and services that provide
information must

• understand the needs of their community
• understand the differences among community
  members
• develop systems that serve the community but also
  take into account individual differences

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Information need analysis is essential for

• planning effective new information services
• improving the effectiveness of existing
  information servicesb

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Kinds of information needs analysis -

• Community analyses
• User studies
• Information audits
• Market analyses

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Community analysis

• Used primarily in public library planning
• Involves
• studying the community,
• self-assessment by the agency,
• and comparison of the results

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Community Analysis in the Planning Process
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Community analyses have both positive and
negative features

• Negative features
• provides a static picture of the community,
• can gloss over some of the key issues,
• can offer imprecise guidance for planning

• Positive features
• can raise awareness of the complexities of the
  community issues affecting information services
  
• provides information to help the library
  administrators make better informed decisions.

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A very good resource on Community Analysis

• Library of Virginia Community Analysis Methods
  and Evaluative Options The CAMEO Handbook
  http//www.lva.lib.va.us/ldnd/CAMEO/

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User Studies

• focus on information users in their contexts,
• include studies of
• communicators of information
• seekers of information
• recipients of information
• users of information

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User studies have been done to analyse

• users' choices of books from a university library
• users reactions to on-line search outputs
• the underlying needs that result in
  information-seeking

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There are many different research methods in user
studies because of the many types of users and
the many contexts that are studied.
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A good site to get a deeper understanding of user
studies is

• Dr. T.D. Wilson (Department of Information
  Studies, University of Sheffield), Recent trends
  in user studies action research and qualitative
  methods
• http//informationr.net/ir/5-3/paper76.htmlfive

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Information Audits are Used within Organisations
to Identify

• the information that is supplied through the
  holdings and services in an organisation
• the information that is required to meet the
  needs of the organisation
• the gaps, inconsistencies and duplications that
  exists between what is supplied and what is
  required

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Information Audits are used in organisational
settings to

• Improve existing information services
• Plan for new information services
• Identify where information policies are required

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Useful resource for understanding the information
audit

• Susan Henczel, The Information Audit As A First
  Step Towards Effective Knowledge Management An
  Opportunity For The Special Librarian
• www.fh-potsdam.de/IFLA/INSPEL/00-3hesu.pdf

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Market analyses are used by organisations to

• make decisions about new products and services by
  
• determining the characteristics of members of the
  community
• identifying what products and services are wanted
  within a community
• determining whether particular products and
  services are likely to be used within a community

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Needs analyses are used by organisations to

• decide whether to act (or not to act) when the
  services available to a community are (or are
  not) adequate

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Needs Analysis

• offers a rational approach to determining
  priorities and allocating resources because many
  needs are worthy and defensible
• helps decision-makers make decisions about
  diverse kinds of needs, often under stressful
  conditions