Personal factors and personal information activities behaviors of faculty in selected universities in Ghana

Knowledge mapping and visualization of personal information management literature, 1988–2020

This study was designed to examine the structure of the literature on personal information management during the period 1988–2020 through the mapping of author and indexer keywords. The article also examines the volume, quantity and growth of personal information management literature during the period. The Scopus database was searched with the phrase ‘personal information management’ within the title, abstract and keyword fields on 18 February 2021. The annual growth in publications is presented as the number of retrieved documents each year, and the annual growth rate of publications on the subject is analysed. A total of 887 documents have been written on the subject since 1988. The major focus in addressing the problem of personal information management appears to be on technology applications, but research from 2015 onwards starts to address individual factors as they relate to personal information management.

Predictors affecting personal digital information management activities: A hierarchical regression analysis

The study aimed to investigate the influence of demographic characteristics, Internet use, computer knowledge and technology self-efficacy on personal digital information management (PIM) activities – information finding, information keeping, information organising and information re-finding. The design of the study was quantitative and a survey method was used to get the objectives of the study. Three independent institutes of art and design – the Institute of Art and Culture, the National College of Arts and Design and the Pakistan Institute of Fashion and Design – were chosen as the research setting of the study. The population of the study was an academic community of three art and design institutes. The questionnaire was distributed to faculty and students of respective institutes and 229 responses were received after follow-up. The findings of the study indicated that both demographic characteristics and technology-related factors influenced the arts and design academic community’s PIM activities. However, the second set of variables – Internet use, computer knowledge and technology self-efficacy influenced more than demographic variables on PIM activities. Academic role, university and technology self-efficacy appeared significant predictors of all PIM activities. The findings might be helpful for arts and design institutes librarians to make strategies to improve academic community’s personal information management skills. In arts and design institutes, better efficiency in faculty and students’ PIM could be achieved if PIM literacy programmes are designed paying attention to differentials in demographic factors and technology-related factors, as revealed in this study.

“Digesting the abundance of idol matter” key factors in personal information management experiences of selected social science faculty

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the personal information management (PIM) behaviours of social science faculty in Africa. The study examined the experiences and encounters of selected social scientists in Africa in organising and finding and re-finding of the information they previously created or stored. More specifically, the study sought to examine how faculty keep and refind information, the files and folders in which they store the information. Also, the study examined the nature and characteristics of faculty information spaces with particular respect to electronic documents including emails and paper documents.

Design/methodology/approach

Sample survey research design and a mixed methods approach consisting of qualitative and quantitative were used. Data was collected using a discursive technique, an interview schedule and a questionnaire. Data analysis was conducted using factorial analysis of mixed data design, guided by a combination of category and codes identification using NVivo and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 17. Principal component analysis (PCA) of factor analysis was executed to identify key components.

Findings

Eleven issues, namely, time, infrastructure, importance of the information, folder/file management, document characteristics and organisational context played significant roles in the PIM behaviours of the respondents. Others were importance of the information, document overload, memory, workload and computer literacy. PCA extracted four major components, namely, document overload, time, computer literacy and importance of the information.

Research limitations/implications

An expansion in the number of faculty involved in this study would probably yield a more reliable outcome. Extending the study to cover Africa would also yield a more applicable result.

Practical implications

The key PIM issues identified in this study, namely, document overload, time, computer literacy and importance of the information should constitute the focus of continuous information literacy education aimed at improving PIM social scientists’ faculty in Africa.

Social implications

Improved PIM of social science faculty will result to improved research productivity and good health.

Originality/value

PIM of social scientists has not been examined in the literature, and yet it is crucial for further understanding their learning and information behaviours, and improving their productivity. The design and administration of a questionnaire constructed based on codes extracted from qualitative and discursive sessions to the same respondents from whom the qualitative data was collected makes the findings very strong. A further deployment of factorial analysis of mixed data design to handle qualitative data makes the contribution of the study very significant.

Personal information management through ubiquitous devices: Students’ mobile self-efficacy and PIM practices

This study aims to explore personal information management (PIM) practices of undergraduate university students on ubiquitous devices such as mobile phones. The purpose was to investigate the relationship between mobile self-efficacy and mobile-based PIM practices of the respondents in terms of finding/re-finding, keeping and organizing information. This study was the offspring of a PhD project. The quantitative research design was used to conduct this study. Structured questionnaire was used to collect data from undergraduate students Regression analysis was applied to investigate the relationship between mobile self-efficacy and their mobile based PIM practices. The findings revealed that undergraduate students search, browse, and scan information through mobile phones. They used keywords, searched from recently opened file, and from send item to find/re-find information. They save their personal information in folders, use mobile applications, and take screen shot of information to keep it for future use. Current study reported “ Sharing as keeping ‘as a new phenomenon in mobile based personal information keeping (ubiquitous environment). This study also reported ‘ Ubiquity’ as an emerging trend in PIM among young generation. Study found positive correlations between mobile self-efficacy and mobile based PIM. Current study developed a model of mobile self-efficacy and PIM. Based on new phenomena “ sharing as keeping’ (which occurred in current study), a model “mobile based personal information keeping” may be developed. This study helps software developers of smartphones to develop mobile phone applications according to users’ needs. This study provides better understanding of PIM model (finding/re-finding, keeping and organizing information) through ubiquitous devices (smart phones). Although studies have been conducted to know the impact or relationship between mobile self-efficacy and PIM, but no comprehensive study has been conducted to explore the relationship between mobile self-efficacy and the holistic picture of mobile based PIM (finding/re-finding, keeping, and organizing information) especially in developing countries like Pakistan.

Social aspects of personal information organization

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine how individuals' personal information organization reflects their social environments in order to understand social aspects of personal information organization.

Design/methodology/approach

By using a cognitive sociological approach and based on the personal information organization process (PIOP) model (Oh, 2019), this study investigates the social aspects of personal information organization by analyzing the pre-diary interview, a diary, and two post-diary interviews conducted with each of the 18 information users in social science academic environments.

Findings

Social dimensions of personal information organization were found in differences between organizing academic and non-academic files, the way participants identified and made distinctions among files, common folders they created, and with the impact of participants' professional age on personal information organization. This study shows that information organization is a process of construction and that the participants' social foundations are reflected in the way they view and organize their files.

Originality/value

This study makes a unique contribution to the field by explaining the social aspects of personal information organization. The findings of this study deepen our knowledge of personal information organization by providing different ways to understand how and why people organize their files in certain ways, and by showing that this is not just individual behavior. In practice, this study provides insight into the design of applications and tools that support personal information management of people in specific social environments.