Architectural design projects are heavily reliant on electronic information seeking. However, there have been few studies on how architects look for and use information on the Web. We examined the electronic information behavior of 9 postgraduate architectural design and urban design students. We observed them undertake a self-chosen, naturalistic information task related to one of their design projects and found that although the architectural students performed many similar interactive information behaviors to academics and practitioners in other disciplines, they also performed behaviors reflective of the nature of their domain. The included exploring and encountering information (in addition to searching and browsing for it) and visualizing-appropriating information. The observations also highlighted the importance of information use behaviors (such as editing and recording) and communication behaviors (such as sharing and distributing) as well as the importance of multimedia materials, particularly images, for architectural design projects. A key overarching theme was that inspiration was found to be both an important driver for and potential outcome of information work in the architecture domain, suggesting the need to design electronic information tools for architects that encourage and foster creativity. We make suggestions for the design of such tools based on our findings. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Information for inspiration: Understanding architects' information seeking and use behaviors to inform design

Purpose – This paper aims to report an empirical study of the information‐related behaviour of emerging artists and designers. It also aims to add to understanding of the information behaviour of the group both as practising artists (a little understood category of information users), and also as “new practitioners”.Design/methodology/approach – A literature analysis is used to guide creation of an online questionnaire, eliciting both qualitative and quantitative data. A total of 78 practising artists participated, all having graduated in the seven years prior to the survey.Findings – The group have generally the same information practices as more established artists. They place reliance on internet and social networks, while also using traditional printed tools and libraries. Browsing is important, but not a predominant means of accessing information. Inspiration is found from a very diverse and idiosyncratic set of sources, often by serendipitous means. Their status as emergent practitioners means that ...

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The information-related behaviour of emerging artists and designers Inspiration and guidance for new practitioners

The process of information- and inspiration-seeking behaviour amongst artists and designers often involve direct observation, note-taking, collecting materials and image samples, recognising styles, analysing movements, patterns, textures, as well as experimenting with different materials and techniques. They also rely heavily on having access to a variety of visual resources, both physical and digital, during the process of inspiration-seeking. However, there have been few studies on how art and design students look for and use information in the digital age, especially in the context of the library. This paper reports on an empirical study of the inspiration-seeking process and other information-related behaviour of students at the Hong Kong Design Institute (HKDI). An online questionnaire was created to ask the HKDI students specific questions: the types of library preferred; students' comfort level with the HKDI Library; student respondents' information needs; and their preferred sources for inspirati...

Information for Inspiration: Understanding Information-Seeking Behaviour and Library Usage of Students at the Hong Kong Design Institute

ties scholars. Artists see the world in a distinctive way, and the services and information they need from libraries reflect the creative and tangential nature of art. The expectations and infor mation needs of studio art faculty, whether these needs are being met by academic librarians, and suggestions to improve services to studio art faculty and, through them, to their students, are explored below.

Under-Served or Under-Surveyed: The Information Needs of Studio Art Faculty in the Southwestern United States

This paper discusses the information literacy requirements of art and design students, and how traditional approaches to information literacy education are not always appropriate for these particular students. The paper argues that different, creative, and innovative approaches to information literacy training need to be developed with the specific learning styles of this group of students in mind and that using a radical information literacy approach, incorporating the specific nature of the art and design information landscape, enables this. Using the University of the Arts London (UAL) as a specific art and design higher education institution, the paper shares three separate case studies which demonstrate such approaches including the incorporation of drawing, object-based learning, and enquiry-based learning into information literacy.

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Creative Approaches to Information Literacy for Creative Arts Students

For the academic art and architecture librarian, two of the most difficult groups to draw into the library are the studio art and architecture students. These students often do not regard the library as logically fitting into their studio projects or course work, and as a result do not recognize their own valid and extremely challenging research needs. This is not to say that all studio students are unsuccessful researchers or that they never use the library. Nor is this to say that librarians, when asked, immediately have all the services and answers for these students when the latter do use the library. The difficulty lies in aligning these unique student needs with what are perceived as tradi tional library public services. This is rather tricky, particularly when such alignments question or confront what is meant by traditional library public services. Throw into the mix the ever

Bringing the Studio into the Library: Addressing the Research Needs of Studio Art and Architecture Students

When one explores the evolution of library architecture, the designs themselves reflect the changing functions within the library space. Do such designs impact the person's experience beyond offering modern, stylized study space? Can one detect an architectural code shaping the research process? To consider these questions, the author compares Erik Gunnar Asplund's Stockholm Public Library (1928) with Norman Foster's Philological Library (2006). When seen together, the two buildings represent differing processes of research. At the same time, in their appeal to contemporary understanding of the nature of intelligence, they both aim to inspire and perhaps even shape current ideas of research.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/673511

The Psyche of the Library: Physical Space and the Research Paradigm

Abstract A child’s early literacy and language skills are the most reliable predictor of future academic achievement. Despite vast amounts of research supporting this link, many children start formal schooling with low early literacy skills. Without intervention or support, these children will likely continue to fall behind their peers. This exploratory study investigated the effectiveness of a parent-led phonological awareness programme ( n = 3), implemented at home with their 4-year-old children ( n = 4) in Christchurch, New Zealand. This study used an exploratory case study mixed methods design. The programme focused on improving children’s phonological awareness skills by providing parents with readily available activities which taught a range of phonological skills. Parents were supported throughout implementation by the researcher with coaching and modelling. Overall, the study found parents to be effective at implementing the phonological awareness programme and facilitating the development of their children’s emergent literacy skills. Children demonstrated increased phoneme identification, blending and segmenting skills and additional skills not explicitly taught, such as phoneme manipulation. Participation in the programme also positively affected children’s interest in literacy activities, such as reading and writing. Parent reports identified positive effects on children’s articulation, speech, engagement and overall confidence. Parents were positively affected by their participation in the programme, with reports of increased confidence in their English proficiencies and literacy skill development. 

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Hannah Bennett

Papers

Bringing the Studio into the Library: Addressing the Research Needs of Studio Art and Architecture Students

The Psyche of the Library: Physical Space and the Research Paradigm

The effectiveness of a parent-implemented, phonological awareness programme on the phonological awareness skills of preschool children