Electronic current awareness service: a survival tool for the information age?
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb045382 |
| Date | 01 April 1995 |
| Published date | 01 April 1995 |
| Pages | 317-324 |
| Author | H.M. Mountifield |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
Article
Electronic current awareness service:
a survival tool for the information
age?
H.M. Mountifield
Department of Library
Services,
University of South
Africa,
PO Box 392,
Pretoria, 0001
South
Africa
E-mail:
mounthm@alpha. unisa.ac. za
Abstract: Information
overload,
and the importance/or information users of
staying abreast of relevant information, has led to the development of current
awareness
services.
Not only have advances in information technology and
telecommunications led to an increased volume of information but they have also
made it easier for agencies to produce competing electronic current awareness
services. This paper will briefly define an effective electronic current awareness
service and highlight some available products and services. It is
important
that
the best products
be
selected for use by individuals and information services.
Evaluation criteria for current awareness products will be identified in
the
light
of specific user needs and requirements for a successful electronic current
awareness service.
1.
Introduction.
It is well known that 'information
overload' has become a
cliche,
but the
necessity of keeping information seek-
ers aware of relevant information is
becoming more pressing in an infor-
mation age where electronic informa-
tion and networks are growing rapidly.
Advances in telecommunications,
electronic information technologies
and workstation functionality are ena-
bling publishers, companies, informa-
tion services and users to link to net-
works, to transfer information faster
and to generate, manipulate, combine,
repackage, store and retrieve data in
ways barely perceived a few decades
ago.
These advances are also provid-
ing publishers, commercial enter-
prises,
libraries and innovative groups
with the ability to create and publish
databases, current awareness and con-
tents pages products. This has resulted
in a variety of services and products
competing in the current awareness
market-place.
It is imperative for information
services to be able to provide users
with relevant information when and
where they need it, in a format they
want and at
a
price they can afford. It is
thus necessary to take note of current
awareness products, evaluate them
and implement those that will best
serve the needs of clients.
This paper will briefly define an
electronic current awareness service
and highlight some available products
and services. Evaluation criteria for
current awareness products will be
identified in the light of specific user
needs and requirements for a success-
ful service.
2.
What is an electronic current
awareness service?
Current awareness services developed
out of the need of information users to
stay up to date with relevant informa-
tion, as well as developments and
trends in their fields of interest. Vari-
ous traditional and new methods and
products are available, and can
be
used
by information services and individu-
als to fulfil needs of providing and ob-
taining current and relevant
information. The use of computer-
based or electronic products for keep-
ing current is becoming increasingly
popular and, owing to IT advances, a
growing number of commercial and
externally developed electronic serv-
ices and products are available in the
current awareness market-place.
Electronic current awareness uses a
computer-based technique for match-
ing the contents file of the information
product with the interest profile of the
user (Behrens 1989, p.64; Fidoten
1971,
p.334). It entails regular provi-
sion of individual information users
with specific and current information.
The aim of an electronic current
awareness service
is
to provide timely,
appropriate and tailored information
to individual information seekers
(Rowley 1994, p.7).
A successful electronic current
awareness service that will appeal to
potential users must:
• use cost-effective products or
databases sufficiently covering
the subject field;
• be run at regular intervals using
effective and easy-to-use
software;
• design search profiles for
individual needs;
• deliver relevant search results in
a format required by the user for
importing into a personal
database or further manipulation;
• make provision for rapid
document delivery (Behrens
1989,
p.64; Cox & Hanson 1992,
p.36).
The Electronic Library,
Vol.
13,
No.
4,
August 1995 317
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