Resource Acquisition, Sharing, and Use in Intelligent Information Access: An Investigation of the Researchers

摘要

The preservation and reuse of scientific data are ofrnincreasing importance for many disciplines and fields,rnincluding the field of Intelligent Information Access (IIA).rnIIA researchers develop valuable knowledge systems andrnopen-source software through the use of resourcesrndeveloped by others. This paper presents the results of anrnonline survey completed by IIA researchers in order tornbetter understand their resource acquisition, sharing, andrnuse behaviors. The survey link was posted on relatedrnmailing lists and 89 researchers responded. The resultingrnanalysis shows that freely available web resources play arncrucial role in current IIA research. It is not always easy forrnIIA researchers to find necessary resources using existingrnmechanisms such as web searching, conference networking,rnand personal communications. Furthermore, usingrnresources developed by others poses substantial challengesrnfor researchers. These challenges include cost, poorrndocumentation, licensing and copyright issues, and usabilityrnissues. The paper also suggests better mechanisms forrnsharing and using resources to promote IIA research and torndevelop future resources.