The focus of my research is understanding how technology is used in organizations to help people work more effectively. One area of interest for me is how mobile workers use technology to get the information they need to do their jobs. Results from a research project involving mobile workers and corporate information departments is contained in the book Providing Data, Information, and Knowledge to the Virtual Office (SLA, 1999). Currently, I am involved in three research projects: Knowledge Flow from the Lab to the Lay Person: A Case Study Based on Biotechnology Food; Human Computer Interface: Expanding to Nontraditional Markets and Virtual Ennis: the Information Age Town.
Knowledge Transfer and Website Quality in Food and Agriculture
A SCILS team has collaborated with researchers at Rutgers' agricultural school on two projects funded by the US Department of Agriculture -- one relates to knowledge transfer about genetically modified food, and the other about information seeking and knowledge transfer related to food safety and security. The focus of the research has been on knowledge objects placed on websites and the quality of the websites that everyday life information seekers use to learn and create knowledge.
Knowledge Flow from the Lab to the Lay Person: A Case Study Based on Biotechnology Food
How is the knowledge gained by research scientists shared with the general public? There are a number of venues the public uses to gain information that eventually becomes integrated as knowledge: broadcast media, newspapers, magazines, and the Internet. The discourse in these venues on the topic of Biotechnology Food is being analyzed by a team of researchers at the School of Communication, Information and Library Studies (SCILS) at Rutgers University in conjunction with the Food Policy Institute and other researchers at universities in the US and in Europe. The larger study: Public Perceptions of Genetically Modified Foods is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture, Dr. William Hallman, Principal Investigator. The SCILS team consists of:
Dr.
Robert Kubey, Associate Professor
Dr.
Claire McInerney, Assistant Professor
Dr.
Linda Steiner, Associate Professor
Ms.
Nora Bird, Doctoral Student
Ms.
Mary Nucci, Doctoral Student
Ms.
Dawn Filan, Information Technology and Informatics Student
Ms.
Kelly Grimmett, Information Technology and Informatics Student
Mr.
Christopher Scott, Information Technology and Informatics Student
Human Computer Interface: Expanding to Nontraditional Markets
This project is underway with the long-term objective being to develop guidelines for the design of human computer interfaces that appeal to underrepresented groups of users in the technology market, both women and minorities. The short-term objective is to discover how women can incorporate technology into their everyday academic experience. Funded by a Strategic Resource Opportunity Analysis (SROA) grant at Rutgers University, the study is using a multimethod approach to learn how women students are using technology in their academic work and how their technology use differs from their men colleagues. The research is also investigating the types of computer interfaces that women students prefer and the kind of computer design and devices they would like to use in the future. The project team is composed of:
Dr.
Ellen F. Mappen, Director, Douglass Project
Dr.
Helen M. Buettner, Associate Dean, School of Engineering
Dr.
Claire R. McInerney, Assistant Professor, School of Communication, Information
and Library Studies
Ms.
Linda Gallo, Graduate Student, Department of Library and Information Science
Ms.
Jennifer Sloane, Graduate Student, School of Education
Ms.
Hai-Ning Chiang, Graduate Student, Environmental Sciences
Ennis: The Information Age Town
Substantial economic resources have been invested in the town of Ennis, the capital of County Clare located in the West of Ireland. Ennis has been established as an “Information Age Town” with all aspects of the community receiving access to information and communication technologies and the skills to use them. Eircom, the Irish telecommunications company, has wired the city, provided computers and networks as well as training in order to encourage businesses, government entitites, schools, non-profit organizations, and individuals to have high speed Internet access for communication and economic development.
The purpose of the research project is to see how organizational work practices and people’s lives have changed as a result of the technological infrastructure investments in the town. The study is investigating the types of technologies being used, how organizations are involved, the types of jobs being created, the growth of telecommuting, the growth of e-business within the community and the general impact of information and communication technologies on the community. The study will focus on three levels: an organizational view, an individual technology user view, and a comparison with at least one other wired community in northern Europe. Another layer of interest in this study is the contribution it will make to the body of knowledge about wired towns and cities and the effect technology adoption has on communication, information transfer, and organizational practices The initial phase of the study (Summer 2001) was supported by the Research Development Committee of the School of Communication, Information and Library Studies and the Research Council of Rutgers University. The project team consists of:
Dr.
Claire McInerney, School of Communication, Information and Library Studies
Ms.
Janet Hilbun, Doctoral Student, School of Communication, Information and
Library Studies
Ms.
Lin Lin, Doctoral Student, School of Communication, Information and Library
Studies
Claire McInerney’s papers and presentations
Some of the papers on this page are thought pieces. Others are preliminary drafts to papers that eventually will be submitted for publication. Any reactions, dialogue, or ideas are welcome. Please send me an e-mail message to discuss the ideas in the papers. Thank you.
Communication and Globalization: New Opportunities for Women in Ireland in Technology Work
The "Celtic Tiger" has brought considerable investments in technology and commerce to Ireland, but primarily to the benefit of large cities. This paper reports on research showing that despite economic and social obstacles, there are opportunities for women in rural Ireland to become leaders in technology design, use, and education. The paper was presented at the World Library and Information Congress, IFLA, 2003, Satellite Conference.
Establishing and Maintaining Trust in Online Systems
Quality may be the most important consideration in the responsible creation and maintenance of information. If high quality standards are missing from an organization's commitment to information collection, organization, and dissemination, the entire information and knowledge system may have serious flaws affecting how information is valued and used by clients and organizational members.
As organizations become international players in a global economy, and individuals find themselves working in virtual offices and on virtual teams, trust becomes even more critical to work and collaboration.
Although there has been a small amount of research on trust in electronic systems, there has been a fair number of research projects on quality in Web sites. This paper will examine trust factors in information management and apply those factors to online systems. It will summarize the research on quality in digital information, and develop a bridge to the practical matter of creating trust in system design and implementation. Particular emphasis is given to Web sites and Web designs that foster trust and credibility. The paper was presented at the National Online Meeting, held in New York, May, 2000.
Preparing
Students for the Virtual Organization: A Multi-University Experiment
The purpose of this paper
is to discuss methods and practices used in a cooperative effort to teach
graduate students in four universities about working together to create
an information product in a virtual environment. The paper was prepared
for presentation at the Association for Library and Information Science
Education (ALISE) 2000 National Conference, San Antonio, Texas, January,
2000.
An
Interdisciplinary Perspective on Classifying Information
“Knowledge is of two
kinds. We know a subject ourselves or we know where we can find information
upon it” said Samuel Johnson. Johnson’s statement about knowing where to
find knowledge presupposes that there is some systematic way of organizing
it so that knowledge can indeed be retrieved when needed. This paper outlines
some of the classification structures currently in use.
Information Science – Is it an art or is it a true science? Sometimes the research agenda of a discipline reveals the heart of the discipline and the core of the thinking practiced by the discipline’s members. This piece is a response to the many attempts to define information science. It was written in 1997.
Learning
Organizations - co-authored with Kai Larsen, Corinne Nyquist,
Aldo Santos, and Donna Silsbee.
"Contemplate to see that
awakened people, while not being enslaved by the work of serving living
beings,
never abandon their work
of serving living beings." Thich Nhat Hanh
The Miracle of Mindfulness!
(1976, p. 98)
In a way those who work in a learning organization are “fully awakened” people. They are engaged in their work, striving to reach their potential, by sharing the vision of a worthy goal with team colleagues. They have mental models to guide them in the pursuit of personal mastery, and their personal goals are in alignment with the mission of the organization. Working in a learning organization is far from being a slave to a job that is unsatisfying; rather, it is seeing one’s work as part of a whole, a system where there are interrelationships and processes that depend on each other.
Tying a Sensible Knot: A Practical Guide to State-Local Information Systems co-authored with Sharon S. Dawes, Theresa A. Pardo, Darryl E. Green, David R. Connelly, and Ann DiCaterino. Albany, NY: Center for Technology in Government. Results of a research project in New York State in which government officials on the state level and those in local municipalities revealed barriers and benefits of working together using information and communication technologies.
-
Cybrarians,
Ontologists, and Knowledge Managers: A Brave New Century for Librarians.
The annual Spring Fling meeting of the West Virginia Library Association.
PowerPoint
Slides (includes Bibliography)
-
Search Engines - A Critical Comparison. Oklahoma Library Association. University
and College Division.
"Taking Control of the Internet" Workshop. October, 1999. Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma.
PowerPoint
Slides
- Waves of the Future: Providing Information and Knowledge to the Virtual Office. Special Libraries Association Annual Conference. June 9, 1999. Minneapolis, Minnesota.
This page was updated March
24, 2006