Vet e r i na r i a n s p e rce ive thems e lv e s a s act ive u s e r s o f i n f o rm a t i o n but work i ng u n d e r qu i t e r i g i d t ime r e s t r i ct i o n . They f ound the greater p a r t o f the i n f o rma t i o n that wa s ava i l a b l e to them wa s not d i r e c t l y a p p l i c a b l e t o the i r p rob l em s . I n o r d e r f o r the v e t e r i n a r i a n s to meet c l i ent ' s n e e d s for i n f o rma t i o n t h ey p r e f e r r e d t o i n t e r a c t w i t h the mo s t c o nv e n i e n t
1 Many o f t h e a b o v e s e rv i c e s h av e been d i s c on t i nued
t h rough l a c k of s upp o r t ( s ome of the s e rv i c e s were n ev e r eve n u s ed ) - f o r e xamp l e s , the Arg u s v i d e o t ext s e rv i c e a n d the rep r i nt s e rv i c e through the un i ve r s i ty l ib r a ry .
9 9 s ource t h a t c o u l d supp l y i n f o rma t i o n that s a t i s f a ct o r i l y met the i r l eve l of exp e c t a t i o n . Th i s l ev e l o f e x p e ct a t i o n b e c ame v e ry c r i t i c a l . T h e amount o f det a i l , comp l ex i ty , and s oph i s t i c at i on that w a s u s ed t o make a d e c i s i o n w a s c o n s i de rably l e s s t h a n w a s p ot e nt i a l l y p o s s i b l e . I n mo s t c a s e s th i s l ev e l c o U l d b e s a t i s f i e d by u s ing the more fami l i a r s ou r c e s .
O n the o t h e r hand the s ou r c e s aw veter i n a r i a n s a s p a s s ive i n the i r s e a rch b eh av i our s i nce i n qu i r i e s f o r i n f o rma t i o n were i n f requent . T h e i nqu i r i e s t h em s e lves s h owed a l a ck o f vet e r i n ary s oph i s t icat i o n . At t empt s t o i ntroduce oth e r i n f o rmat i o n s e rv i c e s s e emed t o meet w i th l i t t l e a c ceptance f rom a n i nd i f ferent aud i e n c e .
S o wh i ch p e rc ept i o n i s more c o rrect? The a n sw e r i s s i mp l e . The two p e rcep t i o n s c a n no t be c omp a r e d . The s ou r c e s a r e m e a s u r i n g vet e r i n a r i ans ' c omm i tm e n t to i n f o rmat i o n management us i n g c r i t e r i a that d e a l w i th o n l y the m o s t d i f f i cu l t i n f o rm a t i on s e a rches c a r r i e d o u t , and they m i s s a very h i gh prop o rt i on o f the i n f o rma t i o n s e a r c h e s undertaken . I n many c a s e s the v a l u e of i n forma t i on i n r e l a t i o n to the o v e ra l l a dv a n cement o f v e t e r i n a ry s c i e n c e i s not the s ame a s t h e v a l u e o f i n f o rmat i o n t o s o l v e a c l i e nt ' s p r ob l em . T h e f a c t that many i n f o rmat i o n s e rv i c e s h a v e been d i s c o nt i nu e d due t o l a ck o f i n t e r e s t i s not surp r i s i n g . I n m o s t c a s e s they e i the r supp l i e d i n f o rmat i o n t h a t d i d n o t match t h e prob l em- s o l v i n g appr o a ch e s o f v e t e r i n a r i a n s or they supp l i ed i n f o rma t i o n that v e t e r i n a r i an s were a l ready re c e i v i n g through th e i r more
f am i l i a r i n f o rmat i o n network .
T h e s e p o i n t s a r e obv i o u a but wh a t i s more sub t l e and yet more g e rmane t o i n f o rmat i on s e a rch behav i our i s the m i smatch i n g o f the l ev e l of exp e c t a t i o n o f what c a n a nd w i l l be a ch i eved a s a r e s u l t o f a s e a rch . P r a ct i t i o n e r s evi dent ly a r e s a t i s f i ed with i n f o rma t i on t h a t the s ou r c e s wou l d cons i d e r a s qu i t e i n a d e qu a t e . T h e veter i n a r i a n · n e e d s enough i n f o rmat i on t o m a k e a d e c i s i o n wh i ch he o r she c a n have r e a s o nab l e c on f i de n c e w i l l s at i s fy the c l i ent ' s need . Imperfect but p r ompt a n s w e r s a r e much b e t t e r than p e r f e c t asnwers o b t a i n ed t o o l a te . E x c e s s i n f o rma t i o n may even h i n d e r the d e c i s i on m a k i ng p r o c e s s .
IMP LI CAT I ON S
T h e m i smatch i n g o f p e r c ept i o n s b ec ome s v e ry imp o r t a nt wh e n i n f o rm a t i o n s e rv i c e s are b e i n g de s i g n e d . Many o f _ t h e u n s u c c e s s fu l attempt s t o i n troduce i n f o rm a t i o n s e rv i c e s have concentrated o n mod i fy ing t h e · w a y the s ou r c e s c a n manage i n f o rm a t i o n whether it be t h r ough t r a d i t i o n a l s y s tems or n ew techn o l ogy ( S t i b i c , 1 9 8 1 ) . I t i s obv i ou s from the l a ck o f succe s s t h a t th i s a p p r o a ch i s i n appropr i a t e . I t - i s more l i k e l y that imp roveme n t s could b e a c h i ev e d b y l o ok ing d i re c t l y a t t h e needs o f the peop l e inv o l ve d , rathe r t h a n m a k i n g
" r e a s o nab l e a s s ump t i on s " .
I f the p r o c e s s · o f i n f o rm a t i o n s e a rch we r e a n a l y z ed u s i ng the f l ow ch a r t i n f i gure 1 8 , it i s c l e a r that t h e r e are c r i t i c a l contro l p o i n t s that c ou l d be m o d i f i e d for the c l i e nt ' s and v e t e r i n a r i a n ' s b e n e f i t .
P o i n t s that c o u l d b e mo d i f i ed t o improve the s e a r ch p r o c e s s i n c l u d e :
t h e l ev e l o f expect a t i o n o f the c l i e nt ,
t h e l ev e l o f expect a t i o n o f the p ractit i o n e r ,
t h e i ntera c t i o n betwe en v et e r i n a r i a n a s a c o n s u l t ant a n d h i sj h e r c l i ent ,
t h e commun i c a t i o n s k i l l s o f the p ra c t i t i o n e r , s k i l l s i n d e f i n i ng p r ob l ems ,
i n f o rmat i o n s e a r ch and management s k i l l s ,
t h e t r a n s l a t i o n o f v e t e r i n a ry r e s e arch i n t o app l i c a b l e i n f o rm a t i o n ,
g e t t ing m o r e appl i c ab l e know l edge into t h e i n n e r c i r c l e o f i n f o rma t i on s ource s .
A l l the s e c o n c entrate o n mod i f y i n g the l ev e l o f exp e c t a t i on c o nc e rn i ng the i n f o rma t i o n s e a r c h p r o c e s s a s w e l l a s t h e c o n s t ruct s y s tems that i n f l u e n c e t h e " p e r s on a l c o n s t ruct s " o f n ew s i t u a t i o n s . Th i s i n t u r n mod i f i e s the d e c i s i o n t o s e arch f o r i n forma t i o n a n d the p a rt i cu l a r s t r at e g i e s u s ed . The empha s i s o n m o d i f y i ng b eh a v i our a t the de c i s i on -making l ev e l r a tp e r t h a n supp l y i ng m o r e s o ph i s t i c a t ed i n f o rmat ion s t o r a g e a n d r e t r i eva l t o o l s wou l d p roduce more durab l e change .
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CHAPTER 9