Relevant Intra-Actions in Networked Environments

Abstract

This chapter uses a study of human assessments of relevance to demonstrate how individual relevance judgments and retrieval practices embody collaborative elements that contribute to the overall progress of that person’s individual work. After discussing key themes of the conceptual framework, the chapter will discuss two case studies that serve as powerful illustrations of these themes for researchers and practitioners alike. These case studies, outcomes of a two-year ethnographic exploration of research practices, illustrate the theoretical position presented in part one of the chapter, providing lessons for the ways that people work with information systems to generate knowledge and the conditions that will support these practices. The chapter shows that collaboration does not have to be explicit to influence searcher behavior. It seeks to present both a theoretical framework and case studies that can be applied to the design, development and evaluation of collaborative information retrieval systems.