UCLA Information Studies Seminar

Information Seeking Behaviors of Research Practitioners in an R&D Setting

Sandra Hirsh
Hewlett-Packard Laboratories

Thursday, March 13th, 2003, 3pm-5pm
GSE&IS Building, Room 111
(just west of the Research Library)

Abstract: Fundamental to productive research in a corporate setting are the practices and expectations regarding information seeking and collaboration. HP Labs established a research program, called the Information Research Program, to explore these issues and perform ongoing "research about research". This presentation discusses the unique role that this Program plays within HP and presents new findings from a recent research project addressing information and collaboration behaviors in a newly merged research organization. This research study surveyed researchers from selected labs of each pre-merger company shortly after the merger of HP and Compaq was finalized in May 2002. Initial findings suggest that the unstable environment resulting from the recently completed merger and the process of integrating two research organizations impacted the information seeking behavior of the participants. The significance of these findings and the impact they may have on the research community will also be discussed.

Sandra Hirsh directs the Information Research Program at Hewlett- Packard Laboratories in Palo Alto, California. In this position, she conducts research about how R&D researchers use information and integrate it into their work and implements solutions on a global basis. She has a PhD from UCLA and a master's degree from The University of Michigan, both in Library and Information Science. Prior to joining HP Labs, she was a professor at the University of Arizona. She has done extensive work in the areas of information seeking behavior, usability, and knowledge management.

Everyone is invited.