contact us
search
SILS receives $150,000 gift from Microsoft Corporation
July 20, 2004 — SILS faculty members Dr. Gary Marchionini and Dr. Paul Solomon have been awarded a $150,000 gift from the Microsoft Corporation to research how frequent users of structured data such as statistical files and databases make sense of and annotate information.
“We hope our research will shed light on the role annotations play in seeking and understanding information in electronic environments,” Marchionini said. “People are increasingly faced with using structured data in their personal and professional lives; and, this work should provide guidance to designers and software engineers who want to create systems that make it easier for users to record notes and reflections.”
Solomon, the school's interim dean and an associate professor, and Marchionini, Cary C. Boshamer Distinguished Professor, will form a team of SILS researchers who will collaborate with Catherine Marshall, senior research scientist at Microsoft.
“We know very little about how people annotate structured data in tables, databases and other digital repositories,” Solomon said. “We do know, however, that with existing software it's difficult for users to record thoughts, temporary notes or memory aids for future reference when dealing with data.”
The team will select a group of people doing survey, cataloging and statistical analysis work. Participants will be observed using software in their workplaces, and researchers will record how they make notes to themselves. Participants will be interviewed and observed over a one-year period to identify strategies and potential tools for annotating structured data.