“Describe the fundamental concepts of information-seeking behaviors and how they should be considered when connecting individuals or groups with accurate, relevant and appropriate information.”
Introduction
Information science professionals use the terms “information seeking” and “information behavior” to describe how individuals look for information. Different types of people look for information in different ways. For example, a child will look for information differently than an adult. Someone with lifelong experience with computers will look for information differently than someone with little computer experience. Someone doing research for a school project will look for information differently than someone pursuing a hobby or seeking medical knowledge. In order to make the right information accessible to the right person, information professionals must consider how that person looks for information. Understanding how people look for information is a key part of information science research.
Theories of Information-Seeking Behaviors
Bates (2017) states that the term “information behavior” is more accurate than “information-seeking” because information can affect people whether they are seeking it or not. When an individual encounters information, even if they are not actively looking for it, that information affects the way they view the world and the way they think about things. Bates also points out that even ignoring information affects the individual. Knowing that information exists, whether a person chooses to use it or not, affects the way a person thinks about a topic.
From observation, information scientists have developed various models to describe the information behaviors of different types of individuals around different types of information. These models describe how an individual looks for information, how they react to information, how they use that information to find other information, etc. According to Case & Given (2016), Kuhlthau’s model is frequently cited in studies about information behaviors in education. The model splits the research process into stages, starting with “initiation” of the project, and ending with “assessment,” or evaluation of the project after the individual has gathered, compiled, and presented it. Kuhlthau’s model also describes the feelings, thoughts, and actions associated with each stage, with feelings progressing from uncertainty to a sense of accomplishment, thoughts becoming more focused, and actions moving from exploring to documenting information.
In contrast, Savolainen (2017) describes two “exploratory” models, “berrypicking” and “information foraging.” Both models involve the individual picking up a little information here, a little information there, in a far less structured process than what Kuhlthau described. These models describe an individual’s process for gathering information in everyday life, rather than a specific project with a deadline. Many more models have been developed to describe different types of information searching and different aspects of information behaviors, including how various aspects of the individual’s environment affects the information search.
Helping People Find Information
Understanding the different ways people interact with information will help information professionals make information more accessible to those who need it. A student following the Kuhlthau model will need guidance to help them move to the next stage of the research process. An individual who is berrypicking or foraging for information will need to be able to find good resources that will answer their questions. The various models show the various roles information professionals can play in providing access to information: they can instruct, they can create lists of suggested resources, they can improve interfaces of databases to fit the user’s natural search model, and they can provide reference services by answering questions one-on-one.
Items of Evidence
Evidence Item 1: The Genealogy Information Community
This item of evidence is a research paper I wrote for the course INFO 200: Information Communities. It describes the information-seeking behaviors of genealogists. The genealogy community has many unique aspects, including varying levels of expertise, a large number of people pursuing this interest, and a reliance on both very old (microfilm and archival manuscripts) and very new (DNA sequencing and artificial intelligence) technologies. I explain the models used by various researchers to describe the genealogy research process. Most of the models are cyclical and go through different phases, with the genealogist increasing knowledge and skill each time they go through the cycle.
This research paper shows that I know how to gather evidence from information science scholarly sources about a particular information community. It shows I can explain a community’s information-seeking behaviors with relevant models. Different models can be used to explain different aspects of an information community, and the community’s information needs can change over time with advances in technology and new information being uncovered.
Evidence Item 2: Hobby Gardening Information Community
This item is a blog post I wrote for the course INFO 200: Information Communities. It describes aspects of the hobby gardening community, including what type of information they need, where they look for information, and the quality of the information in the sources they often look. I describe the need for information based on the gardener’s location and climate, and the overreliance on anecdotes rather than controlled experiments in gardening information. I also describe some different reasons for gardening and how that affects the type of information gardeners will need.
This item shows my ability to analyze an information community, evaluate the types of sources they use, and consider other sources that they may not be using. It also shows that I understand that one information community can be broken down into smaller subsets of that community with different information needs. I also describe in the essay how my favorite gardening Facebook groups have changed over time, showing that I recognize the need to stay up to date on the best information resources for various communities. Staying constantly up to date on every information community is not possible, but it is importance to update any user guides or other information provided to patrons with current data.
Evidence Item 3: Information Sources Survey
This item of evidence is an essay I wrote for the course INFO 200: Information Communities. In it I describe two different sources used frequently by the genealogy information community. The first source is a reference guide and manual for American genealogy research, and the second is a community website where people collaborate to build a universal family tree based on their genealogy research. I describe the scope and content, the authors, purpose, biases and gaps, and the value the resource has to the genealogy community.
This essay shows that I understand the different types of sources an information community may rely on. It also shows my ability to analyze those sources and evaluate their accuracy and usefulness. Knowing about such sources will help me provide access to the sources required by different types of information communities.
Conclusion
As an information professional, I will gather information about the types of information communities represented by the individuals who use my organization’s resources. I will research the information behaviors and information needs of different kinds of people. This means staying on top of things like new technologies, social issues, and trends in hobbies and education. I can’t know everything about everything, but I can maintain lists of various resources that will be helpful to different communities.
References
Bates, M. J. (2018). Information behavior. In Encyclopedia of library and information sciences (Fourth edition). CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1081/E-ELIS4
Given, L. M., & Case, D. O. (2016). Chapter 7: Models of Information Behavior. In Looking for Information. Emerald Publishing Limited.
Savolainen, R. (2017). Berrypicking and information foraging: Comparison of two theoretical frameworks for studying exploratory search. Journal of Information Science, 44(5), 580-593. https://doi.org/10.1177/0165551517713168