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 needs are a fundamental concept in the LIS profession (O’Brien et al., 2022). The role of the library is to fulfill the information needs of the community. As defined by O’Brien et al. (2022), an information need can be a response to a problem situation in which there is a knowledge gap or a need to understand something. “The problem-centered approach suggests that people encounter situations that prompt them to acquire knowledge or skills, seek information, and engage in sense-making to determine how well the located information meets their need” (O’Brien et al., 2022, p. 54). Information seeking stems from an information need and is the conscious effort to acquire information in response to an identified need or gap in knowledge (Case, 2018). O’Brien et al. (2022) define information behavior as the totality of human behavior in relation to the sources of information including both active and passive forms of information seeking. The study of information-seeking behavior has been conducted for decades with prominent models established by theorists such as Marcia Bates, Carol Kuhlthau, Reijo Savolainen, and Thomas Wilson.
Information Models
Models of information-seeking behavior traditionally address three things (Case & Given, 2016). First, models should provide a good theoretical basis for predicting changes in information-seeking behavior, second, they should provide guidance for designing effective strategies for enhancing information-seeking behavior, and third, they should explicitly conceptualize information-seeking behavior and provide rich descriptions of it (Case & Given, 2016). Models should answer the “why” and address the underlying forces that drive certain types of information-seeking. Depending on the specific context, each of these models describes a popular theoretical model of information-seeking behavior.
Berrypicking
Berrypicking is a model created by Marcia Bates and is about the online searching process and finding information through Information Retrieval (IR) systems (Bates, 1989). This model emphasizes a non-linear search process for when a user is searching for information, each new piece of information they encounter gives them a new direction and new ideas to add to their search query (Bates, 1989). In this type of search process, the query itself and the search items being used are continuously shifting based on the discovered information. This is a “bit-of-a-time” retrieval and is compared to picking berries off a bush, where people pick berries one at a time rather than gathering them all at once (Bates, 1989). The user’s query can be satisfied by a series of selections of individual references and bits of information over a period of time rather than the information coming all at once (Bates, 1989).
Information Search Process
The information search process model was created by Carol Kuhlthau and is universally applicable to any domain. This model is based on many years of student research and is an early adopter of using emotions as a driver for certain information-seeking behaviors (Case & Given, 2016). “Her (Kuhlthau) focus is on feelings, thoughts, and actions that follow as a person becomes aware of a gap in their knowledge” (Case & Given, 2016, p. 152). This model has seven stages that follow a linear path from left to right in a time sequence. The first phase “initiation” is where a person becomes aware of a gap in knowledge and is the birth of an information need (Case & Given, 2016). The second phase is referred to as “selection” and is where people are more optimistic about their search and where a person assesses their degree of interest and available resources to locate information on their topic (Case & Given, 2016). The third phase is “exploration” where feelings of doubt and confusion arise as a person explores sources and is where some information seekers may abandon their search (Case & Given, 2016). The rest of the phases “formulation,” “collection,” “presentation,” and “assessment” flow well once a focus and sharpened clarity are found and information is discovered leading to the collection and use of the found information (Case & Given, 2016). This model is often used in educational and academic settings assisting with query searching.
Everyday Life Information Seeking
This model was created by Reijo Savolainen and is referred to as the Everyday Life Information Seeking (ELIS) model. This model steps away from the traditional information-seeking behavior research and focuses on more everyday life scenarios where people seek information for less professional means such as for hobbies and other personal interests (Case & Given, 2016). The ELIS model emphasizes the role of the social and cultural factors that affect people’s way of using information resources (Savolainen, 2017). This model uses sociological concepts to understand user needs, information-seeking behaviors, and problem-solving behaviors (Case & Given, 2016). This model introduces the concept of leisure information-seeking behaviors. “The concept of ELIS refers to the acquisition of various informational (cognitive and expressive) elements, which people employ to orient themselves in daily life or solve problems” (Savolainen, 2017, p. 1507). Instead of a linear process, this model is more of a framework that incorporates the “way of life” and how people interact with information to meet their needs, such as by gathering information from family, friends, and even the internet and social media (Case & Given, 2016; Savolainen, 2017).
The Wilson Model
This model was created by Thomas Wilson and used research from other fields such as psychology, decision-making, consumer research, and health communication to create a framework (Case & Given, 2016). Wilson created three points to explain information-seeking; why some needs prompt information-seeking more than others, why some sources of information are used more than others, and why people may or may not pursue a goal effectively (Case & Given, 2016). Wilson focuses on what motivates a person to search for information and to what extent they go to for results. This model also created motivating factors such as psychological predispositions, demographic background, factors relating to social role, environmental factors, and characteristics of sources to understand why some people sought information in a different way than others (Case & Given, 2016).
Designing and Providing Services
Understanding the information-seeking behaviors of library users is vital to designing and providing library services. As we’ve found with the research models listed above, there are many factors that go into how people like to search for information and their various successes at finding what they need. Being able to understand these limitations and various factors, including socio-economic factors that limit some community members' ability to successfully find information, can allow the library to properly create programs and services that will meet these diverse needs. Tunon (2022) has found that information-seeking behaviors have become more user-driven, virtual, and self-directed and has given some examples of how libraries can shift their services to meet these changing needs. For instance, at an academic library virtual services and resources have become a more popular medium for students and library users to access the library. Providing virtual reference services with extended hours can assist library users during more needed times to find and meet information needs. Libraries can create virtual instruction and embed librarians into the Canvas course shells of each class so that the library is more active in meeting information needs. Addressing the digital divide and taking on a more active service role in the community to assist social equity work and remove barriers to information access is another critical service to provide to the community.
Evidence
Info 200 - Context Book Review
My first piece of evidence is a blog post created for Info 202 Information Communities. This link will take you to this specific blog post on my information community WordPress website created for the class. This assignment focused on writing a book report that connects to my chosen information community, the Online Book Nerd Community, and their information-seeking behaviors. The book I chose to read was Contagious: Why Things Catch On by Jonah Berger. In this post, I connected the behavior behind how something can go viral with how it relates to the leisure information-seeking behavior of my community. I discussed several models of information-seeking behavior including the Everyday Life Information Seeking (ELIS) model created by Savolainan and discussed information theory of passive information-seeking written by Bates. This piece of evidence showcased my ability to connect information-seeking and sharing techniques that specifically affected my information community. This evidence shows my knowledge of information theory and how different communities seek to understand information in different ways, some of which are passively or through a browsing model like ELIS.
My second piece of evidence is my research paper for Info 200 Information Communities. This paper is the culmination of my work for this course in understanding the information needs and information-seeking behavior of my community, the Online Book Nerd Community. In this paper, I discuss my community’s use of non-traditional information-seeking behavior such as Everyday Life Information Seeking (ELIS) by Savolainen, the casual leisure information seeking and the research of Ross and Yeh in understanding how leisure reading information seekers are still able to meet their information needs through more non-traditional seeking methods. This paper consists of a literature review discussing the information behaviors and needs of leisure readers, a methodology section on how I discovered my research, and a discussion on how libraries can meet the information needs of leisure readers through emerging technologies such as social media and through programs such as virtual book clubs, reading challenges, and book discussions. I also discuss any barriers to information my community may experience, such as barriers to information access through a lack of technological resources at home. This paper shows my ability to understand various information-seeking behaviors, including non-traditional means of information-seeking for a library community to have their needs met. This paper also shows my understanding of how libraries can work toward removing barriers and increasing programming and services to meet the understood information-seeking behaviors of a community.
Info 210 Discussion #1 - Reference in the 21st Century
My third piece of evidence is a discussion post for Info 210 Reference and Information Services. The purpose of this discussion was to describe what reference means in the twenty-first century. In this discussion post, I discussed how technology has changed the way librarians provide reference to their communities. I discuss how information-seeking behaviors have changed with the advancements in technology, and how libraries can adjust their services to continue to meet information needs, particularly in the critical service of reference. I discuss the following trend of library users seeking information outside of the library or without the assistance of reference librarians, and how the library can change its services through an environmental scan and further understanding of information-seeking behaviors to ensure they are a continued resource for their communities. This evidence shows my knowledge of understanding the correlation between information-seeking behaviors and the need to change and direct library services to meet the needs of the community.
Conclusion
As a future academic librarian, I will use my knowledge of information needs and information-seeking behaviors to provide great services, resources, and programming for my library community. I will work toward understanding the pattern of behavioral change and work to ensure my library changes to meet these needs. I plan to stay up to date with information theories and information-seeking behaviors with professional development through ALA and ACRL with online classes and any conferences and website articles.
References
Bates, M. J. (1989). The design of browsing and berrypicking techniques for the online search interface. Online review, 13 (5), 407-424. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb024320
Case, D.O. (2018). Information seeking. In K. Haycock & M.J. Romaniuk (Eds.), The Portable MLIS. (2nd ed., pp. 49-56). Libraries Unlimited.
Case, D.O. & Given, L. M. (Eds.) (2016). Looking for information: a survey of research on information seeking, needs, and behavior (4th ed.). Emerald.
O’Brien, H., Greyson, D., De Forest, H., & McDavid, K. (2022). Information needs. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information Services Today (3rd ed., pp. 53-65). Rowman & Littlefield.
Savolainen, R. (2017). Everyday life information seeking. In J.D. McDonald & M. Levine-Clark (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences. (4th., pp.1506-1515). CRC Press.
Tunon, J. (2022). Information intermediation and reference services. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information Services Today (3rd ed., pp. 153-164). Rowman & Littlefield.