Information need as trigger and driver of information seeking: a conceptual analysis

an article by Reijo Savolainen (University of Tampere, Finland) published in Aslib Journal of Information Management Volume 69 Issue 1 (2017)

Abstract

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to elaborate the picture of the motivators for information behaviour by examining the nature of information need as a trigger and driver of information seeking.

Design/methodology/approach
A conceptual analysis was made by focussing on the ways in which researchers have conceptualised information need in models for human information behaviour (HIB). The study draws on conceptual analysis of 26 key studies focussing on the above topic.

Findings
Researchers have employed two main approaches to conceptualise information needs in the HIB models. First, information need is approached as a root factor which motivates people to identify and access information sources. Second, information need is approached as a secondary trigger or driver determined by more fundamental factors, for example, the information requirements of task performance. The former approach conceptualises information need as a trigger providing an initial impetus to information seeking, while the latter approach also depicts information need as a driver that keeps the information-seeking process in motion. The latter approach is particularly characteristic of models depicting information seeking as a cyclic process.

Research limitations/implications
As the study focuses on information need, no attention is devoted to related constructs such as anomalous state of knowledge and uncertainty.

Originality/value
The study pioneers by providing an in-depth analysis of the nature of information need as a trigger and driver of information seeking. The findings refine the picture of motivators for information behaviour.

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An exploratory study on social library system users’ information seeking modes

an article by Tingting Jiang, (Wuhan University, People's Republic of China) published in Journal of Documentation Volume 69 Issue 1 (2013)

Abstract

Purpose
Social library systems are Web 2.0 sites where users discover interesting books, movies, and music, etc., collect these resources to their personal libraries, and share their collections with others. The purpose of this study is to identify the information seeking modes adopted by users in this context as well as to reveal the characteristics of the users who are dominated by each mode.
Design/methodology/approach
An online survey was conducted to capture the background and behaviour data of regular users from Douban, the most influential Chinese-language social library system. The “friend-of-a-friend” recruitment technique resulted in a total of 129 responses, 112 of which were valid and analysed to generate both descriptive and inferential statistics.
Findings
Searching, browsing, encountering, and monitoring are the four major information seeking modes adopted by social library system users. The majority of the users tend to combine two or more modes, but each user has a dominating one that helps define him/her as a searcher, browser, encounterer, or monitor. While searching is the most widely adopted mode, browsers are the most prevalent type of information seekers. Different information seekers do not demonstrate significantly different characteristics by and large, however with some exceptions.
Originality/value
This study is one of the first to investigate how users look for resources in social library systems, a problem neglected by previous studies mostly focusing on how users organize and tag resources. The research findings enrich our understanding of social library systems as diverse and dynamic information seeking environments. This in turn will provide useful implications for their interface design to more effectively address the needs and expectations of special types of information seekers.

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Young adults and everyday-life information: The role of news media

an article by Kirsty Williamson (Monash University, Australia) and Asim Qayyum, Philip Hider and Ying-Hsang Liu (Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, Australia) published in Library & Information Science Research Volume 34 Issue 4 (October 2012)

Abstract

There is a paucity of research examining the everyday-life information seeking of young people, especially investigating the role that the news media has in providing information to young people for use in their everyday lives.

A qualitative, interpretivist approach is adopted, involving 34 students, ages 18 to 25, from an Australian university.

First, 20 students were interviewed about their news seeking (including topics and sources). Then 14 students participated in verbal protocol analysis, which involved a series of tasks concerning online and print newspapers. Lastly, students were interviewed about how they sought everyday-life information and whether they thought that they had incidentally acquired or encountered information on everyday-life topics in online or print newspapers in the recent past.

Findings indicated that, contrary to expectations, traditional print media still played a role for young people, and social media were perceived as important for communication with friends, rather than for news gathering. Purposeful information seeking was more likely to occur online, but both print and online newspapers retained an incidental role in providing information to students for their everyday lives. Participants used a range of media to suit their particular needs and purposes.

Thus, access to a wide variety of sources is important for everyday-life information seeking (ELIS) by young people.

Highlights

► News media play a role in young adult everyday-life information behavior.
► This study focused on university students, aged 18–25.
► Surprisingly, traditional print media still play a role for young people.
► Social media are important for communication with friends rather than seeking news.
► Young people have a wide range of media needs.

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Spatial context in collaborative information seeking

an article by Chirag Shah and Roberto González-Ibáñez (Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, USA) published in Journal of Information Science Volume 38 Number 4 (August 2012)

Abstract

Space and time are considered the most important dimensions for studying systems and methods that support collaboration in information seeking.

Several investigations have provided us with insights into people’s preferences and experiences relating to these two dimensions, but there is a lack of empirical evidence.

A user study is presented, involving 60 subjects in 30 pairs, in which the experience and performance of users are compared while performing an information-seeking task in three different spatially defined collaboration settings:

1. working at the same workstation;
2. working in the same room at different workstations, and;
3. working in different rooms.

The results show significant differences among the experimental conditions, indicating the impact of space on collaboration.

The pros and cons of different spatial set-ups are derived from an extensive analysis that uses several traditional information retrieval measures such as precision and recall, as well as unconventional assessments involving coverage and diversity.

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