Information seeking
Encyclopedia
Information seeking is the process or activity of attempting to obtain information
in both human and technological contexts. Information seeking is related to, but yet different from, information retrieval
(IR).
information seeking on the Web is very different from information retrieval as performed within the IR discourse. Yet, web search engines are built on IR principles. Since the late 1990s
a body of research on how casual users interact with Web search engines has been forming, but the topic is far from fully understood. IR can be said to be technology-oriented, focusing on algorithm
s and issues such as precision and recall. Information seeking may be understood as a more human-oriented and open-ended process than information retrieval. In information seeking, one does not know whether there exists an answer to one's query, so the process of seeking may provide the learning required to satisfy one's information need.
's Principle of Least Effort, Brenda Dervin
's Sense Making, Elfreda Chatman
's Life in the Round - seek to understand the processes that surround information seeking.
A review of the literature on information seeking behavior shows that information seeking has generally been accepted as dynamic and non-linear (Foster, 2005; Kuhlthau 2006). People experience the information search process as an interplay of thoughts, feelings and actions (Kuhlthau, 2006
). Donald O. Case (2007) also wrote a good book that is a review of the literature.
Information seeking has been found to be linked to a variety of interpersonal communication behaviors beyond question-asking, to include strategies such as candidate answers.
Robinson’s (2010) research suggests that when seeking information at work, people rely on both other people and information repositories (e.g., documents and databases), and spend similar amounts of time consulting each (7.8% and 6.4% of work time, respectively; 14.2% in total). However, the distribution of time among the constituent information seeking stages differs depending on the source. When consulting other people, people spend less time locating the information source and information within that source, similar time understanding the information, and more time problem solving and decision making, than when consulting information repositories. Furthermore, the research found that people spend substantially more time receiving information passively (i.e., information that they have not requested) than actively (i.e., information that they have requested), and this pattern is also reflected when they provide others with information.
. Within this scientific discipline a variety of studies has been undertaken analyzing the interaction of an individual with information source
s in case of a specific information need, task, and context. The research models developed in these studies vary in their level of scope. Wilson (1999) therefore developed a nested model of conceptual areas, which visualizes the interrelation of the here mentioned central concepts.
Wilson defines models of information behavior to be "statements, often in the form of diagrams, that attempt to describe an information-seeking activity, the causes and consequences of that activity, or the relationships among stages in information-seeking behaviour" (1999: 250).
Information
Information in its most restricted technical sense is a message or collection of messages that consists of an ordered sequence of symbols, or it is the meaning that can be interpreted from such a message or collection of messages. Information can be recorded or transmitted. It can be recorded as...
in both human and technological contexts. Information seeking is related to, but yet different from, information retrieval
Information retrieval
Information retrieval is the area of study concerned with searching for documents, for information within documents, and for metadata about documents, as well as that of searching structured storage, relational databases, and the World Wide Web...
(IR).
Information Retrieval
Traditionally, IR tools have been designed for IR professionals to enable them to effectively and efficiently retrieve information from a source. It is assumed that the information exists in the source and that a well-formed query will retrieve it (and nothing else). It has been argued that laypersons'Layman
A layperson or layman is a person who is not an expert in a given field of knowledge. The term originally meant a member of the laity, i.e. a non-clergymen, but over the centuries shifted in definition....
information seeking on the Web is very different from information retrieval as performed within the IR discourse. Yet, web search engines are built on IR principles. Since the late 1990s
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
a body of research on how casual users interact with Web search engines has been forming, but the topic is far from fully understood. IR can be said to be technology-oriented, focusing on algorithm
Algorithm
In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm is an effective method expressed as a finite list of well-defined instructions for calculating a function. Algorithms are used for calculation, data processing, and automated reasoning...
s and issues such as precision and recall. Information seeking may be understood as a more human-oriented and open-ended process than information retrieval. In information seeking, one does not know whether there exists an answer to one's query, so the process of seeking may provide the learning required to satisfy one's information need.
In different contexts
Much Library and Information Science (LIS) research has focused on the information seeking practices of practitioners within various fields of professional work. Studies have been carried out into the information-seeking behaviors of librarians, academics, medical professionals, engineers and lawyers (among others). Much of this research has drawn on the work done by Leckie, Pettigrew (now Fisher) and Sylvain, who in 1996 conducted an extensive review of the LIS literature (as well as the literature of other academic fields) on professionals' information seeking. The authors proposed an analytic model of professionals' information seeking behaviour, intended to be generalizable across the professions, thus providing a platform for future research in the area. The model was intended to "prompt new insights... and give rise to more refined and applicable theories of information seeking" (1996, p. 188). The model has been adapted by Wilkinson (2001) who proposes a model of the information seeking of lawyers.Theories of information seeking behavior
A variety of theories of information behavior - e.g. ZipfZipf
Zipf is surname of:* Andy Zipf, singer/songwriter from Indianapolis, Indiana , German tennis player and -coach* George Kingsley Zipf , American linguist and philologist* Zipf's law* Zipf–Mandelbrot law- See also :Place name:...
's Principle of Least Effort, Brenda Dervin
Brenda Dervin
Brenda Dervin, currently a professor of communication at Ohio State University, is a researcher in the communication and library and information science fields. Her research about information seeking and information use led to the development of the Sense-Making approach...
's Sense Making, Elfreda Chatman
Elfreda Chatman
Dr. Elfreda A. Chatman was well-known for her ethnographic approaches in researching information seeking behaviors among understudied or minority groups .- Contributions :Dr...
's Life in the Round - seek to understand the processes that surround information seeking.
A review of the literature on information seeking behavior shows that information seeking has generally been accepted as dynamic and non-linear (Foster, 2005; Kuhlthau 2006). People experience the information search process as an interplay of thoughts, feelings and actions (Kuhlthau, 2006
Carol Kuhlthau
Carol Collier Kuhlthau is a noted educator, researcher, and international speaker on learning in school libraries, information literacy, and information seeking behavior. Her model of the Information Search Process describes feelings, thoughts and actions in six stages of information seeking...
). Donald O. Case (2007) also wrote a good book that is a review of the literature.
Information seeking has been found to be linked to a variety of interpersonal communication behaviors beyond question-asking, to include strategies such as candidate answers.
Robinson’s (2010) research suggests that when seeking information at work, people rely on both other people and information repositories (e.g., documents and databases), and spend similar amounts of time consulting each (7.8% and 6.4% of work time, respectively; 14.2% in total). However, the distribution of time among the constituent information seeking stages differs depending on the source. When consulting other people, people spend less time locating the information source and information within that source, similar time understanding the information, and more time problem solving and decision making, than when consulting information repositories. Furthermore, the research found that people spend substantially more time receiving information passively (i.e., information that they have not requested) than actively (i.e., information that they have requested), and this pattern is also reflected when they provide others with information.
Wilson's nested model of conceptual areas
The concepts of information seeking, information retrieval, and information behaviour are objects of investigation of information scienceInformation science
-Introduction:Information science is an interdisciplinary science primarily concerned with the analysis, collection, classification, manipulation, storage, retrieval and dissemination of information...
. Within this scientific discipline a variety of studies has been undertaken analyzing the interaction of an individual with information source
Information source
"Source" means data that originates from either primary of secondary source. An information source is a source of information for somebody, i.e. anything that might inform a person about something or provide knowledge to somebody. Information sources may be observations, people, speeches,...
s in case of a specific information need, task, and context. The research models developed in these studies vary in their level of scope. Wilson (1999) therefore developed a nested model of conceptual areas, which visualizes the interrelation of the here mentioned central concepts.
Wilson defines models of information behavior to be "statements, often in the form of diagrams, that attempt to describe an information-seeking activity, the causes and consequences of that activity, or the relationships among stages in information-seeking behaviour" (1999: 250).
See also
- BrowseBrowseTo browse is a kind or orienting strategy used by animals or human beings. It is supposed to identify something of relevance for the browsing organism. When used about human beings it is a metaphor taken from the animal kingdom. It is used, for example, about people browsing open shelves in...
- Information foragingInformation foragingInformation foraging is a theory that applies the ideas from optimal foraging theory to understand how human users search for information. The theory is based on the assumption that, when searching for information, humans use "built-in" foraging mechanisms that evolved to help our animal ancestors...
- Information retrievalInformation retrievalInformation retrieval is the area of study concerned with searching for documents, for information within documents, and for metadata about documents, as well as that of searching structured storage, relational databases, and the World Wide Web...
- Information seeking behaviorInformation seeking behaviorInformation seeking behaviour refers to the way people search for and utilize information.In 2000, Wilson described information seeking behaviour as the totality of human behaviour in relation to sources and channels of information, including both active and passive information-seeking, and...
- Social information seekingSocial information seekingSocial information seeking is a field of research that involves studying situations, motivations, and methods for people seeking and sharing information in participatory online social sites, such as , , and . as well as building systems for supporting such activities...
- Collaborative information seekingCollaborative information seekingCollaborative information seeking is a field of research that involves studying situations, motivations, and methods for people working in collaborative groups for information seeking projects, as well as building systems for supporting such activities. Such projects often involve information...
- OnboardingOnboardingOnboarding, also known as organizational socialization, refers to the mechanism through which new employees acquire the necessary knowledge, skills, and behaviors to become effective organizational members and insiders...