Laurie
Fleetham and Shannon Wilcox
IRLS
587
Anita
Coleman
Annotated
Bibliography
Information Seeking Behavior –
An Annotated Bibliography
Information Needs, Uses and Context
Solomon, Paul. “Conversations
in Information-Seeking Contexts: A Test of an Analytical Framework.” Library
& Information Science Review 19 no. 3 (1997): 217-248.
URL: http://ils.unc.edu/~solomon/hp/ConInfo.html
Solomon provides an
analytical framework composed of linguistic and socio-linguistic strategies for
information seeking conversations. This offers a useful format with which to
analyze information seeking dialogues from various domains and can be used to
train and critique information specialists in a variety of contexts as well as
aid in the development of human-computer dialogues and systems design.
Conceptual Frameworks
Morris, Ruth C. T. “Toward a
User-Centered Information Service.” Journal of the American Society for
Information Science 45, no. 1 (1994): 20-30.
This article addresses the
need for a theoretical base for creating and redesigning user-centered services
in libraries. The article makes the distinction between the traditional view of
information and Brenda Dervin’s constructivist sense-making model as a way of
showing how a user may perceive information. By incorporating the ideas of
Dervin, Belkin, Taylor, and Kuhlthau, this article shows the various ways users
perceive information. The desired result would be that these findings, borrowed
from psychology,
would lead to an improved and more
effective information service that focuses on the user.
The Study and Evaluation of Information Use and Users
General
Applegate, Rachel. “Models of
User Satisfaction: Understanding False Positives.” RQ 32, no. 4 (1993):
525-539.
By examining different modes
of user satisfaction, the author discusses the phenomenon of “false positives”
which occur when a user is satisfied with an “inferior product” or search. This
article introduces and explains three models: Material Satisfaction Model,
Emotional Satisfaction Model – Simple Path, and the Emotional Satisfaction
Model – Multiple Path as a way of understanding how false positives happen. The
author also distinguishes between material satisfaction (satisfaction as a
result of a match between what was requested and what was received) and
emotional satisfaction (satisfaction stemming from feelings about a product or
search). Applegate points out that the
key to avoiding the “false positive” is to understand the user’s expectations
and needs to measure the appropriate amount of satisfaction.
Information Channels
Klobas, Jane E. and Tanya
McGill. “Identification of Technological Gatekeepers in the Information Technology
Profession.” Journal of the American
Society of Information Science 46, no. 8 (1995): 581-589.
The authors have devised a
system of 5 basic tests to confirm the validity of an “80/20 Rule” of
classification for identification of gatekeepers. This simple, yet reliable
technique utilizes self-reported information of dissemination behavior.
Included is a definition of information behavior gatekeeping and
characteristics of technological gatekeepers. Klobas, et al, conclude that
their principle is successful because it is based on the extent of an
individual’s communication strategy, and that it can be applied to identify
gatekeepers in most disciplines, even those outside of the information
technology profession.
Information Barriers
Chatman, Elfreda. “The
Impoverished Life World of Outsiders.” Journal of the American Society for
Information Science 47, no. 3 (1996): 193-206.
This article centers on the
social information barriers that exist amongst “outsiders”, particularly
janitors, female employees of Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA),
and aging women in the “
Information Quality
Palmquist, Ruth Ann. “The
Impact of Information Technology on the Individual.” Annual Review if Information Science and Technology (ARIST) 27
(1992): 3-42.
This chapter provides an
exhaustive review of research concerned with the effect of information
technology on the individual from the “living room to the work site”. Written
in 1992, this work serves as a harbinger of the changes that the growing
reliance on IT has wrought on our “information society”. Palmquist examines
many facets of how computer-based technologies affect an individual’s
environment from the growing isolation of the individual in society to the
de-emphasis of geography on the information worker.
Information Behavior Phenomenon – Browsing
Bates, Marcia J. “The Design
of Browsing and Berrypicking Techniques for the Online Search Interface.” Online Review 13, no. 5 (1989): 407-424.
URL: http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/faculty/bates/berrypicking.html
Bates eschews the classic,
static information retrieval (IR) model designed for users in manual
environments in which a single query is satisfied by a single unit of
information. In its stead, she posits a “bit-at-a-time” retrieval process
called “berrypicking” for online searches which represents a series of
selections that would suffice even if both the original query and the search
terms continued to change or evolve. This latter method reflects the real,
familiar practices of online searches as it incorporates a
multitude of IR strategies (footnote chasing, citation searching, journal run,
area scanning, and author searching) which is more in keeping with how current
search interface systems are designed, today.
Borgman, Christine L., Sandra
G. Hirsh, Virginia A. Walter, and Andrea L. Gallagher. “Children’s Searching
Behavior on Browsing and Keyword Online Catalogs: The Science Catalog Project.”
Journal of the American society for Information Science 46, no. 9
(1995): 663-684.
This article presents the
problem that many children have with online searching and browsing in terms of
keyword searches and Boolean systems. To remedy some of these difficulties, the
authors of the article conducted four experiments at three different locations
using the Science Library Catalog’s and approximately 34 fourth, fifth, and
sixth graders. The Science Library Catalog’s design relied on the cognitive
capabilities and skills of the child instead of spelling or vocabulary. The
children studied responded more favorably toward the SLC system because the
interface encouraged them to browse topics using a visual hierarchy, or a
“bookshelf”, rather than long word lists.
Choo, Chun Wei, Brian Detlor,
and Don Turnbull. A Behavioral Model of Information Seeking on the Web:
Preliminary Results of a Study of How Managers and IT Specialists Use the Web.
URL: http://choo.fis.utoronto.ca/FIS/ResPub/asis98/default.html
Building upon previous models
of information seeking behavior, the authors formulated a new behavioral model
designed specifically for the World Wide Web which incorporates elements of
information science and organizational science. The new synthetic framework,
composed of motivations and moves, can be used to track the progress of
“significant” episodes of information seeking on the Web. Preliminary results
of the study supported the authors’ premise that combining complementary modes
of qualitative and quantitative data in the same study would
provide a more complete picture of the studied phenomenon.
Allen, Bryce L. “Boolean
browsing in an information system: an experimental test.” Information
Technology and Libraries v. 20, no. 1 (Mar. 2001): 12-20.
This article focuses on the
notion of vocabulary browsing in Boolean systems. Allen conducted a research
experiment on eighty
Information Use by Various Populations
King, Geraldine B. “Women
Library Users and Library Users of Traditional Women’s Subjects.” Reference Librarian, no. 49-50 (1995):
179-193.
King descries that even
though women comprise the majority of public library users, there is a paucity
of research studies concerned with women’s information needs about traditional
women’s subjects. Included is a review of professional literature from
1974-1994 dealing with:
1). Lack of professional research
concerning women’s information needs and library use
2). Need for discussion of these above
issues in professional library materials
3). Frequency of requests for traditional
women’s subjects at public library reference desks.
Liu, Mengxiong. “Ethnicity
and Information Seeking.” The Reference Librarian, nos. 49-50 (1995):
123-134.
The author of this article
addresses the need for librarians to become aware of cultural and ethnic diversity
for the improvement of their services in the areas of: communication,
conceptual awareness, learning patterns, outreach, and recruitment. The author
gives an assessment of how major racial groups communicate with one another
inside and outside their cultures. Liu
evaluates how major racial groups communicate with one another inside and
outside their cultures. This article also discusses the difficulties that arise
for multicultural users in language; systems (such as a classification system);
and communication methods. The author gives suggestions for improving
cross-cultural communication. Finally,
Liu offers other ways to help multicultural and ESL users via programs and
instructions.