This document provides an overview of information seeking models and theories. It discusses several models of information behavior and information seeking, including models by Wilson, Krikelas, Leckie et al., Bystrom and Jarvelin, and Johnson. It also outlines several theories of information seeking, such as Zipf's Principle of Least Effort, cost-benefit paradigm, uses and gratification theory, and play and entertainment theories. Common information behaviors are also listed and described briefly.

1. LIS 60001 – Access to Information Information Seeking Models & Theories

2. This Week’s Readings

3. INFORMATION SEEKING “… a conscious effort to acquire information in response to a need or gap in your knowledge.” Case, Looking for Information (2007), 5.

5. Information Behavior (IB)

6. INFORMATION BEHAVIOR (IB) “… encompasses information seeking as well as the totality of other unintentional or passive behaviors (such as glimpsing or encountering information), as well as purposive behaviors that do not involve seeking, such as avoiding information.” Case, Looking for Information (2007), 5

7. IB RELATED CONCEPTS REDUCING UNCERTAINTY Problem Solving Identifying issues Setting goals Designing suitable courses of action Decision Making Evaluating Choosing among alternatives

8. IB RELATED CONCEPTS Browsing Informal, unplanned Aimless vs. goal-related Scanning Serendipity

12. IB RELATED CONCEPTS Relevance Requires context ‘ Aboutness’ (i.e., on the topic) vs. non-topicality Pertinent – connected to a need Salience Unexpected, notable, prominent Selective exposure

13. IB RELATED CONCEPTS Avoiding information Selective exposure (filtering) Rejection of ideas Reluctance to be distracted Unused information

14. IB RELATED CONCEPTS Information poverty Knowledge gaps Barriers to knowledge Cultural patterns Lack of processing skills (e.g., reading, language, hearing, sight)

15. IB RELATED CONCEPTS Omission Error Queuing Filtering Approximation Multiple Channels Escaping “ We can seek knowledge in order to reduce anxiety and we can avoid knowing in order to reduce anxiety.” Maslow Information overload and anxiety

16. EXERCISE: Common Information Behaviors

17. COMMON INFORMATION BEHAVIORS Buying a product Visiting a library Locating a law Betting on a race horse “ I want to know more about cancer…” Needs? Actions? Search strategies? Challenges and barriers? Sources?

18. COMMON INFORMATION BEHAVIORS Buying a product

19. COMMON INFORMATION BEHAVIORS Visiting a library

20. COMMON INFORMATION BEHAVIORS Locating a law

21. COMMON INFORMATION BEHAVIORS Betting on a race horse

22. COMMON INFORMATION BEHAVIORS “ I want to know more about cancer…”

23. Information Seeking Models

24. INFORMATION SEEKING MODELS Describe and (attempt to) explain circumstances that predict actions by people seeking to find information

25. INFORMATION SEEKING MODELS Flow-charts and diagrams Suggest sequences of events Specific, often defined in relation to theories See Handout

26. INFORMATION SEEKING MODELS Wilson (2 models) (1981, 1999) Krieklas (1983) Leckie, Pettigrew and Sylvain (1996) Bystrom and Jarvelin Savolaienen (1995) Johnson (1997)

27. Wilson’s (1981) Model

28. Krikelas Model (everyday behavior) Information gathering Information giving Need-creating event/environment Needs (deferred) Needs (immediate) Source preference Internal External Memory Direct (structured) observations Direct (interper-sonal) Contact Recorded (literature) Personal files

29. Leckie, Pettigrew & Sylvain Model

30. Bystrom & Jarvelin Model

31. Johnson Model

32. Information Seeking Theories

33. INFORMATION SEEKING THEORIES George Zipf – Principle of Least Effort (1949) Each individual will adopt a course of action that will involve the expenditure of the probable least average of his work

34. INFORMATION SEEKING THEORIES Principle of Least Effort Language usage E.g., word distributions 1930 census – city populations ‘ Harmonic distributions’

35. A plot of word frequency in Wikipedia (November 27, 2006). x is rank of a word in the frequency table; y is the total number of the word’s occurrences. Most popular words are “the”, “of” and “and”, as expected.

36. INFORMATION SEEKING THEORIES Principle of Least Effort 80/20 or 70/30 rule Library collections Internet websites Dorsch and Pifalo study (1997) – medical journal circ.

37. INFORMATION SEEKING THEORIES Principle of Least Effort Professional asks nearest coworker Artists use nearest tools Consulting older (closer) resource instead of a more current one

38. INFORMATION SEEKING THEORIES Principle of Least Effort Using interpersonal sources vs. authoritative sources Dervin: relying on close friends and relatives Other examples?

39. INFORMATION SEEKING THEORIES Principle of Least Effort Cost-benefit paradigm - the trade-off between the effort required to employ a strategy and the quality of the resulting action

40. INFORMATION SEEKING THEORIES Cost-Benefit Paradigm Applied to IB Seekers will minimize the effort required to obtain information, even if it means accepting a lower quality or quantity of information. Case, Looking for Information (2007), 154.

41. INFORMATION SEEKING THEORIES Uses and Gratification (Mass Media) Audience plays an active role (not passive) in selecting sources The person uses the medium, not the other way around

42. INFORMATION SEEKING THEORIES Uses and Gratification (Mass Media) Media are only a portion of a range of options for fulfilling needs Use can be studied by asking people directly

43. INFORMATION SEEKING THEORIES Uses and Gratification in LIS Chatman – studied working-class poor (janitors) How the poor define/deal with problems Reasons for non-active information seeking

44. INFORMATION SEEKING THEORIES Play Theory and Entertainment Theory Are information and entertainment two different things?

45. INFORMATION SEEKING THEORIES Play Theory and Entertainment Theory Stephenson (1967) – humans manipulate their intake of entertainment and information to serve their emotional needs Pleasure principle

46. INFORMATION SEEKING THEORIES Play Theory and Entertainment Theory Humans tend to: Seek pleasure and avoid pain Mix work with play E.g., reading the news

48. See You Next Week!