Human information behavior special issue

Human information behavior special issue

Introduction

About the Guest EditorsAmanda Spink is Professor of Information Technology, Queensland University of Technology - BA (ANU), Dip.Lib. (UNSW), MBA (Fordham), PhD Information Science (Rutgers). Her research in human information behavior and information retrieval/web studies includes 250+ publications and recent books Web Search: Public Searching of the Web, New Directions in Cognitive Information Retrieval and New Directions in Human Information Behavior – Springer. Amanda Spink can be contacted at: ah.spink@qut.edu.au

Allen Foster is lecturer at the Department of Information Studies, University of Wales, Aberystwyth. Prior to this he spent several years as a Research Associate and Research Student at the University of Sheffield. He has a BA in History (University of Sheffield, UK); MSc in Information Management (University of Sheffield) and a PhD in Information Science (University of Sheffield). Dr Foster’s research focuses on the theoretical development of human information behavior, and the application of this body of research to information skills training. Particular areas of interest have been the modelling of human information behavior and its relationship to the wider social sciences. Areas currently being explored include the further development of nonlinear approaches to human information behavior, and the link between wider social phenomena and information behavior. Publications to date have included subjects such as Serendipity, Information Seeking Behaviour and Uncertainty. Allen foster can be contacted at: Allen.Foster@aber.ac.uk

Human information behavior special issue

Information behavior studies are a growing body of research that highlights the importance of information for everyone in the information age. Information behavior researchers are building integrated theoretical frameworks that model the relationship between information seeking, the human “way of life or mastery of life” (Savolainen, 1995), information foraging, information organizing and information use (Spink and Cole, 2005, 2006). The international group of papers presented in this special issue of the Journal of Documentation provides a diverse range of studies and insights into the current state of theories and models of information behavior. The emphasis throughout the papers presented in this issue focuses on the social/personal/human dimensions of information seeking using social science methods and theoretical frameworks. The studies particularly draw on the methods and theories of anthropology, sociology and psychology to produce interpretations of the way in which information is experienced in the lives of individuals working as critical care nurses in a medical environment, the information seeking behavior of the visually impaired, the social interactions within knitting circles in public libraries, and attempts to apply information behavior theory to the design of information solutions. Collectively the papers contribute more generally to our understanding of information behavior theory and models, including the medical and retrieval contexts.

Papers

In their paper titled “The information behaviour of visually impaired people” by Beverley, Bath and Barber determine the extent to which two existing models could explain the information behavior of visually impaired people seeking health and social care information. The research was conducted within a constructivist paradigm. A total of 28 semi-structured interviews (face-to-face or telephone) with 31 visually impaired people were conducted. Framework analysis was used to analyse the results. Moore’s (2002) model of social information need provided a useful framework for analysing the results of this study. However, the theoretical basis for this model is unclear and it failed to take into account all aspects of information behavior, focusing predominantly on information needs. Wilson’s (1999) revised model could be used to explain, at least in part, the information behavior of people with a visual impairment seeking health and social care information. However, an additional ‘intervening variable’ was identified relating to the individuals’ health characteristics (type, degree and length or visual impairment and presence of other health conditions and disabilities). This study provides a new and valuable insight into the information behavior of visually impaired people, as well as tests the applicability of a specific and generic information model to the information behavior of visually impaired people seeking health and social care information.

In her paper “Information creation and the notion of membership” Trace examines a particular sub-set of information behavior that has been largely overlooked; how people are socialized to create and use information. Naturalism and Ethnomethodology were used as theoretical frameworks to examine what a group of fifth grade students were taught about documents, how this information was imparted to them, and how social factors were manifested in the construction and form of those documents. Two concepts are shown to be critical in the explication of students as document creators and users: the notion that there is a “stock of knowledge” that underlies human interaction (some of which relates to recorded information), and that this socialization process forms part of a school’s “hidden curriculum.” Students were socialized to be good (in the sense of being competent) creators and users of documents. Part of the role of “being a student” involved learning the underlying norms and values that existed in relation to document creation and use, as well as understanding other norms and values of the classroom that were captured or reflected by documents themselves. Understanding “document work” was shown to be a fundamental part of student affiliation; enabling students to move from pre-competent to competent members of a school community. This research demonstrated that people possess a particular stock of knowledge which they draw from when creating and using information. Competence in this aspect of information behavior, while partly based on one’s own experiences, is shown to be largely derived or learned from interaction with others.

The paper “Satisficing – closing the information gap: a proposed research agenda” by Chandra, Connaway and Olszewski examine the characteristics of a saturated information environment to understand the context for understanding why and how individuals engage in the information-seeking process. The concept of satisficing establishes a framework that provides insight into how individuals know when to stop looking for information, and how they decide that the information found is sufficient to meet their needs or goals. The article explores the literature and models of information-seeking behavior, including satisficing. The article expands upon the concept of good enough, i.e. how individuals choose what is sufficient rather than continuing to search for more information. Better defining this concept through a targeted research agenda could influence library and information science practice for the development of web-based services and systems, as well as information literacy programs.

In her paper “A grounded theory model of on-duty critical care nurses’ information behavior: the patient-chart cycle of informative interactions”, McKnight examines how critical care nurses’ work is rich in informative interactions. Although there have been post-hoc self report studies of nurses’ information seeking, there have been no observational studies of the patterns of their on-duty information behavior. This study used participant observation and in context interviews to describe 50 hours of the observable information behavior of a representative sample of critical care nurses in a 20-bed critical care unit of a community (non-teaching) hospital. The researcher used open, in vivo and axial coding to develop a grounded theory model of their consistent pattern of multimedia interactions. The resulting Nurse’s Patient-Chart Cycle describes their activities during the shift as centering on a regular alternation between interactions with the patient and with the patient’s chart (in various record systems), clearly bounded with nursing “report” interactions at the beginning and the end of the shift. The nurses’ demeanor markedly changed between interactions with the chart and interactions with the patient. Their attention was focused on patient specific information. They had almost no time or opportunity to consult published sources of information while on duty. Libraries often provide nurses with information services that are based on academic models of information behavior. Clinical information systems are designed more for medico-legal record keeping than for nursing care. Understanding the reality of nurses’ on-duty information behavior may guide librarians and systems designers in the provision of more appropriate systems and services.

In his paper “Knowledge of information behaviour and its relevance to the design of people-centred information products and services”, Hepworth highlights some of the social phenomena that are driving the design of people-centred information solutions; secondly to develop a broad ontology of information behavior research that serves to identify factors that should be taken into account when designing such solutions. Finally, the purpose is to illustrate how this knowledge is being applied in the design of people-centred inclusive information products and services. The author draws on the information behavior literature to highlight key drivers and to develop and illustrate the ontological framework. The significance of this framework is then demonstrated by providing examples of how this knowledge has been applied in the design of people-centred inclusive information products and services. This is a conceptual paper and based on the informed, subjective analysis of previous research. However, relating theory to practice does provide an indication of the validity of this conception of our knowledge of information behavior to people-centred design. The paper helps to provide an overview of information behavior research, the nature of the domain and the levels of abstraction. The article also makes a direct link between the theoretical world of information behavior research and the empirical world of people-centred design. Hence, it also presents a case for the importance of the body of knowledge that people in Information Science refer to as information behavior.

In their paper “Purls of wisdom: a collectivist study of human information behaviour in a public library knitting group”, Prigoda and McKenzie apply a collectivist theoretical framework to the study of information behavior and the construction of meaning in a knitting group held in a branch of a large Canadian (Ontario) public library. The research design was naturalistic and consisted of active participant observation of five knitting group sessions and semi-structured interviews with 12 group members. Field notes were taken, and both observations and interviews were audio-taped and transcribed. Field notes and transcripts were coded qualitatively. Information practices and contextual factors are mutually constitutive. The location of the circle in a public library, the physical characteristics of the act of knitting, and the social meanings of the activities taking place within the group, including the significance of gender and caring, are integrally linked to information behavior in this setting. Findings are described verbally and illustrated through a model. This study applies collectivist understandings to enrich concepts such as the ‘information ground’ that have previously been studied largely from constructivist perspectives. As a small-scale naturalistic study, results are context-specific and must be applied tentatively. This study provides an example of how programs in public libraries can provide opportunities for information behavior and the construction of meaning for members of the community. This study contributes a collectivist approach to research on everyday-life information seeking and on the library as a place.

In their paper “Affordance theory: a framework for graduate students’ information behavior”, Sadler and Given apply ecological psychology’s concept of “affordance” to graduate students’ information behavior in the academic library, and to explore the extent to which the affordances experienced by graduate students differed from the affordances librarians were attempting to provide. In-depth, qualitative interviews with graduate students and academic librarians explored how the students perceived and used the library’s various “opportunities for action” (e.g. books, databases, instructional sessions, librarians, physical space, etc.) and compared these perceptions and behavior with librarians’ intentions and expectations. Findings indicate a disparity between expectations and experience and point to graduate students as an underserved population in this context, especially in terms of the library’s outreach efforts. In addition, because graduate students are increasingly teaching introductory undergraduate courses, communication methods that bypass graduate students tend to miss undergraduate students as well. Practical implications discussed in this paper include possible methods of improving communication channels between graduate students and academic librarians, and considerations for information literacy instruction. The paper presents a unique perspective by using affordance theory to frame students and librarians’ expectations about library services. The findings are particularly valuable for their implications for library-patron communication and information literacy.

The papers draw together the multiple and diverse approaches to the study of human information behavior. The methodologies used in the studies presented here demonstrate in particular that sample size and choice of data collection method need not be considered limiting factors to the study of complex information contexts. Indeed we can learn as much, or more, from the observation of individuals, of participation in small group, or from theoretical debates as from large-scale scientific approaches.

Amanda Spink, Allen FosterGuest Editors