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Jyoti . s. singh M.li.Sc 2012-2013

Wilson’s information behavior 1981

INTROUDUCTION: The aim of this assignment is to propose new model of information behaviour that extend the concept beyond simply information seeking to consider other modes of behaviour .

Theories of Information-Seeking Behavior

What are seeking behaviors? “….a conscious efforts to acquire information in response of a needs or gap in your knowledge,”

What is Information behavior?“….encompasses information seeking as well as the totality of other unintentional or passive behavior ,as well as purposive behavior that do not involve seeking , such as avoiding information .”

• activities a person may engage in when identifying his or her own needs for information

• searching for such information in any way• and using or transferring that information (T.D. Wilson 1999)

What is information seeking behavior? Information seeking behavior refers to the way people search for and utilize information. Information behaviour as the totality of human behavior in relation to sources and channels of information, including both active and passive information-seeking, and information use.

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 Information seeking behaviour as purposive seeking of information as a consequence of a need to satisfy some goal. Information seeking behaviour is the micro-level of behaviour employed by the searcher in interacting with information systems of all kinds, be it between the seeker and the system, or the pure method of creating and following up on a search.

Information seeking model?• Describe and explain circumstances seeking that predict actions by people seeking

to find information.

User study

It presents a way of thinking of the field, 'user studies'; its aim is not to 'model' information-seeking behaviour but to draw attention to the interrelationships among concepts used in the field. It suggests that information-seeking behaviour results from the recognition of some need, perceived by the user. That behaviour may take several forms: for example, the user may make demands upon formal systems that are customarily defined as information systems (such as libraries, on-line services, Prestel or information centers), or upon systems which may perform information functions in addition to a primary, non-information function (such as estate agents' offices or car sales agencies, both of which are concerned with selling, but which may be used to obtain information on current prices, areas of 'suitable' housing, or details of cars that hold their secondhand value).

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A model may be described as a framework for thinking about a problem and may evolve into a statement of the relationships among theoretical propositions. Most models in the general field of information behaviour are of the former variety: they are 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. The model suggests that information-seeking behaviour arises as a consequence of a need perceived by an information user, who, in order to satisfy that need, makes demands upon formal or informal information sources or services, which result in success or failure to find relevant information. If successful, the individual then makes use of the information found and may either fully or partially satisfy the perceived need - or, indeed, fail to satisfy the need and have to reiterate the search process. It also shows that part of the information-seeking behaviour may involve other people through information exchange and that information perceived as useful may be passed to other people, as well as being used (or instead of being used) by the person himself or herself.

The limitation of this kind of model, however, is that it does little more than provide a map of the area and draw attention to gaps in research: it provides no suggestion of causative factors in information behaviour and, consequently, it does not directly suggest hypotheses to be tested.

References :

http://informationr.net/tdw/publ/papers/1999JDoc.htmlhttp://informationr.net/tdw/publ/papers/1999JDoc.htmlhttp://www.slideshare.net/guestab667e/information-seeking-theories-and-models

http://uir.unisa.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10500/1941/dissertation.pdf?sequence=1