Introduction

Information behavior, “the many ways in which human beings interact with information,” is a key concept in library and information science (Bates, 2019, p. 2074). People may know what information they are looking for, but it is also possible that they do “not know enough to understand or articulate what their needs are,” in a state of incognizance (O’Brien et al., 2022). 91% of American adults now own a smartphone, meaning the majority have access to all the Internet’s information at any given moment (Pew Research Center, 2024). Research on information behavior can help information professionals connect these people to the information they are seeking.

Theories/Models

Berrypicking

Bates’s model of berrypicking represents a change from the classic, static model of searching, where “a single query … yield[s] a single output set” (Bates, 1989, p. 409). Instead, berrypicking depicts search queries as evolving, where searchers “gather information in bits and pieces” using a “wide variety of search techniques” and a “wide variety of sources” (p. 421).

Everyday Life Information Seeking (ELIS)

Everyday life information seeking (ELIS) is a concept that focuses on information seeking in non-work contexts, such as health and leisure. Reijo Savolainen introduced a model of “three modes of everyday information practices: information seeking, information use, and information sharing” (Savolainen, 2019, p. 1511). ELIS has led to its own theories and models, like sense-making methodology and ELIS in the context of small world. The sense-making methodology, developed by Brenda Dervin in the 1970s, uses “the metaphors of situation, gaps, and uses to depict information seeking” (p. 1508). ELIS in the context of small world was developed by Elfreda Chatman in the 1980s and 1990s, and focuses on “social environments where individuals live and work, bound together by shared interests and expectations, and often economic status and geographic proximity as well,” in small-scale communities (p. 1509).

Information Search Process

Kuhlthau’s information search process (ISP) model of information-seeking behavior focuses “on the feelings, thoughts and actions that follow as a person becomes aware of a gap in their knowledge” (Case & Given, 2016, p. 152). The ISP model follows an information seeker through the process from initiation, where the seeker feels uncertain and has vague thoughts, to presentation, where the seeker feels a sense of satisfaction (Kuhlthau et al., 2008). ISP is based on research with students and has mostly been applied in educational settings (Case & Given, 2016, p. 153).

Impact on Services

Information-seeking theories and models can be used to improve services in an information organization. ISP has been studied “as a new model for advising undecided students,” connecting the fields of academic advising and library science (Wiley & Williams, 2015, p. 20). A study of upper-income high school students using ELIS as a framework found that students “are merging their educational and social worlds nearly seamlessly,” which “school librarians should take note of … to infuse that sense of work and play into learning” (Franklin, 2013, p. 63). Information professionals can survey patrons, formally or informally, to better understand their specific users’ information seeking needs.

Evidence

Artifact 1

Assignment: Information Behaviors of Ufologists
Course: INFO 200, Information Communities
Description: The capstone assignment for INFO 200 is a research paper analyzing the information needs of a chosen information community, including a literature review and discussion of research findings. I chose to write about ufologists, a polarizing community of people who are interested in or study unidentified flying objects. My paper seeks to understand ufologists’ information needs and behaviors so information centers can improve ufologists’ information seeking experiences.

This paper demonstrates my understanding of information behavior and my ability to research information communities. The ufology community is very diverse and includes everyone from people who claim to have been abducted by aliens to people who are casually curious about unidentified objects in the sky, so their information needs also vary widely. I explain how the serious leisure perspective, which is related to the everyday life information seeking concept, applies to ufology because it requires the acquiring of knowledge, unlike casual leisure activities like watching television. Ufology is often connected to conspiracy theories, so there may be some need for information professionals working with ufologists to educate them about misinformation.

Artifact 2

Assignment: Information Sources Survey
Course: INFO 200, Information Communities
Description: This INFO 200 assignment was related to the research paper I wrote on the ufology information community. I was tasked with evaluating two information sources to determine their appropriate users and uses. One source had to be research-based, like an academic journal or encyclopedia, and one had to be community-based, like a blog or forum. The research-based source needed to be something a community member would consult for their information needs, while the community-based source needed to be something the community member might contribute to or participate in.

This assignment shows my understanding of the information needs and behaviors of a specific information community, as well as finding sources relevant to a specific community. While both sources I found, an encyclopedia of unexplainable things and the subreddit r/UFOs, would not carry much weight in academic settings, ufologists would find them useful. In fact, the ufology community’s tendency to be skeptical of official sources like the government means they might prefer this kind of source.

Artifact 3

Assignment: Literature Review Matrix
Course: INFO 200, Information Communities
Description: For this assignment, I had to locate 8 scholarly and/or peer-reviewed studies about my information community’s information behaviors and needs. This would serve as a starting point for my final research paper’s literature review section. I had to consider the themes of information behavior found in the literature, the type of information ufologists seek, where they look for that information, and where they can find that information.

The literature review matrix demonstrates my ability to research a specific community’s information behaviors and needs. The matrix required me to consider each article’s future research implications and the implications on information professionals’ practices. Looking at the articles in this way helped me understand how information professionals can use scholarly literature in a practical manner. One article showed me that search engines amplify fringe viewpoints, which is important to know if a user asks about online searching. Another article, informing librarians on what sources to have in collections for ufologists, was decades out of date but was still useful in explaining why there has historically been a lack of ufology literature in libraries.

Conclusion

Learning about information behavior, needs, and communities has been one of the most interesting parts of the MLIS program to me. I find the study of how people think about, search for, and use information fascinating. I plan to use my knowledge of information behaviors when working with information seekers and will stay up to date on the scholarly literature.

References

Bates, M. J. (1989). The design of browsing and berrypicking techniques for the online search interface. Online Review, 13(5), 407-424.

Bates, M. J. (2019). Information behavior. In J. D. McDonald & M. Levine-Clark (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences (4th ed., Vol. 3, 2074-2085). CRC.

Case, D. O., & Given, L. M. (2016). Looking for information: A survey of research on information seeking, needs, and behavior (4th ed.). Emerald.

Franklin, L. L. (2013). Everyday life information seeking practices of upper-income high school students. In M. J. Dow (Ed.), School libraries matter: Views from the research. Libraries Unlimited.

Kuhlthau, C. C., Heinström, J., & Todd, R. J. (2008). The ‘information search process’ revisited: Is the model still useful? Information Research, 13(4). https://informationr.net/ir/13-4/paper355.html

O’Brien, H., Greyson, D., De Forest, H., & McDavid, K. (2022). Information needs. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information services today: An introduction. Rowman & Littlefield.

Pew Research Center. (2024, November 13). Mobile fact sheet. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/mobile/

Savolainen, R. (2019). Everyday life information seeking. In J. D. McDonald & M. Levine-Clark (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences (4th ed., Vol. 3, 1506-1515). CRC.

Wiley, C., & Williams, J. (2015). Librarian as advisor: Information search process of undecided students and novice researchers. NACADA Journal, 35(1), p. 13-21. https://doi.org/10.12930/NACADA-14-008