COMPETENCY J

“LET THERE BE LIGHT." -Genesis 1:3

J.
Describe the fundamental concepts of information-seeking behaviors.

       When dealing with information-seeking behaviors you first need to determine what is an information-seeking behavior?  According to Donald Case an information-seeking behavior “is a conscious effort to acquire information in response to a need or a gap in one’s knowledge” (2002).  Donald Case created a survey on how and what information users seek bringing together two decades worth of information behavior studies. Today it is more necessary than ever to understand the needs of the user. Technology has expanded the library field into many different arenas. With new services libraries provide, it is important that the needs of the user still remain the top priority. By understanding how users think and search a librarian can provide accurate information that is relevant to the needs of the user.
      In Library 202, Information Retrieval, we focused on the information retrieval system. There are many components to the information retrieval system, the one that is often overlooked is the user. Library professionals have to focus on the user when designing and adapting information retrieval systems. Users can be broken down into three main categories: known item searchers, subject searchers, and browsers. To help patrons find the information they are seeking a librarian needs to become familiar with the different types of users and how to best provide assistance to the user when creating a search.
       An assignment in Library 202 had us comparing two University information retrieval systems (Library 202 Compare). I chose the Cornell University and Princeton University. For the paper I compared every aspect of the Universities information retrieval system, including the interface and search results. I found both Universities to be relatively equal in results, however Cornell University provided help tutorials for patrons and search strategies to allow ease of use when accessing information from home.
       There were many different information-seeking theorists that I learned about throughout my time in the SLIS program. One theorist that stood out to me was Carol Collier Kuhlthau. Kuhlthau helped define information seeking behaviors into a multi-step  “Information Search Process.” The ISP is divided into six stages: initiation, selection, exploration, formulation, collection, and presentation. I gained experience with each of these steps while implementing information searches in Library 210, Reference and Information Services (Library 210 Search). I initiated my search process and selected my topic, which was Disney. I then explored and gathered information on my topic. I formulated the information to decide relevance and accuracy. I narrowed my search down to specific information on how Disney has impacted girls through their films and theme parks. Next I collected all the information on my specific topic and presented my results. I used the knowledge I gained in Library 210 to help implement searches in Library 244, Online Searching.
           

References

Case, D. O. (2002). Looking for information: A survey of research on information seeking, needs, and behavior. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

Rutgers University (2011). Information Search Process. Retrieved September 6, 2011 from comminfo.rutgers.edu/~kuhlthau/

Library of Congress (2006). On These Walls. Retrieved July 20, 2011 from http://www.loc.gov/loc/walls/

Evidence
Libr 202: Compare Two Libraries