6-On-user-studies-and-information-needs.docx

6. Onuserstudiesandinformationneeds1T.D.WilsonPostgraduateSChOOlof1.ibrarianshipand!nfomationScience.UniversityofSheffield.ShciYidd.UKAbstractPurpose:ApartfrominibmutionretrievalthereisvirtuallynootherareaofinformationsciencethathasoccasionedasmuchIVSCarChCftbrtandwritingas“userstudies".Withinuserstudiestheinvestigationof'Informationneeds''hasbeenthesubjectofmuchdebateandnolittleconfusion.TheHimofthisPaPerisIoittcnpt(oreducethisconfusionbydevotingallenliontoIhcdefinitionofsomeconceptsandbyproposingthebasisIbratheoryofthemo<ivationsforinfrmaion-seekingbehaviour.DesigVmethodolog)approach:ThePaPerdescribesIheissuesofuserSllKlieSandinformationneedswihinIhecontexlofinfbrmali>nscience.Findings:Ihepaperfindsthattheproblemseemstolie,notsomuchwiththelackofasingledefinition,aswithafailuretouseadctlnitinappropriatetothelevelandpurposeoftheinvestigation.OriginatiIyZvaIuc:Theanalysismaybeusedasaspringboard(oreseiirchbaseduponawider,holisticviewoftheinformationuser.Keywords:Intbrmationscience.Informationretrieval.UserstudiesPapertype:ResearchPaPerIntroductionApanfrominfbrmaionretrievalthereisVinTlynootherareaofinformationsciencethathasoccasionedasmuchresearcheffortandwritingas4fcuserstudies',.WiAinuserstudiestheinvestigationof'Informationneeds*hasbeenthesubjectofmuchdebateandnolittleconfusion.hcaimofthispaperistoattempt(oreducethisconfusionbydevotingattcntk>ntothedefinitionofsomeconccp<sandbyproposingthebasistoratheoryofthemotivationsforinformation-seekingbehaviour.InformationPartofthedifficultywith'Informationneeds'*lieswiththetroublesomeConCCP1.inCmWtiOn，Numerousdefinitionshavebeenevolved,seeking(odistinguish*forexample,an>ong"ddU."information*'and''knowledge*,andrecentlytherehavebeenalle11plsalasinglecimceplof,Theideasinthispaperhavebeendevelopedoveranumberofyears-infact,sincewrestlingwiththeconceptof,informationneed"withstudentsattheUnivcniityofMar)landin1971!OralPivsentationsofearlierPaPeISweremadeatanIBICTseminarinRiodeJaneiroandataresearchseminaratSheffieldUnivcniityPostgraduateSchoolof1.ibrarianshipandInlbrmationScience,bothin1979.andIamgratefulIotheparticipantsalthesemeetingsfor(heirdiscussionoftheissues.Funhcr,usefulcommentshavebeenmadeonearlierdraftsof(hispaperbythroecolleagues.ProfessorWilfredSaunders.NonnanRobertsandDavidSlreatfield.and.mostrecentlyandveryhelpfully,byananonymousreferee.Iamawareof(heimperfections(hatremain,however,andacccp<fullresponsibilityforthem.ThisarticlewasfirstpublishedinJ<hi11mIofD(umeniutiontVol.37No.I(I981)ftpp.3l5.informationforinformationscience.However,theproblemseemstolie,no<somuchwithIhclackofasingledefinitionaswithafailuretouseadefinitionappropriateothelevelandpurposeof(heMvesiigalion,Theword"information*isused,inthecontextofuser-sludiesresearch,todenoteaphysicalentityorphenomenon(asintheeaseofquestionsrelatingtothenumberofbooksreadinaPCriOdoftime,thenumberofjournalssubscribedto,c<c.)tthechannelofcommunicationthroughwhichmessagesare(ransfeed(aswhenwespeakoftheincidenceoforalversuswritteninfermaion)torthefactualdata,empiricallydelc11nirxiandpresentedinadcxrunicnlort11nsmit(cdorally.ThCsituationisfurthercomplicatedbythefactthatdistinctionsmayormaynotbemadeamongofacts'oadvicc,'and"opinion".Thedistinction,ofcourse,isthatthefirstoftheseisassumed(notalwayscorrectly)(obefreeofvaluejdgen)ents.Wherea$valuejudgen>en(salmostcertainly<IYecladviceandopinion.Thesemultipleusesoftheterm,informaton,causeconfusionbecauseresearcherssometimesfailtodistinguishbetweenonesenseandanother,orsimplyleavethereadertodiscoverwhichsenseismeantbyreading(hepaperorrex>rt.Even(henitisSomemneSunclearwhichofthesenses(heresearcherhadinmilwhensellingthercscrchobxtives.UserstudiesFigure1presentsawayofthinkingofthefield.MUSerstudies'*;itsaimisnotto“model”info11nalin-seekngbehaviourbut(odrawattentiontotheinterrelationshipsamongconceptsusedinthefield.Ihcfiguresuggeststhatinformation-scekingbehaviourresultsfromtherecognitionofsomeneed,perceivedbytheuser.ThatbehaviourmayIakCseveralforms:forexample,theusermaymakedemandsuponformalsystems(hatarecustomarilydefinedasinfo11naiionsystems(suchaslibraries,on-lineservices.Preslelorinformationcentres),oruponsystemswhichmayPerforminformationfunctionsinadditiontoaprimary,non-informationfunction(suchasestateagents"officesorcarsalesagencies,bothofwhicharcconcernedwithselling,butwhichmaybeusedtoobtaininformationoncurrentprices,arcasof"suitable''housing,ordetailsofcarsthatholdtheirsecond-handvalue>.Alternatively,theusermayseekinformationfromotherpeople,ratherthanfromsystems,and(hisisexpressedinthediagramasinvolving°intbmationexchange'.Theuseofthewordexchange0isintended(odrawattentiontoIheelementofreciprocity,recognizedbysociologistsandsocialpsychologistsasaIundaiiwntalaspectofhumaninlcractio11.InIemisofinfomalionbehaviour,theideaofreciprocitymaybefairlyweakinsomeeases(aswhenajuniorscicnlistseeksinformationfromaseniorbuthierarchicallyequalcolleague)butino(hcreasesmaybesostrongIhalIheprocessisinhibited,as