In the summer of 2006, a television show called Treasure Hunters captivated the minds of many television watchers across America. Fans of the show are able to play along online in a fantasy game. My mother and brother are fanatic players of the game. Players uncover clues and answer questions to progress in the game. One of the game’s sponsors is Ask.com. My family uses Ask to conduct searches to find the answers they need to progress in the game. Their initial action is to type a question into the text field because of the implied ability of the Web site—ask. They assume that the search engine interprets their question, identifying and understanding the verbs and subjects they input, and then uses some rationale or deep thinking to determine which documents located on the Web will answer the question precisely. What my family fails to understand is that the Ask.com search engine first attempts to contextualize the structure of the query, analyzing it for its implied meaning and definition, finally returning documents that match. My family did not take time to plan out and prepare for the process that information seeking really takes.

Librarians and information professionals have been conducting research into understanding information seeking behaviors for the last few decades. They have concluded that intellectual maturity, type of information and degree of relevance affect information seeking behaviors in people. While there is variation in complexity and the number of steps associated with information seeking and retrieval models, it is generally believed that there are six steps. The first step is task definition, or in other words, determining the purpose and need for information. This means the user has a gap in their knowledge base that needs to be filled. The next step, information seeking strategies, involves identifying which type of resource or medium would contain the most helpful information, whether it is a book, magazine or artifact. The third step, location and access, is where most people start off. This is where people actually go to the Internet or the catalog and attempt to find the resources they need to answer their question. Once a user has found their resources, they must extract information from them, which is the fourth step, use of information. Step five, synthesis, involves organizing and presenting the information drawn from all of the resources used. Finally, step six, evaluation, requires users to judge the information they have found based on the topic of their research.

A very important concept that people fail to recognize when going through these six steps is that it is not a linear progression. It is circular. At every step forward, you are allowed to take a step back, because you must extract, synthesize and evaluate your results constantly to ensure that you are staying relevant to your topic. It is generally when you are performing the information search process circularly that you are able to focus your topic and actually begin to obtain the information you need to create your product. Information professionals need to have a broad knowledge of different information seeking behaviors so that they may properly match the individuals to the correct model. Young children who are beginning to understand their need for information will have fewer steps using fewer resources. The evaluative step that they will take will inform them that if an information source is beyond their comprehension level, then ignore it. This situation is convexly true for an educated adult. They will need more steps in their model, with as much backpedaling as forward progress during the early stages of information retrieval. The synthesis and evaluation process are the most critical, because the types of information will be more complex.

Carol Kuhlthau is considered an expert in the field of information search behaviors. I was introduced to her work in LIBR 200, Information and Society with Dr. Jim Schmidt. Her work focused on understanding the information seeking behaviors of high school students. Her work showed that there is no commonality in innate searching behaviors. Her work proved two important traits of information seeking behaviors. First, information seeking behaviors in people can be conditioned to follow certain activities or methods when conducting searches. Kuhlthau conducted research based off of her original subject group and found that the conditioned students still practiced the same search methodology when they entered college. Her second breakthrough was her research that dealt with the discovery of associated emotions within the information search process.

In a critical note that I wrote for LIBR 200, I explore Carol Kuhlthau’s work regarding the parallel between the actions and emotions associated with the information search process. The first emotions of uncertainty and apprehension are felt during step one, when they come to understand that they have a need for knowledge. During the second step, feelings of anxiety come to those who do not have a clear understanding of how they want their information presented. During the third step, you feel a sense of mixed emotions. Some feel despair and wish to abandon their search at this point when they have just begun. Others feel exhilaration because they are beginning to see the fruits of their labors. In the fourth step, they begin experiencing feelings of confidence as the results of their search come together to make sense. In step five, feelings of confidence continue to grow as users encounter little to no problems in finding their information. During the sixth step, feelings of accomplishment and relief are felt as information is placed into context for the product whether the process was fruitful or not. By knowing how emotions affect or come into play in the information search process, I am able to serve more effectively in reference situations. By being able to anticipate the emotions of anxiety, fear and despair that patrons will undoubtedly feel as we work together to locate information, I am able to judge when I need to provide more assistance or encouragement to help the patron be productive and feel accomplished with the work they are doing. It encourages me to seek out individuals who may hesitate to approach library staff, allowing me to reach out to the patrons in my libraries and serve them more effectively.

In LIBR 202, Information Retrieval with Dr. Geoffrey Liu, students studied how web site layout and interface design affect information seeking behaviors. We had the opportunity to evaluate the interface design of a web search portal. The GUI design of a search portal is a marketable product and effects if people will use the site. Good search portals are designed for easy use, are self explanatory and positively affect an individual’s information seeking behavior. There are other sites, though, where users are distracted by other content or knowledge of specific syntax is needed to conduct a search. It is no wonder why these approaches to searching on the web are being found less and less.

For the web site evaluation assignment I chose to evaluate Fandango.com, a movie database website that my family frequently uses. The goal of this assignment was to develop my ability to evaluate the interface design features that Fandango uses, how their information retrieval system works and how the site can affect information seeking behavior. I evaluated the web site based on multiple criteria. My web site evaluation assignment demonstrates that I can evaluate the effect a site will have pertaining to a user’s information seeking behavior. My evaluation of Fandango’s interface design shows why this site was so popular. A user can find the information about movies or actors, and find show times of movies at locally participating theatres. My knowledge of the site’s capability to query their information system, to search, access, and retrieve information will allow me to know whether or not to recommend a site based upon an individual’s information seeking abilities. My evaluation of the site demonstrates my concern for visitors’ information seeking behavior. I can use the skills that I gained from this assignment on multiple sites, which will assist me in finding sites that are appropriate to satisfy the information needs of the individuals in my community.

When it comes to information seeking, people no longer want to be limited by keyword and subject searching. They expect their information portals to be more intuitive. In LIBR 244, Online Searching with Jill Werts, students explored various information portals available on the Internet. While the goal of this class was to develop familiarity with the various services, we could not help but pay attention to the way our information seeking behaviors were affected by those services as information professionals. Like the general public, we too have been indoctrinated to performing keyword and subject based searches where mathematical equations determined relevance. Many times we were unable to find answers to simple subjects that should be able to be retrieved. A new concept of information retrieval was introduced to me that has the potential to revolutionize the profession and to positively affect information seeking behaviors.

In the research paper I wrote for LIBR 244, I discuss the concept of natural language processing, its history and its potential. Natural language processing is the ability of a computer to comprehend human speech patterns to derive content, and then search its related databases for the content. Children are taught that if they have an information need, then they should simply ask a question or state a command. They do not need to know any special controlled vocabulary or syntax to conduct an effective search that retrieves information relevant to their search. All users need to know is how to properly verbalize their information need. With multiple companies currently developing this technology, it is expected that it will become the common method for finding electronic stored information. As information professionals, we have a responsibility to stay abreast of this type of technology that will revolutionize the profession. I am a strong supporter of natural language processing and have a firm belief that it will facilitate true information retrieval.

The ability to adapt information retrieval to an individual’s information seeking behavior is a skill that will benefit any business or research organization. Matching the two will increase the proficiency and effectiveness of individuals doing research for any organization or purpose. My ability to evaluate a web site or services based on the informational behavior and needs will allow me to make choices that will benefit my organization. Where deadlines must be met and emotions run high, my ability to help individuals find the information they need, minimizing the emotional damage they will endure, will bring me a sense of accomplishment in my career. I will continue to be aware of new technologies that will improve the flow of information need and retrieval. A goal of mine, while working at The California Maritime Academy Library, is to condition the students’ and faculty’s information seeking behavior to follow the methods that we have established for them that will facilitate the effective retrieval of information that they will be able to take with them through their careers and life.