Research
Inside the search process: Information seeking from the user's perspective
Carol C. Kuhlthau,
Corresponding Author
Carol C. Kuhlthau
School of Communication, Information, and Library Studies, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, 4 Huntington Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08903
School of Communication, Information, and Library Studies, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, 4 Huntington Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08903Search for more papers by this authorCarol C. Kuhlthau,
Corresponding Author
Carol C. Kuhlthau
School of Communication, Information, and Library Studies, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, 4 Huntington Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08903
School of Communication, Information, and Library Studies, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, 4 Huntington Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08903Search for more papers by this authorFirst published: June 1991
Citations: 1,139
Abstract
The article discusses the users' perspective of information seeking. A model of the information search process is presented derived from a series of five studies investigating common experiences of users in information seeking situations. The cognitive and affective aspects of the process of information seeking suggest a gap between the users' natural process of information use and the information system and intermediaries' traditional patterns of information provision. © 1991 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
References
- Bates, M. J. (1986). Subject access in online catalogs: A design model. Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 37, 357–376.
- Belkin, N. J. (1980). Anomalous state of knowledge for information retrieval. Canadian Journal of Information Science, 5, 133–143.
- Belkin, N. J. (1984). Cognitive models and information transfer. Social Science Information Studies, 4, 111–130.
- Belkin, N. J., Brooks, H. M., & Oddy, R. N. (1982). Ask for information retrieval. Journal of Documentation, 38, 61–71.
- Belkin, N. J., & Vickery, A. (1985). Interaction in information systems. Library and Information Research Report, 35, The British Library.
- Borgman, C. L. (1984). Psychological Research in Human-Computer Interaction. In M. E. Williams, (Ed.), Annual Review of Information Science and Technology (ARIST), 19, 33–64.
- Dervin, B. (1983). An overview of sense-making research: Concepts, methods and results to date. Seattle: School of Communications, University of Washington.
- Dervin, B. (1982). Useful theory for librarianship: Communication, not information. Drexel Library Quarterly, 13, 16–32.
- Dervin, B., & Nilan, M. (1986). Information needs and uses. In M. E. Williams (Ed.), Annual Review of Information Science and Technology (ARIST), 21, 3–33.
- Ford, N. (1980). Relating information needs to learner characteristics in higher education. Journal of Documentation, 36, 165–191.
- Gardner, H. (1985). The mind's new science: A history of the cognitive revolution. New York: Basic Books.
- Gould, J. D., & Lewis, C. (1983). Designing for usability-key principles and what designers think. In Human factors in computing systems: Proceedings of the association for computing machinery conference.
- Hall, H. J. (1981). Patterns in the use of information: The right to be different. Journal of the American Society for Information Sciences, 32, 103–112.
- Hollnagel, E., & Woods, D. D. (1983). Cognitive systems engineering: New wine in new bottles. International Journal of Man-machine Studies, 18, 583–600.
- Ingwersen, P. (1982). Search procedures in the library analyzed from the cognitive point of view. Journal of Documentation, 38, 165–191.
- James, R. (1983). Libraries in the mind: How can we see user's perceptions of libraries. Journal of Librarianship, 15, 19–28.
- Kelly, G. A. (1963). A theory of personality: The psychology of personal constructs. New York: Norton.
- Kuhlthau, C. C. (1988a). Developing a model of the library search process: Cognitive and affective aspects. Reference Quarterly, 28, 232–242.
- Kuhlthau, C. C. (1989). The information search process of high-middle-low achieving high school seniors. School Library Media Quarterly, 17, 224–228.
- Kuhlthau, C. C. (1983). The library research process: Case studies and interventions with high school seniors in advanced placement english classes using Kelly's theory of constructs. Ed. D. Dissertation, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.
- Kuhlthau, C. C. (1988b). Longitudinal case studies of the information search process of users in libraries. Library and Information Science Research, 10, 257–304.
- Kuhlthau, C. C. (1988c). Perceptions of the information search process in libraries: A study of changes from high school through college. Information Processing and Management, 24, 419–427.
- Kuhlthau, C. C. (1985). A process approach to library skills instruction. School Library Media Quarterly, 13, 35–40.
- Kuhlthau, C. C., George, M. W., Turock, B. J., & Belvin, R. J. (1990). Validating a model of the search process: A comparison of academic, public, and school library users. Library and Information Science Research, 12(1), 5–31.
-
MacMullin, S. E., &
Taylor, R. S.
(1984).
Problem dimensions and information traits.
The Information Society,
3, 91–111.
10.1080/01972243.1984.9959994 Google Scholar
- Maher, B. (1969). Clinical psychology and personality: The selected papers of George Kelly. New York: John Wiley and Sons.
- Mellon, C. A. (1986). Library anxiety: A grounded theory and its development. College and Research Libraries, 47, 160–165.
- Saracevic, T. (1975). Relevance: A review of and a framework for thinking on the notion of information science. Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 26, 321–343.
- Taylor, R. S. (1968). Question-negotiation and information seeking in libraries. College and Research Libraries, 29, 178–194.
- Taylor, R. S. (1986). Value added processes in information systems. Ablex.
- Wilson, T. D. (1981). On user studies and information needs. Journal of Documentation, 367, 3–15.
