Information Need: A Theory Connecting Information Search to Knowledge Formation

Citation

du Preez, M. (2013), "Information Need: A Theory Connecting Information Search to Knowledge Formation", Online Information Review, Vol. 37 No. 2, pp. 343-344. https://doi.org/10.1108/OIR-04-2013-0074

An information need is an abstract concept which many researchers have attempted to define but for which there is no one accepted definition. Most of the proposed definitions seem to suggest that an information need represents a gap in a person's knowledge base which can only be satisfied by information that is relevant to the information need. This understanding of an information need implies that information needs are not directly observable and exist only inside someone's head.

According to Cole, information need research has been conducted from two perspectives. First is the computer science perspective, where the user's information need is to find an answer to a problem. The user knows the form of the need, and the query put to the information system represents a demand for specific information that could provide the answer to the problem. Second is the information‐seeking perspective. Information seeking is an information science domain and considers the fact that users often need information to fill out a conceptualisation of a problem. According to this perspective, the user does not know the answer to the problem and therefore finds it difficult to formulate a query to an information system.

The author of Information Need is an information science researcher with particular interest in information needs research. In this book he attempts to understand and explain information need from both computer science and information science perspectives and develops a theory of information need that is an interplay between both perspectives. The proposed theory of information need provides a basis for the design of information systems based on engaging the user's knowledge systems.

The book is divided into four parts. Part 1 investigates the what and why of an information need. The goal is to analyse Taylor's four‐level information need model. Based on this discussion, Cole shows a theoretical outline for a knowledge‐based rather than a purely information‐based theory of information need of present information retrieval system design. Part 2 investigates and illustrates how an information need works in two distinct information search situations: when the user of an information system is in the pre‐focus or exploratory information search mode, and when the user is in the focusing mode of an information search. The data collected from a study in this discussion illustrate how an information need is created. Part 3 gives an example of an information system device that helps users instantiate their information need and make it work for them to perform a task. Part 4 offers a short conclusion.

Information Need is a much needed scholarly work intended for researchers interested in the impact information needs have on users’ information behaviour. The book includes diagrams and figures to illustrate the rather abstract text. The long list of references suggests sources for further reading. A useful index concludes the book.