Library Science Statement of Competency

The Master of Library and Information Science program competency is to be able to describe the fundamental concepts of information-seeking behaviors. Information-seeking behaviors can differ among library users according to demographics and the type of energy that the user is willing to put into the search (Wicks, 2004). As Schwieder (2016) notes, there are low-effort information-seeking strategies and high-effort information-seeking strategies.
The fundamental concepts of information-seeking behaviors stem from the work initiated by Bates (1989), Ellis (1989), Kuhlthau (1991) and Dervin (1992). Kuhlthau (1991) defines information-seeking behavior as a personal search for meaning or sense: a process by which an individual develops “a personal point of view” (p. 361). The way this information-seeking behavior works, no matter the demographic of the individual, is that the user searches for meaning/information which meshes with what the person already knows about the subject. This meaning or slice of information will differ from user to user depending on the person’s background, own history with the subject, interests and so on. Thus, the information-seeking behavior will vary from individual to individual, which is what accounts for Kuhlthau’s (1991) concept of “sense-making within a personal frame of reference” (p. 361). Kuhlthau’s concept is very much in line with Bates’ (1989) concept of information-seeking behavior, which Bates (1989) describes as “berrypicking”—a process by which individual users pick out nuggets of information like one picking berries from a bush: that which looks good and appealing is what gets selected by the user for processing (p. 2). Dervin (1992) also elaborates on the sense-making process by identifying four parts of the process: 1) situation, 2) gap, 3) outcome, and 4) bridge. Identifying and defining the gap and bridging or closing it throughout the sense-making information-seeking process is what the search is ultimately all about in Dervin’s (1992) model, which is essentially supported by Bates (1989) and Kuhlthau (1991).
Ellis (1989) provides a different model of how information-seeking behavior generally transpires: it is a six-stage process that is entirely cognitive and consists of the following steps: 1) starting—in which sources are identified, 2) chaining—the process by which references or citations are used to build on information obtained during the original sources found in the starting phase, 3) browsing—in which information is grouped and sorted, 4) differentiating—in which sources are vetted and distinguished based on quality, characteristics, etc., 5) monitoring—in which an active eye is given to updates on the field or subject, and 6) extracting—in which the relevant information is finally selected.
Knowing about information-seeking behaviors is important to library science because it can help improve service for library patrons. For instance, a library patron may come into the library seeking information for a particular topic. The patron is more than likely to be unfamiliar with the concepts elucidated by Bates (1989), Ellis (1989), Kuhlthau (1991) or Dervin (1992). However, if the librarian is familiar with these models, the librarian can more easily facilitate the user’s information-seeking process by identifying the stages of the models and applying them to the individual’s particular seeking. In this manner the librarian aids the user in an individualized quest for information that can be supported by helping the user to ask the right questions and conduct the most efficient sources. The cognitive model established by Ellis (1989), for instance, could be used to help guide the information-seeker beginning with how the patron starts the process. Obtaining a pool of sources is very important as a starting place and the library patron is likely to want to know what type of sources are available. Recognizing why this is so and how this stage in the process supports later stages, including differentiating and extracting will allow the librarian to be as accommodating as possible and to show the patron the variety of sources that are available. The patron may still choose to berrypick information, as Bates (1989) suggests will happen, and the librarian should be aware of this possibility as well and not try to force information onto the user that the user does not want to use. Instead, the librarian could assist the user by asking questions about background, personal experience with the subject, interests and so on, in order to develop a better understanding of the patron’s own information-seeking process and personal meaning development process. As each information-seeking process is ultimately unique, the librarian can make the experience better by helping the patron to understand where he or she is coming from, and offering channels to information that might be most appealing based on the individual’s own personal criteria regarding meaning.
In conclusion, describing the fundamental concepts of information-seeking behaviors is important in library science management because knowing how patrons will choose to seek out and select information can help librarians to make that experience better for patrons. Whether the patron is berrypicking or showing signs of a more cognitive approach to information seeking like what Ellis (1989) describes, the librarian will have the tools based on obtaining this competency to assist the patron by expanding or limiting the pool of sources depending on the user’s preference as well as by asking questions to help identify the individual’s own relationship with the subject.

References
Bates, M. J. (1989). The design of browsing and berrypicking techniques in for the online
interface. Retrieved March 10, 2014 from http://pages.gseis.ucla.edu/faculty/bates/berrypicking.html
Dervin, B. (1992). From the mind’s eye of the user: the sense-making qualitative-
quantitative methodology. In J. D. Glazier and R. R. Powell (Eds.), Qualitative Research in Information Management (pp. 61-84). Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited.
Ellis, D. (1989). A behavioural approach to information retrieval system design. Journal
of Documentation, 45(3), 171-212.
Kuhlthau, C. (1991). Inside the search process: Information seeking from the user’s
perspective . Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 42(5), 361-371.
Schwieder, D. (2016). Low-effort information searching: the heuristic information-
seeking toolkit. Behavioral & Social Sciences Librarian, 35(4), 171-187.
Wicks, D. A. (2004). Older adults and their information seeking. Behavioral & Social
Sciences Librarian, 22(2), 1-26.