Exploring Context in Information Behavior: Seeker, Situation, Surroundings, and Shared Identities

Abstract

The field of human information behavior runs the gamut of processes from the realization of a need or gap in understanding, to the search for information from one or more sources to fill that gap, to the use of that information to complete a task at hand or to satisfy a curiosity, as well as other behaviors such as avoiding information or finding information serendipitously. Designers of mechanisms, tools, and computer-based systems to facilitate this seeking and search process often lack a full knowledge of the context surrounding the search. This context may vary depending on the job or role of the person; individual characteristics such as personality, domain knowledge, age, gender, perception of self, etc.; the task at hand; the source and the channel and their degree of accessibility and usability; and the relationship that the seeker shares with the source. Yet researchers have yet to agree on what context really means. While there have been various research studies incorporating context, and biennial conferences on context in information behavior, there lacks a clear definition of what context is, what its boundaries are, and what elements and variables comprise context. In this book, we look at the many definitions of and the theoretical and empirical studies on context, and I attempt to map the conceptual space of context in information behavior. I propose theoretical frameworks to map the boundaries, elements, and variables of context. I then discuss how to incorporate these frameworks and variables in the design of research studies on context. We then arrive at a unified definition of context. This book should provide designers of search systems a better understanding of context as they seek to meet the needs and demands of information seekers. It will be an important resource for researchers in Library and Information Science, especially doctoral students looking for one resource that covers an exhaustive range of the most current literature related to context, the best selection of classics, and a synthesis of these into theoretical frameworks and a unified definition. The book should help to move forward research in the field by clarifying the elements, variables, and views that are pertinent. In particular, the list of elements to be considered, and the variables associated with each element will be extremely useful to researchers wanting to include the influences of context in their studies.

Holistic information behavior and the perceived success of work in organizations

“…However, instead of explaining variation in orientation to IB across contexts, much of the earlier model-building tends to be focused on explaining differences in information seeking for distinct purposes and in relation to specific tasks (whether focused tasks-in-hand or general orientation). Several of the existing models acknowledge the significance of contextuality (Agarwal, 2017), but there is both a lack of consensus on what context is (Beyene & Byström, 2017) and an inclination to conceptualize context as something highly unique to a given situation and, even at the same time, as a fairly unspecified external setting of a studied information activity, a perspective that has been criticized for some time (Burnett & Erdelez, 2010;Talja, Keso, & Pietiläinen, 1999). This applies also to collaborative information seeking research, which otherwise addresses the gap between the individual and social aspects of seeking information.…”

Interactive Visual Displays for Interpreting the Results of Clinical Trials: Formative Evaluation With Case Vignettes (Preprint)

“…Prior work in this area has found that task problemsolving is the most common information need [47]. Our work suggests displays that show adverse events, results by specific outcomes, and population descriptions by experimental arm match the information processing goals of clinicians seeking research information for medication decision-making.…”

Ascertaining the place of library & information science in knowledge management research

“…Surveys are easier to administer to a large number of people, which could be the reason why more articles involving data gathering have adopted the survey method. This is also the common trend in most studies in LIS, where surveys are the most popular research method (Agarwal, ). In terms of citation impact, VINE and JIKM are good avenues for LIS‐researchers in the KM area, as these two journals had most of the top‐cited articles.…”