INFORMATION SEEKING INTERVIEW!

Information Seeker Interview Stephanie Whitehead Emporia State University June 3rd, 2012 LI802XR

INFORMATION SEEKING INTERVIEW!

The information seeker I interviewed was searching for a car. She is a recent college graduate who currently goes to the library about once every other month. She only uses the physical library space for checking out books and music, and wasnt really aware there was anything else that could be done there. Her history with the library was limited to sparse usage as a child in her small hometown library, and as a college student when she had to visit the library for a class. My interviewee is very hands on with learning, which she evidenced during her search process, and prefers to see her knowledge substantiated physically in some way when she is learning. Her history with the library being what it is, she wasnt inclined to enter a library for help or to contact a librarian, but rather to head straight for the internet. The first model of information seeking which I decided to compare my interview with is Kuhlthaus ISP model (Kuhlthau, 2012). Although this model is widely used and is one of the most highly cited works in Library and Information Science (Kuhlthau, 2012), it fell flat in comparison with my interviewees search. The first step of the ISP model is Initiation. This step is where the user becomes aware there is something missing in their knowledge, which leads them to seek information. This can often cause uncertainty and negative feelings as the user realizes they are missing this knowledge. However, my interviewee started her search process on a positive note. She realized she was going to need a new vehicle when a personal situation left her using a rental car, something she couldnt afford for very long. She knew she needed a new car and would have to find one herself, and was actually relieved and excited about the search from the very beginning. The second stage of Kuhlthaus model is Selection. Here, my interviewee had already in effect combined this stage with step one. Her realization that there was a gap in her knowledge

INFORMATION SEEKING INTERVIEW!

about cars she could purchase was prompted by her needing a new car, therefore she was already aware of her topic to research. And as previously mentioned, her emotions were positive from the outset. The third stage, Exploration, is consistent with my information seekers search in terms of actions, but not in terms of feelings. This stage is characterized by feelings of confusion, uncertainty, and doubt which frequently increase during this time (Kuhlthau, 2012). My searcher didnt experience any doubt as she searched, instead feeling buoyant and happy about reading up on her available choices. She consulted consumer reports online and went to a car dealership to visually explore her choices, keeping in line with the actions of this step by information gathering to broaden her knowledge of the cars available to her. Stage four is the Formulation stage, and although this is commonly the turning point of the search, my information seeker was fairly even-keel throughout the entire process. As far as the thoughts expected during this stage, they are comparable with my seekers thoughts. She was able to take the information she found online, and once at the car dealership, effectively apply that information to physically interacting with the cars, and making a decision on the car she wanted to purchase. Collection, the fifth stage of Kuhlthaus model, is where the user is able to gather information on their focused topic. For my interviewee this stage was combined with step four; as she realized which cars she liked at the car dealership, she was able to make a decision on which car she wanted to buy. For my interviewee these steps were considered one joint step, she made no distinction between the two; as established, her emotional status during this process was the same throughout the progression. Instead of formulating an idea from her exploration stage,

INFORMATION SEEKING INTERVIEW!

and then collecting information that backed up that focus, she used her exploration stage to collect all of the material, and then made a decision on which car to buy as soon as her focus took place. Stage six, or Presentation, is the final stage, and is where the information seeker feels relief and satisfaction. My interviewee certainly felt this as she used her search findings to buy a new car. There are portions of Kuhlthaus ISP model that overlap with my interviewees search process, but there are also places where it does not. Some of the stages were combined, possibly because of the type of search; she was searching for a car but she already had some knowledge of cars and how they function. The time constraint also compacted her search, referring her to readily available internet options without a chance to delve into the topic more deeply. The second model I compared my interview with is Dervins Situation-Gaps-Uses model (Dervin & Dewdney, 1986). I feel this model better fits the information seeking method my interviewee used. This model believes that a user looks for information when individuals find themselves unable to progress through a particular situation without forming some kind of new sense about something (Dervin & Dewdney, 1986). The first part of the model is the Situation stage. At this stage, my information seeker encountered a situation, her need for a new car, where she couldnt progress further without learning something new. For my interviewee it was very important that she buy a new car as her situation had left her without one. The second part of the model is the Gap stage. This is the missing knowledge that the information seeker needs for the sense-making process, what they need to form into a question during their search. My interviewees gap was the missing knowledge about cars and how each

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type would benefit her. She had a lot she needed to consider, such as price, safety, fuel efficiency, even the aesthetics of the design of the car. Her question, what car do I buy? was what allowed her to cross that gap and proceed. The third part of this model is the Uses stage. This is what the information seeker is going to use the new knowledge for, what they are hoping to accomplish from their search. My interviewee wanted to take her newfound knowledge about cars and use it to purchase a car without ending up with a lemon or getting conned by the car dealership. The reason this model fits my interviewees search best is that all the steps relate to each other rather than progressing along stage by stage. All three elements are seen as separate but related elements of the sense-making process (Dervin & Dewdney, 1986), therefore one step has an effect equally on the other two. For example, my interviewees gap was knowledge on what car to buy, but that was determined by the way in which she viewed her situation: a lack of a car to take her to work. Had she viewed the situation differently, her gap could have just as easily been a lack of knowing how to get around without a vehicle. In her case, the situation led her to recognize both the gap and how she wanted to answer the question that it created, and that question could be answered in a way that solved her use. Kuhlthaus model was lacking in that it didnt allow her situation to control the order in which her search progressed, which as evidenced, was changed by the time constraint, and the method of her searching. My interviewees search was effective in that she purchased a car for a fair price, she was able to get the car without going through a long drawn-out search process, and the car is still in perfect working order. However, there are some areas of her information search where she could have improved. The first area she could have improved upon comes from her time constraint.

INFORMATION SEEKING INTERVIEW!

Because she was under such pressure to get a car as soon as she possibly could, she didnt take the time to explore as many search options as she could. Options she missed out on were asking friends and family for advice, looking at more cars in person, and finally consulting with a librarian. This leads to the second area she could have improved upon, visiting a librarian for help. Her background with libraries being what it was, my information seeker didnt even consider this option for her search. Had she done so however, she would have been involved in a reference interview where a librarian could have discovered her needs and pointed her in a direction she may not have thought of originally. In this case, a service provider would have helped my interviewee to flesh out her search and discover new options she may not have found on her own. While she was happy with the results of her search, a service provider could have provided her with peace of mind during the exploration, letting her know that she was discovering the right material, and could have helped her to find the information more quickly during her truncated time schedule. My information seeker did end up taking an unnecessary step in that she used internet searching and visiting dealerships almost simultaneously because of her time schedule, and ended up having no real time to digest the information. Because she was doing both almost concurrently, she ended up researching, visiting a dealership, researching more, and visiting a dealership, and so forth until she found the car she wanted. It wasnt a refining of a search, as she would have experienced with a service provider, but simply having too much information to process, and no experience in managing that type of search process. In this way, a librarian or other service provider could have assisted her with the search, making it more efficient and effective.

INFORMATION SEEKING INTERVIEW!

References

Dervin, B., & Dewdney, P. (1986, Summer). Neutral questioning: a new approach to the reference interview. RQ, 25, 506+.

Kuhlthau, C.C. (2012). Information search process. Retrieved from http://comminfo.rutgers.edu/~kuhlthau/information_search_process.htm