Looking for Information, Second Edition
"The 4th edition of this popular and well-cited text presents a comprehensive review of more than a century of research on information behavior (IB) and related topics with over 1500 citations to relevant works. The book is intended for students and scholars in information studies, education, communication, health, and other disciplines interested in research on people's information activities. This book is used regularly in doctoral and masters-level courses examining IB, information practices, reference services, and information retrieval. In addition to now being co-authored, this new text includes significant structural and content changes from earlier editions. The initial two chapters introduce IB as a multi-disciplinary topic that is a research focus in many disciplines, providing several scenarios in which people's information behaviors raise important research questions. The third chapter provides a brief history of research on the seeking and use of information, and how these activities have evolved over the decades. Chapter four begins with a discussion of what is meant by the terms 'information' and 'knowledge', and examines the assumptions behind the usage of such concepts. Chapter five discusses the concept of 'need', what it means to have 'information needs', and how they are addressed. The sixth chapter identifies and describes many related concepts (such as learning, browsing, and sharing information). Twelve models of information behavior (an expanded list from earlier editions) are illustrated in chapter seven, and many others are discussed. Chapter eight reviews various paradigms and theories informing IB research. Chapter nine examines research designs and methods invoked in IB studies, with an expanded discussion of qualitative and mixed methods approaches. The tenth chapter provides specific examples of IB studies by context, such as social or occupation" --