1

Question Negotiation and Information SeekingQuestion Negotiation and Information Seeking

Information is user-c

onstructed

Information seeking is situated

(Choo, Detlor, Turnbull 2000)

INFORMATION NEEDS

INFORMATION SEEKING

INFORMATION USE

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1. Information1. InformationNeedsNeeds

Affective Factors

Cognitive Factors

• Uncertainty, anxiety(Kuhlthau)

• Stress and coping (Wilson)Monitors vs blunters

• Sensemaking Gaps (Dervin)

• Knowledge Gaps (Allen)

Situational Factors

• Problem Dimensions (MacMullin & Taylor)

• EnvironmentalComplexity (Daft)

INFORMATION NEEDS

Uncertainty/Stress

CognitiveGaps

SituationalComplexity

(Choo, Detlor, Turnbull 2000)

3

Sensemaking Gaps (Brenda Dervin)Decision stop: two or more roads aheadBarrier stop: one road ahead, but blockedSpin-out stop: no roadWash-out stop: road disappearsProblematic stop: being dragged down a roadPerceptual embeddedness: how foggy is the roadSituational embeddedness: how many intersectionsSocial embeddedness: how many people also travelling

Information Needs: Sensemaking Gaps

(Choo, Detlor, Turnbull 2000)

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2. Information2. InformationSeekingSeeking

Affective Factors

Cognitive Factors

• Motivation, Interest• Self-efficacy, Personal

Mastery (Wilson)

• Relevance, Usefulness

• Reliability, Accuracy

Situational Factors

• Time, Effort to ContactSource, and ExtractInformation

• Task Complexity

INFORMATION SEEKING

Anxiety/Motivation

InformationQuality

InformationAccessibility

(Choo, Detlor, Turnbull 2000)

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How much time andeffort to:Contact sourceInteract with sourceExtract information

How relevant?How useful?

How reliable?How trustworthy?

Information Seeking: Accessibility & QualityInformation Seeking: Accessibility & Quality

SourcePerceptionSelectionInteraction

PerceivedSourceQuality

PerceivedSourceAccessibility

TaskComplexity

PersonalMotivation

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3. Information3. InformationUseUse

Affective Factors

Cognitive Factors

• Avoid Embarrassment,Conflict, Regret

• Maintain Self-Image• Enhance Status, Reputation

• Cognitive Styles

• Cognitive Simplifications

Situational Factors

• Group/ProfessionalNorms

• Culture and Politics

INFORMATION USE

Avoidance/Maintenance

SelectiveProcessing

RulesNorms

(Choo, Detlor, Turnbull 2000)

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Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

MBTI profiles your cognitive style

Introversion vs Extraversion

Sensing vs Intuiting

Thinking vs Feeling

Judging vs Perceiving

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MooerMooerss’’ LawLaw

An information retrieval system willtend not to be used whenever it ismore painful and troublesome for acustomer to have information than forhim not to have it.(Mooers 1959, p.1)

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INFORMATION NEEDS

Uncertainty/Stress

CognitiveGaps

SituationalComplexity

Streams of Experience

Perception of gap in state ofknowledge, ability to make sense

SelectedInformation

IncidentalInformation

Understanding,Acting

INFORMATION SEEKING

Anxiety/Motivation

InformationQuality

InformationAccessibility

INFORMATION USE

Avoidance/Maintenance

SelectiveProcessing Rules, Norms

Suppress, avoid problemNo information seeking

Human Information Seeking: A Model

(Choo, Detlor, Turnbull 2000)

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Information Seeking andInformation Seeking andQuestionQuestion ““NegotiationNegotiation””

identify needs of theidentify needs of theuser through interviewuser through interview

come to a compromisecome to a compromisebetween the needs ofbetween the needs ofthe user and thethe user and theconstraints of theconstraints of thesystem and/or thesystem and/or theinformation itself.information itself.

Info NeedPersonal

CharacteristicsInfo UniverseInfo System

Client Info Professional

Negotiation

Informationsearch strategy

(Freund 2003)

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TaylorTaylor’’s 4 Levels of Information Needs 4 Levels of Information Need

Q1- Visceral needQ1- Visceral need::Actual, but unexpressed need for informationActual, but unexpressed need for informationFeeling of unease, doubt, uncertaintyFeeling of unease, doubt, uncertaintyVague sense of dissatisfactionVague sense of dissatisfactionHard to express in wordsHard to express in words

(Taylor 1968)

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TaylorTaylor’’s 4 Levels of s 4 Levels of Information NeedInformation Need

Q2- Conscious need:Q2- Conscious need:Conscious, mental description of the needConscious, mental description of the needRunning statement or narrativeRunning statement or narrativeExamples, analogies, multiple themesExamples, analogies, multiple themes

(Taylor 1968)

Q3 - Formalized need:Q3 - Formalized need:Formal statement of the needFormal statement of the needQualified, rational statementQualified, rational statementQuestion or topic with defined boundariesQuestion or topic with defined boundaries

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TaylorTaylor’’s 4 Levels of Information Needs 4 Levels of Information Need

Q4- Compromised need:Q4- Compromised need:Question as presented to systemQuestion as presented to systemQuestion is recast in in anticipation ofQuestion is recast in in anticipation of

what the system can deliverwhat the system can deliverSearch statement or querySearch statement or query

From which level should the searchFrom which level should the searchintermediary work in order to be effective?intermediary work in order to be effective?

(Taylor 1968)

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Interview Question TypesInterview Question Types

Open QuestionsOpen Questions No limits to userNo limits to user

responseresponse Users state need inUsers state need in

own termsown terms EncourageEncourage

conversationconversation User orientedUser oriented May lead off trackMay lead off track

Closed Questions

• Yes/No orselect from options

• Based on assumptions

• Confirmunderstanding

• System oriented

• Confirm satisfaction

(Dervin and Dewdney 1986, Freund 2003)

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Interview Question TypesInterview Question Types

Open QuestionsOpen Questions Please tell me more about yourPlease tell me more about your

topic?topic? How much information do youHow much information do you

need?need? What do you already knowWhat do you already know

about about ……?? Can you give me someCan you give me some

examples?examples?

Closed Questions• Is this what you mean by ….?

• Do you want information on …?

• Do you need current or historicalinformation?

• What type of information do youneed: books, magazine articles, ornewspaper stories?

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Interview Question TypesInterview Question Types

Neutral QuestionsNeutral Questions Subset of open questionsSubset of open questions Based on sense-making Based on sense-making ((DervinDervin))

Used to discover the userUsed to discover the user’’s motivation ands motivation andobjectives without asking objectives without asking ““whywhy”” questions questions

What is the most important thing about this problem that youWhat is the most important thing about this problem that youneed to know?need to know?

Describe how you come to be interested in this topic.Describe how you come to be interested in this topic. How do you plan to use this information?How do you plan to use this information? How would this information help you?How would this information help you?

(Dervin and Dewdney 1986, Freund 2003)

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Interview SkillsInterview SkillsCommunication SkillsCommunication Skills Be able to put the person at ease and open theBe able to put the person at ease and open the

channels of communicationschannels of communications

Subject Elicitation SkillsSubject Elicitation Skills Effective use of questions, probes, pacingEffective use of questions, probes, pacing Knowledge of system and databasesKnowledge of system and databases

(Freund 2003)

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National Network of Libraries of Medicine, PacificNorthwest Region

http://nnlm.gov/healthinfoquest/help/stages.html

ReferenceInterview

Stages

ALA Reference Interview Guidelines

http://www.ala.org/ala/rusa/rusaprotools/referenceguide/guidelinesbehavioral.htm

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SummarySummary Interview/Negotiation is a key part of theInterview/Negotiation is a key part of the

online searching processonline searching process The client, content and context are all part ofThe client, content and context are all part of

understanding the information needunderstanding the information need Do not take queries at face value - ask, verifyDo not take queries at face value - ask, verify Use interpersonal communication skillsUse interpersonal communication skills Use subject elicitation skillsUse subject elicitation skills Reflect and evaluate to improve the processReflect and evaluate to improve the process

(Freund 2003)

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ReferencesReferencesChoo, C. W., Detlor, B., & Turnbull, D. (2000). Web Work: InformationSeeking and Knowledge Work on the World Wide Web. Dordrecht,Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Dervin, B., & Foreman-Wernet, L. (Eds.) (2003). Sense-MakingMethodology Reader: Selected Writings of Brenda Dervin. Cresskill, NJ:Hampton Press.

Dervin, B., & Dewdney, P. (1986). Neutral Questioning: A New Approachto the Reference Interview. RQ, 25(4), 506-513.

Kuhlthau, C. C. (2004). Seeking Meaning: A Process Approach to Libraryand Information Services (2nd ed.). Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.

Mooers, C. N. (1960). Mooers' Law, or Why Some Retrieval Systems AreUsed and Others Are Not. American Documentation, 11(3), i.

Myers, I., & McCaully, A. (1975). The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. PaloAlto, CA: Consulting Psychological Association.

Taylor, R. S. (1968). Question-Negotiation and Information Seeking inLibraries. College & Research Libraries, 29(3), 178-194.

Wilson, T. D. (1997). Information Behaviour: An InterdisciplinaryPerspective. Information Processing & Management, 33(4), 551-572.