The Library Quarterly 

About: The Library Quarterly is an academic journal published by University of Chicago Press. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Computer science & Reading (process). It has an ISSN identifier of 0024-2519. Over the lifetime, 2513 publications have been published receiving 31681 citations. The journal is also known as: Library Quarterly.

Modeling the Information Seeking of Professionals: A General Model Derived from Research on Engineers, Health Care Professionals, and Lawyers

Abstract: Drawing upon existing research and previous attempts at modeling the information-seeking behavior of specific professional groups, this article posits an original model of information seeking that is applicable to all professionals. The model was developed through a careful analysis and interpretation of empirical studies on the information habits and practices of three groups: engineers, health care professionals, and lawyers. The general model and its six major components are presented in detail. These six components are (1) work roles, (2) associated tasks, and (3) characteristics of information needs and three factors affecting information seeking: (4) awareness, (5) sources, and (6) outcomes. In turn, each component contains a number of variables that are described with examples from the literature. The complexity of the information-seeking process is conceptualized in terms of the interaction and simultaneous occurrence of the model's components and variables, including a feedback mechanism. The art...

Modeling the information-seeking patterns of academic researchers: a grounded theory approach

Abstract: The focus of this article is the employment of the grounded theory approach to derive models of the information-seeking patterns of academic researchers The background to the development of interest in qualitative approaches to information studies in the United Kingdom is described, and the results of four studies, carried out at the University of Sheffield, into the information-seeking patterns of researchers in the social sciences, sciences, and humanities are outlined The methodological issues involved in the employment of the grounded theory approach in the studies are discussed-with particular attention being given to the conceptual questions of analysis, comparison, and validity and to the practical issues of data recording, coding, and selection Reference is also made to other studies carried out at the University of Sheffield that have employed the grounded theory approach

Information behavior and information practice: reviewing the umbrella concepts of information-seeking studies

Abstract: Information behavior and information practice, two major concepts denoting the general ways in which people deal with information, are analyzed. Because of their general nature, they may be conceived of as umbrella concepts drawing on “umbrella discourses” with similar names. Information behavior is currently the dominating umbrella concept, while information practice stands as a critical alternative. The discourses above appear to be quite fragmentary, and researchers on information seeking rarely reflect on the discursive nature of the umbrella concepts. The discourse on information behavior primarily draws on the cognitive viewpoint, while information practice is mainly inspired by the ideas of social constructionism. The comparative study of the above concepts and discourses serves the needs to generate a self‐reflective attitude to familiar discursive formations, in particular among researchers of information seeking.