Assessing the Information Search Process: An In-Depth Interview
Abstract
Using an in-depth interview and comparative studies of pre-existing Information Search Process (ISP) models, we can see that the process of searching for information can easily be applied to models such as Eisenberg and Berkowitz’s Big6 Skills model. When Kolb’s learning modes is applied to the information seeker’s process, it becomes clear that cognitive learning styles can affect the path of the ISP as well as the individual’s emotional journey.
Studies have shown that most information seekers are not alone in the way they search for information, as numerous models have been formulated to describe this process. The search can be greatly affected by the person’s cognitive style or perceived barriers and information needs, which can emotionally affect the researcher. In order to assess the information search process (ISP), an in-depth interview of an information seeker was conducted.
The information seeker, Travis, was a twenty year-old white male from a lower/middle-class background. The youngest of three children, Travis was Valedictorian of his small rural high school, excelling at his studies. He has done extensive research papers in the past, mostly using the school library’s catalogue search, but does not remember ever taking a library literacy class.
As an Anthropology major who is currently debating switching to Spanish Education, Travis took a “Traditional Technology” class through the University of Oregon’s Anthropology department. It was in this class that he was given the assignment of making a project of his choice using only naturally occurring tools, accompanied by a 10-12 page research paper tying in to the project.
Assignment Research and Implementation
The Project
Initially, Travis hoped to build a functional boat, a project he would undertake as a joint effort with a classmate. Though it was an enormous task, the thought of hand-making a working boat was exciting for both students. After speaking to a man who was experienced in making duck decoys out of tule reed, the same material they were in need of to build the boat, they discovered that the wood was out of season and nearly impossible to find naturally. Extremely disappointed at this turn of events, Travis knew he had to give up on the prospect of building a boat and began to examine different project ideas.
Through classroom discussions, Travis discovered that many of his classmates were making weapons such as knives, bows and blowguns. Wanting to create something new and different (as well as non-violent), he decided to make a musical instrument. Flutes and drums both seemed interesting to him, but his choice came quickly; based on prior knowledge, he assumed that it would be easier to make a drum than a flute. Although his first choice (a boat) would have been a lengthy and difficult two-person job, Travis settled on a topic that he assumed would be both easy to build and laden with previous research and information. In this early stage, Travis did not do any initial research before choosing a topic, instead focusing on an aspect that interested him.
The creation of the drum itself was quite a hit-or-miss process for Travis. Upon first attempt, he found what looked to be an adequate log in the nearby woods and began to chop it using a homemade axe. After investing a lot of time and sweat into the task, he realized that the log was just too hard to cut. He moved on to another log, which took more than five hours to extract, and came upon the dilemma of hollowing it out. Using a sharp rock, Travis attempted to drill out the core, to no avail. Switching to a wedge, he split the log in half, assuming that he would be able to tie it back together after it had been hollowed, but the wood shattered, ruining his chances of salvaging the log.
Travis was both physically and emotionally weary after putting in a large amount of work only to be back at square one. Assuming that he had learned the lesson of the difficulties in using only natural tools, he decided that the third try would not be as labor intensive. Using a store-bought saw and chisel, he extracted and hollowed out the log with man-made tools, which made the process go much quicker.
After acquiring a goat’s hide for the drum top, he decided to make his own glue for the process. Doing some Internet research, he discovered that the hide could be boiled into glue, but different sites gave quite different instructions for boiling. While one said to boil for only a few hours, another suggested boiling for multiple days. Rather than seeking further research, Travis decided to experiment, resulting in the horrible burning of the hide that left his apartment with a wretched stench for days. Lesson learned and already on a slippery slope after using man-made tools, Travis purchased some hide glue from a local store and finished his project with a bit more ease.
The Paper
Travis began the information search process for his research paper at the library at the University of Oregon, which is the largest library in Eugene. At first, he was feeling quite confused about the paper, as it seemed like the project and research paper were linked but not a part of the same assignment. He felt a bit frustrated that he had invested so much time and energy into the project, which now seemed inconsequential compared to the pending paper.
With only a week left before the paper was due, he began the process of searching for resources using the online library search system. He found plenty of resources, but none adequate; at one point he had thirty books checked out, but he found much of the information to be problematic. Most of the books he found were outdated or made generalizations (sometimes racist) about the cultures to which the drum had historical importance, and he found it difficult to sort through all of the vague inductions to get to the facts. He resented authors who generalized African drum-making as primitive, as he had attempted to make one for himself and realized first-hand the skill and patience it must take to make such a culturally-rich instrument. Travis’ concerns about Anglo ethnocentricity in academic resources are valid. In her study on whiteness in academic libraries, Jody Nyasha Warner notes that “Until very recently university culture was predominantly white, male and middle-class and the vestiges of this are still very present.” (2001, p. 169). It is very difficult to get a complete and accurate description of the history of drums when the people involved in those histories have been systematically denied the power to preserve their knowledge through mainstream academic print.
Feeling overwhelmed and frustrated, Travis approached his professor for assistance. The instructor was extremely helpful, providing specific book titles to aid in his research. Travis knew that one of the recommended books was exactly what he had been looking for, and set off to the library to find it. Unfortunately, the library only had one copy, which was checked out and not due back until after the paper was due.
Disappointed but not completely defeated, Travis checked the public library’s inventory via the Internet and discovered that not only did they carry the book, but it was also in stock. He did not have a public library card, so he checked the requirements on the library web site carefully and set off to check out the book. At the library, though, he was met with more complications. The person at the help desk informed him that he could not give him a library card, as the mail he had brought to verify his address was not postmarked. The bill was from the University and instead of it being delivered in the mail Travis had picked it up, negating its validity as proof of residence. Travis asked the employee to hold the book for him and he would come back with appropriate documentation. The next day, he came back with a different piece of mail and was met and refuted by the same library worker. The mail was over a month old and the library employee argued that as it was outdated, it still didn’t prove his residence.
At this point, Travis was “freaking out” over the inability to acquire a library card, turning to his older brother for assistance. His brother, also a University of Oregon student who did not have a public library card, vowed to get a card himself in order to let Travis borrow it. In the meantime, Travis made one last attempt to get a public library card. He went in for a third time with the same mail he had brought on the last occasion, and found a different library employee. He found the new employee to be much more helpful than the first, as she gave him a card without hesitancy, but then she dropped another bomb: The book he had put on hold was going back into recirculation and would not be available for two more days. Travis is generally a calm and polite young man, but at this point he revealed that he was really “pissed off.” He had always thought that the library was there to help him, but it felt as though they were doing the opposite. The book was in the library and he was frustrated that they would not just go into the back and get it for him.
Upset that he had to delay the writing of his paper even longer, Travis returned to his school library for another attempt at research. This time, he tried out different search words and discovered that even small changes such as pluralizing words brought up very different searches. Varying his search words proved to be beneficial, and Travis found many usable resources in this venture. Going back to the public library, he was finally able to check out the book recommended by his professor and found it to be extremely applicable to his topic. Picking out the information he needed and without any more hitches, he set to work on his paper with only a few days to spare.
Dissecting the Information Search Process
Barriers to the ISP
Travis experienced what Kuhlthau calls the Uncertainty Principle multiple times in this search process. As Kuhlthau stated, “Uncertainty and anxiety can be expected in the early stages of the ISP” (1999, p. 15). Travis experienced a serious “dip” of confidence in his topic in the early stages when he discovered that it would not be possible to build a boat. This was quite disappointing for him, and as a result, he did not do any outside exploration to assist him in focusing on a topic, instead just choosing something that seemed simultaneously interesting and easy.
Travis’ second and more serious dip occurred in the information collection stage. According to Kuhlthau, most students in the collection stage “went confidently about the task of gathering pertinent information” (Thomas, 2004, p. 32), but Travis’ difficulties in finding adequate information were overwhelmingly frustrating, causing him to lose confidence. Once he was able to access the information he was searching for, his confidence rose and he went back to being excited about the potential of his paper.
Travis is a stereotypical technologically competent member of Generation Y. Although most of his research process took place in libraries, he did not utilize librarian services except to get a library card. In the academic library, he was having a difficult time finding good resources, but never asked a librarian for assistance. When asked why he did not seek support, he explained his assumption that the person at the help desk wasn’t a “real” librarian but a student just like him, and that he was probably just as resourceful as the person at the resource desk. The school librarian would have been able to assist if given the opportunity, but Travis did not think about the fact that they are available to help. Now a college sophomore, Travis had never received any library literacy training prior to his enrollment in classes. Requiring some sort of library tutorial explaining the available resources could be extremely beneficial for future students, especially for students coming from high schools with extremely small libraries.
Learning Styles
Every person can learn in different ways, but according to Kolb, most people operate in a preferred cognitive processing style. As an accommodator, Travis was able to intuitively adapt to difficult situations to get his needs met. After discovering he would not be able to build a boat, Travis chose a new topic that he knew nothing about, instead relying on his intuition that it would all work out. In searching for information, Travis relied heavily on his professor’s recommendation, forgoing much of his other research in lieu of the advice of a professional. This was a very risky venture as he put a lot of time and energy into recovering the book his professor recommended, assuming that it would hold all of the answers. As it turned out, the book was exactly what he was looking for, but even if it had not, he would have been able to adapt and make the information fit.
Nancy Thomas notes that individuals who are forced to function using an alternate learning style will have to “work harder to make sense of the task at hand” (2004, p. 71). Travis’s preferred learning style of concrete and active experimentation meant that he put a lot of emphasis on his intuition and relied on others for information, but he also became emotional when his preferred mode of processing was not working out the way he had anticipated. When he was unable to access a library card and retrieve the book recommended by his professor, Travis became upset, frustrated that his search was within his grasp but somehow so far away.
ISP Model
Travis’ information search process was quite typical of many students’ experiences, and can be illustrated using Eisenberg and Berkowitz’s Big6 Skills model (Thomas, 2004). In the task definition stage, Travis was confused about what exactly he wanted to do for his project, but as soon as he decided he wanted to build a boat, he was ecstatic. As he began the strategy selection phase, Travis asked around and discovered that it would not be possible to make the project he wanted to. Abandoning his initial project idea, he fell back into the topic selection stage to start again. After deciding to make an instrument, he moved back up to the exploratory stage, where he thought through his assumptions and desires until he was able to formulate a focus on his topic: Making a drum, he chose to focus his research paper on the historical use of drums on a global scale.
The second time around in the exploration stage, Travis did not ask for outside information or do any initial research. The decisions he made were based primarily on his own personal experiences and prior knowledge. The locate and access information stage was quite troublesome for Travis, as he experienced extreme difficulty in physically acquiring the information he was seeking in a timely manner. Once he was able to overcome these barriers and had his hands on the information that he was looking for, he was able to use the information, synthesize it quickly and begin the writing process. Only after his paper was complete was Travis able to evaluate the process and finished product. When asked how he felt about the outcome of his paper, Travis said that he felt a great sense of relief, and though he was happy with the overall outcome, he wished that he had time to do more research.
During the academic research process, Travis also embodied Marcia Bates’ Berrypicking Model (Thomas, 2004, p. 152). Utilizing the library catalog, he searched using alternating keywords and picked out the entries that seemed promising rather than using a linear search course.
Conclusion
The Information Search Process Travis experienced was highly influenced by his learning style. As an intuitive and person-oriented accommodator, Travis became very frustrated when he was met with barriers to his information retrieval. Instead of becoming despondent, he altered his search and made plans to find another person to help him. His process was indicative of the accommodator mode of learning and as such, easily fit into Eisenberg and Berkowitz’s Big6 Skills ISP model.
Had a librarian or other information professional been able to recognize Travis’s dip in confidence and addressed the situation, Travis would have been spared from the ordeal of agonizing over the future of his paper. Kuhlthau (1999) believes that uncertainty is a natural part of the information search process, but intervention on the part of the information professional is crucial. The one library professional that Travis approached for assistance was not helpful but dismissive. If the worker had taken the time to analyze Travis’s behavior, he would have seen a frustrated young man who just needed a library card. Kuhlthau also mentions the importance of mood in someone’s ability to take on new information. Travis’s mood was positive and hopeful when he first approached the library worker, as he entertained the notion that his information needs would be met in this visit. This would have been the perfect opportunity for the library employee to intervene in a positive and productive way; Travis did not need his hand held through this process (as he enjoys doing things himself), but a bit of guidance would have been extremely beneficial.
References
Kuhlthau, C.C. (1999). Accommodating the user’s information search process: Challenges for information retrieval system designers [Electronic version]. Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 25(3), 12-16.
Thomas, N.P. (2004). Information literacy and information skills instruction (2nd ed.). Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.
Warner, J.N. (2001). Moving beyond whiteness in north american academic libraries [Electronic version]. Libri, 51(3),167-172.
