This paper was written as part of the final project for IS530 on the following topic:
1. Different kinds of information needs are best responded to by different types of sources and media. Discuss the factors that determine selection of type of source and type of media. Give examples of each kind of need. 300-500 words.
Selection of type of source and media for filling an information need has many determining factors. Familiarity to the user is probably the biggest determinant. People tend to stick with what they know. A type of source that is already familiar to the user will be one of the first information options they think of; for example, a person who is an inveterate Googler will probably Google first to find out information, while another person, who is not particularly computer-savvy but very good with print research, will automatically think of checking books for information. Ease of use and accessibility are closely tied to familiarity; most people get online for information because it’s very easy to do, more so than driving over to the local library, and it has the impression of speed, even though on many occasions the information could have been more quickly retrieved by looking in a book than by searching the web. Hopping onto the computer requires much less effort than making a trip to the library, and Zipf’s Principle of Least Effort in human behavior says that people will tend to choose the easier way. For those without a home computer, the library will seem a more obvious choice of sources, containing both computers for Internet use and a collection of print sources to choose from.
Perceptions of ease of use are interlinked with familiarity; the more familiar a source is, the easier the person will find it to use. A source that is completely unfamiliar will probably be at the bottom of the priority list, since it will seem difficult to use based on the user’s lack of experience with it, and this may or may not in fact be the case. The general perception of online information searches is that they are not only easy but also fast, although it is often the case that trolling the Web for information ends up costing more in time than other methods of information retrieval, for various reasons including digressions and an abundance of false drops and spurious information.
The information need itself is also important in determining the type of source chosen. A casual or recreational interest, easily satisfied by a quick Web search, requires much more superficial information searching than an educational research question would. Writing a research paper, particularly for higher education, requires more in-depth searching for sources, and more authoritative sources than what might be available on the Web, for example, scientific and academic journals, textbooks, and works of research analysis. The more complex the information need, the more complex the information seeking activities are likely to be: a doctoral candidate will do more than just a quick Google to find information, searching catalogs at academic and pubic libraries, any available databases, and interviewing authorities on their topic, but a quick Google will suffice for someone who just wants to know the name of the artist performing the latest song they love.