Source selection among information seekers: Ideals and realities

In a study examining the information behavior of 9 individuals over 10 weeks in daily life contexts, participants were asked to identify ideal sources of help for the questions and issues they faced. The data show how people ’ s expectation of the usefulness of information sources varies by the information seeker ’ s gender, and source characteristics such as accessibility, trustworthiness, and reliability. Usefulness of sources has both cognitive and affective aspects. Further, discrepancies between participants ' stated ideals, and the sources actually used, are analyzed. The study results suggest ways to encourage use of formal information systems and services. 1