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Seeking Meaning: A Process Approach to Library and Information Services, 2nd ed., Carol Collier Kuhlthau, Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited, 2004.247 p. $40 (ISBN 1-59158-094-3)
Marcia Bates' prophetic review of Carol Collier Kuhlthau's seeking Meaning (first edition) stated plainly, "If we in this field draw on the full implications of Kuhlthau's ideas expressed here, the impact on our understanding of information seeking behavior, reference work, and bibliographic instruction will be profound." (Marcia Bates, review of seeking Meaning: A Process Approach to Library and Information Services, by Carol Collier Kuhlthau, The Library Quarterly, 64, 1994, p. 473) In the decade separating the first edition from the sec ond, it appears that the library and information science (LIS) field has embraced Kuhlthau's ideas. Consider the following:
1. Pettigrew and McKechnie's content analysis of 1,160 articles published in LIS journals of the mid-1990s revealed that Kuhlthau's theory was used commonly in LIS research and is part of an emerging "core" of theories within the discipline. (Karen E. Pettigrew and Lynne E.F. McKechnie, "The Use of Theory in Information Science Research," Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 52, 2001, pp. 62-73)
2. Kuhlthau's placement among the 10 most highly cited LIS faculty. (John M. Budd, "Scholarly Productivity of U.S. LIS Faculty: An Update," The Library Quarterly, 70, 2000, pp. 230-45)
3. Finally, there are her national awards,...