Content area
Full Text
Theories of Information Behavior, ed. Karen E. Fisher, Sanda Erdelez, and Lynne (E.F.) McKechnie. (ASIST Monograph Series) Medford, NJ: Information Today, Inc., 2005. 431p. $24 (ISBN 1-57387-230X)
This book is both a tribute to the use of theory in information behavior research and a stimulant to its continued use. The editors define information behavior broadly as "including how people need, seek, manage, give, and use information in different contexts." (p. xix) What is readily apparent from the scope of the book, however, is that the reliance in information behavior research is on theories not on one evolving theory that can be viewed as a dominant paradigm. Almost encyclopedic in structure and coverage, this book is intended as a "researcher's guide, a practical overview of both well-established and newly proposed conceptual frameworks...[covering] different aspects of information behavior." (p. xx)
It consists primarily of individual chapters on 72 theories or conceptual frameworks used in information behavior studies. Collectively, they are written by over 80 authors from 10 different countries. Each three- to four-page chapter has similar content and arrangement. The author first discusses the origins of the theory, then explains its propositions, assesses its implications for methodology and its use, and links it to related theories. Each chapter includes a brief discussion...