Katriina Bystrm Information and Information Sources in a

Katriina Byström, Information and Information Sources in a Task Context: Method and Results The Swedish School of Library and Information Studies

The research questions considered § … the relationship between information types and information sources § … the relationship between task complexity and information types § … the relationship between task complexity and information sources

Sorting the concepts out. . . § Perceived task complexity l l a priori determinability of information inputs, processing and outputs automatic information processing tasks normal information processing tasks decision tasks § Information types acquired l l information need - information types needed to acquire task information / domain information / task-solving information § Information sources used l l l information seeking - sources consulted documentary sources / people as sources / visits as sources internal / external to the work organisation

Method I: Participants and data § Participants l l l Municipal administrators, whose duty was to prepare matters for the decisionmaking organs 39 participants long experience § Data l l main data: 78 task diaries with subsequent interviews additional data: e-mail questionnaire for background information about the participants observation and guideline documents for information about the organizations

Method II: Task diary

Method III: Task diary

Method IV: Complexity form

Results: Information types & sources

Results: People as information sources

Results: Documentary sources

Results: Information & task complexity

Results: Effects of task complexity

Conclusions I: Information types and information sources § As soon as information acquisition requires an effort people as sources become more popular than documentary sources. § The more information types are acquired, the more sources are used. § The more information types are acquired, the greater the use of people as sources.

Conclusions I: . . . § The more information types are acquired, the greater the share of general-purpose sources and the smaller the share of taskoriented sources. § The more information types are acquired, the greater the use of people internal to the organisation and the greater the use of external documentary sources.

Conclusions II: Effects of task complexity § The more complex a task is perceived, the more probable the acquisition of multiple information types is (in the following combinations: first task information, then task and domain information, and finally all task, domain and task-solving information) § Increasing task complexity fosters the use of people as information sources.

An evolving model § The results indicate that the need for different types of information primarily determines what types of information sources are consulted. Task complexity mainly affects the types of information needed to acquire, but simultaneously creates a preference for certain type of sources. TC IT IS