Information Behavior

Information Behavior is a course offered through the School of Library and Information Science at Wayne State University. The course number is 7500.

About the Course
Information behavior refers to the totality of human behavior in relation to sources and channels of information. It encompasses a wide variety of topics such as information needs and barriers, information seeking process and models, and information use. Knowledge about how people interact with information and how the interaction is mediated by technology is of vital importance for providing efficient and meaningful service to patrons, and for the design of user-centered information systems. This course provides an examination of peoples' recognition of their information needs, the actions they may take in resolving those needs, the role of information professionals in supporting those actions, the use of information, and the further dissemination of information. The course will equip students with necessary knowledge in future work such as library services, human-computer interaction (HCI), information retrieval, and systems design.

The objectives for this course include:

 * To introduce students to the literature related to information seeking, including the recognition of information needs, actions toward resolving needs, the roles of intermediaries, and the retrieval and use of information

Course Format:
 * To explore the ways in which information is created, disseminated and used in a variety of contexts and how the use of information is affected by those contexts
 * To explore the role and impact of technology in communication
 * To refine students’ critical thinking and problem-solving skills related to information seeking and communication
 * To provide students with a theoretical foundation for practical applications

The course explores one major topic in information behavior each week. These topics include:
 * 1) Understanding the concept of Information
 * 2) Information and Information Behavior Models
 * 3) Information Needs and Barriers to Info Seeking
 * 4) Resoling Information Needs
 * 5) Use of Information
 * 6) Inter-mediation
 * 7) Information Dissemination
 * 8) Professional Information Behavior and Scholarly Communication
 * 9) Everyday Life Information Seeking
 * 10) IB and Web 2.0
 * 11) Organizational Information Behavior
 * 12) Personal Information Management
 * 13) Information Behavior Issues