Leckie, Pettigrew, Sylvain: Modeling Information Seeking

For me, the most interesting thing in this paper was the just idea of modeling information seeking behavior. I've never been exposed to abstract modeling of the information seeking process, and I can see the value when it's applied to a specific professional group. I also found it valuable to read about the wide array of the factors that can influence a professional's information seeking behavior: work environment, cost-benefit, ease of use, accessibility, etc.

I was less persuaded of the value of an abstract/universal information seeking model, since a model drawn so broadly is so general that it's difficult to apply usefully in specific situations. However, I can see that it could be valuable for broader purposes, such as establishing a common vocabulary and a common direction for people who are researching the information-seeking of specific professions.

It was interesting to read that most of the professionals made little or no use of libraries. I've wondered about the future value of the corporate library as a physical destination. It seems important for special libraries to find ways to bring information to professionals where they work - to be "the library in the life of the user".