Describes and provides examples for six approaches and factors related to serendipity in library research: coincidence; previent grace (i.e., the prior organization of information); synchronicity (i.e., hidden patterns and forces); perseverance; altamirage (i.e., idiosyncratic behaviors); and sagacity (i.e., intuition and skill). The stigma…

Presents a model of four factors differentiating significant from routine research--behavioral patterns of problem formulation, economic analyses of information seeking, psychological schemes of optimal effort, and basic dilemmas of the theory-practice gap. Within this context, four myths dominating the research process in library and information…

This paper introduces the contemporary research on information behaviors and applies it to educational research activities. Information behaviors are defined as the processes by which information users formulate their information needs, seek and observe sources, evaluate the sources, and then act upon the information. It is suggested that because…

Outlines a behavioral approach to information retrieval system design based on the derivation of a behavioral model of the information-seeking patterns of academic social scientists. The extent to which identified information-seeking characteristics are supported by existing systems is considered, and requirements for implementing these features…

This paper examines the elements of user studies and presents them as unified concepts within a model of information-seeking behavior. Definitions of information-seeking behavior, information needs, information gathering, information giving, and source preference are discussed. Thirty-two references are cited. (EJS)