THE ANALYSIS OF INFORMATION SEEKING BEHAVIOUR OF THE TEACHERS OF ŠIAULIAI STATE UNIVERSITY of APPLIED SCIENCES

Abstract

Annotation
Information is a basic human need. Information is necessary for socio-economic
development. Information seeking behaviour is defined as the area related to the identification
of user information needs, seeking behaviour, and subsequent use of information. Information
seeking occurs when a person realizes the need to acquire contextual information and
consciously takes action to meet that need. The research on information behaviour has evolved
in various directions and maintained its popularity. Information behaviour research provides a
better understanding of how people actually use information in all aspects of life, improving the
analysis of information behaviour, processes, and systems in different information spaces.
Information behaviour models attempt to describe information seeking activities, the causes and
consequences of these activities, or the relationships between the stages of information seeking
behaviour. The article presents the research of information seeking behaviour of the teachers of
Šiauliai State University of Applied Sciences. In order to study information behaviour of Šiauliai
State University of Applied Sciences teachers, an information behaviour model was developed
based on T. D. Wilson, Othishi-Gottschalg-Duque information behaviour models, where the
main elements are user information needs, information sources, information seeking process
and information seeking obstacles. The survey was chosen as the data collection method. A
questionnaire with the same content was provided to all the respondents. The questionnaire
contained 15 questions aimed at identifying specific facts relevant to the research. 108
questionnaires were sent to the academic staff of Šiauliai State University of Applied Sciences,
which they were asked to fill in electronically. 73 questionnaires were submitted.
Key words: information behaviour, information seeking behaviour, information behaviour
models, teachers, use of information.