Information Horizons

Information Horizons is the updated, definitive resource for the Information Horizon Theory and the Information Horizon Interview method. Embracing behavioral, cognitive, and social aspects of information, the theory and method have been applied globally in information behavior research and education.

The theory posits that information behavior is social, material, temporal, dynamic, situational, and contextual, and that information behavior can be conceptualized as Information Horizons, which include affordances and constraints on information behavior. It provides the foundation for the Information Horizon Interview method that combines semi-structured interview questions with a graphical elicitation technique in which the participant draws a visualization, or map, of their Information Horizon, which illustrates their information seeking behavior in specific situations and contexts. This volume incorporates recent developments in scholarship, technology, and methodology, updating the theory and method and providing new insights and guidance for their use in research and teaching. An expert in context citation analysis shows how the theory and method have been incorporated in research since its inception. Case studies authored by renowned scholars present personal reflections on their experiences conducting Information Horizon Interviews with different populations, with a level of detail not possible within a standard research report. Extensive teaching and learning examples, with a focus on hands-on exercises, demonstrate how the theory and method are used to teach information behavior concepts. Essays by students recount their experiences learning about the Information Horizon Theory and conducting Information Horizon Interviews. The book concludes with two detailed Information Horizon Interview guides for different study populations.

Information Horizons will be of interest to researchers, educators, students, and practitioners worldwide interested in researching and teaching information behavior.

Diane H. Sonnenwald is Emerita Professor – Research Active, University College Dublin, Ireland. Before joining academia, she worked at Bell Communications Research and Bell Laboratories. She has a Ph.D. from Rutgers University and is currently a consultant to the European Commission and CILIP. Sonnenwald’s research focuses on information behavior, multi-disciplinary collaboration, and socio-technical design and evaluation of emergent technology. Sonnenwald has been awarded over 25 research grants and served as ASIS&T President in 2012. Recognition for Sonnenwald’s research and leadership includes the ASIS&T Award of Merit, ASIS&T Fellowship Award, ASIS&T Watson Davis Award, Muhlenberg College Alumni Achievement Award, US ARL Scientific Contribution Award, UNC Junior Faculty Research Award, ALISE Research Methodology Best Paper Award, and the Bell Communications Research Award of Excellence.

Jenna Hartel is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Information, University of Toronto. She studies information behavior in everyday life and leisure contexts. For these contributions, she was recognized with an ASIS&T SIG-USE Outstanding Information Behavior Research Award and induction into its Academy of Fellows. Hartel is also a methodological innovator, translating, applying, and championing visual research methods in information science. She was awarded an ALISE/Proquest Methodology Paper Award and an ASIS&T SIG-USE Innovation Award for this work. Hartel also received an ALISE/Library Journal Excellence in Teaching Award and an ASIS&T Outstanding Information Science Teacher Award. She makes engaging educational videos about information science, and her YouTube channel, INFIDEOS, is a recipient of an ALISE/Pratt-Severn Faculty Innovation Award.