CITATION AND COPYRIGHT INFORMATION:
Cite as: Dervin, B., & Nilan, M. (1986). Information needs and uses. Annual Review of Information Science and Technology (ARIST) (Vol. 21, pp 3-33). White Plains, NY: Knowledge Industry Publications.
© ARIST (1986)

ABSTRACT:
Written specifically for the Annual Review of Information Science and Technology, this paper reviews the literature studying information needs and uses for the time period covering roughly the first five years of the 1980s. Prior reviews in ARIST of the work on information needs and uses set out to cover the findings of user studies in journals of the field of library and information science and related fields. For this review Dervin and Nilan chose to zero in on the conceptualizations that drove the research explicating the underlying assumptions and definitions driving both dominant work and the calls for change. They conclude by reviewing three alternative information needs assessment approaches as examples of the call for a significant paradigm shift in information needs and uses research. This much-cited review is frequently described as a turning point in user studies in library and information science.

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OTHER MATERIALS BY THESE AUTHORS ON THIS WEB SITE:
For Dervin,
See:  http://communication.sbs.ohio-state.edu/sense-making/AAauthors/authorlistdervin.html
For Nilan,
See: http://communication.sbs.ohio-state.edu/sense-making/AAauthors/authorlistnilan.html