Daily Times

Merriam-Webster dictionary defines information as “knowledge obtained from investigation, study, or instruction.” Similarly, the Oxford English Dictionary has defined “Information as the communication of instructive knowledge, news of some fact or occurrence. Information has become a vital factor for contemporary society, particularly after the advent of the Internet. Experts in the information field divide all information into six types:

(1) Conceptual Information, which is based on concepts, ideas, hypotheses, theories, and beliefs.

(2) The second type of information is empirical information, which can be obtained from experimentation, verifiable methodologies, observations, etc.

(3) Procedural Information is that kind of information that is based on a specific procedure, in other words, if a person already knows about something that how to perform a specific task such kind information is known as procedural information.

(4) Policy information, this kind of information is closely related with rules and regulations, laws and policies for effective decision-making process.

(5) Directive information is a meaningful type of information that provides direction or descriptions to individuals to understand concepts and circumstances.

(6) Stimulatory information This Information includes stimulatory information, which is useful for stimulating a reaction to motivate individuals or groups to take action.

Individuals’ information-seeking behaviour varies from generation to generation. Earlier, information acquisition was based on physical means like books, journals, newspapers, and libraries. People usually relied heavily on experts, professionals, teachers, and librarians for specialized knowledge. Still, today, with the advent of advanced technologies like the Internet, people mostly rely on search engines like Google and Yahoo and digital libraries. Now, people can access millions of information without visiting libraries and institutions with one click.

Libraries of contemporary society offer lifelong learning services

Mr Wilson coined the word Information behaviour in 1981, described that “information seeking behaviour is a broad term which involves a set of actions that an individual takes to express information needs, seek information, evaluate and select information and finally uses this information to satisfy his/her information needs.” According to Girija Kumar “the information seeking behaviour is mainly concerned with the need, what kind of information and for what reason and how information is found, evaluated and used and how the needs can be identified and satisfied.”

The question arises in mind what role the library plays in the information-seeking behaviour of an individual. The answer is simple: the library of the contemporary era has become the hub of enormous information in both printed and electronic formats.

So, it plays a commendable role in shaping information-seeking behaviour both from a historical point of view and in modern times. Individuals are seeking information that is more reliable and credible. Libraries offer access to a wide range of curated information in the form of books, academic journals, databases, and research papers.

This helps individuals develop habits of seeking high-quality and verified information rather than relying on biased sources. Search engines offer vast amounts of information, but most need to be more reliable and factual enough to be trusted. The modern library offers information literacy services to both individuals online and personally.

Libraries educate people on how to locate, evaluate, and use this information effectively; in this regard, librarians help them become critical thinkers and train them to know credible and unreliable sources. Such credible sources are vital for their academic goals. Libraries of contemporary society offer lifelong learning services; they support their patrons by providing them with a wide range of services and allowing them to seek information that suits their academic goals.

Similarly, individuals can also explore new areas of knowledge, which develops their habit of seeking information and helps them in their professional development. Libraries also help individuals bridge the digital divide by granting them free access to the Internet and digital resources at home, particularly for those who do not have time to visit the library physically. Such access promotes equitable information-seeking habits in diverse communities.

The library also provides social and collaborative spaces to individuals of contemporary society, where people can collaborate, share their ideas, and work together on Information-seeking projects. Such collaboration supports research practices among individuals in a society.

In short, libraries’ role is undeniable in individuals’ information-seeking behaviour because they provide access to reliable information, support research activities, foster critical thinking, and bridge the digital divide. In a nutshell, libraries are inspirational sources for people to search for information, evaluate, and use information in both physical and digital formats.

The writer is the Deputy Director of the Library at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad. He can be reached at writetoabidhussain@gmail.com