An investigation of the information needs and information seeking behaviour of patrons of a business library

Abstract

This study was conducted as an initiative to enhance the service quality of information provision in the Japan External Trade Organization (Jetro) business library in Singapore. The aim of this investigation was to identify the patrons and to gain some knowledge about them with regards to their information needs, how they sought to fulfill their needs and how information was used. Forty cases were investigated using a survey interview over two months. Patrons were provided with personal assistance when looking for information by the investigator who also conducted the interview using the critical incident and storyboard techniques. The findings show that patrons fall into four main groups of categorisation by occupation and tasks. These correspond to aspects of the organization typified in Mintzberg's (1975) work. Results reveal that although information needs are diverse by type, patrons share some common preference for attributes such as relevance and value, timeliness, accuracy, reliability and the user friendly interface. Patrons' responses show that intermediary service providers can add value to the information service. In order to develop a more detailed patrons' profile, a further study of the social and organizational environment of the user community is recommended as these factors help shape the information needs and information seeking behaviour of patrons.