Information-giving Behavior: Neglected Chain in Information Behavior Theories

In addition to being utilized in areas such as information storage and retrieval and knowledge management, investigating human information behavior as an independent field of knowledge has its own issues. The concept of information behavior involves a —somehow- reciprocal process: i.e. information giver and information receiver/seeker. On the other hand, in a logical analysis of information behavior, presence elements are required in this process: information, and the source of information (i.e., information giver). But the most of discussions and papers found in literature on human- information behavior (perhaps because of being interested in above-mentioned applications) are focused on information-seeking and for any reason, little attention is paid to the role of information-giver as the main side in the process of information behavior. However, the author s main idea in this paper is that information-giver is the central part in realization of this process.The present article, having a glance on some of the most popular theories on information behavior and the place of information-seeker in the process, points to the absence of information-giver in the mentioned theories. Then, by providing some exemplary cases of information behavior initiated by information-giver in the absence of information-seeker/receiver, the central role of information-giver in realization of information behavior process is emphasized.

کلیدواژه ها:

human information behavior ، information seeking behavior ، information giving behavior ، information-giver ، information-seeker