Information Behavior and Information Practice: Reviewing the “Umbrella Concepts” of Information‐Seeking Studies1

Information behavior and information practice, two major concepts denoting the general ways in which people deal with information, are analyzed. Because of their general nature, they may be conceived of as umbrella concepts drawing on “umbrella discourses” with similar names. Information behavior is currently the dominating umbrella concept, while information practice stands as a critical alternative. The discourses above appear to be quite fragmentary, and researchers on information seeking rarely reflect on the discursive nature of the umbrella concepts. The discourse on information behavior primarily draws on the cognitive viewpoint, while information practice is mainly inspired by the ideas of social constructionism. The comparative study of the above concepts and discourses serves the needs to generate a self‐reflective attitude to familiar discursive formations, in particular among researchers of information seeking.

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