What is enough? Satisficing information needs

Purpose – This paper seeks to understand how users know when to stop searching for more information when the information space is so saturated that there is no certainty that the relevant information has been identified.Design/methodology/approach – Faculty, undergraduate and graduate students participated in focus group interviews to investigate what leads them to satisfice their information needs.Findings – Academic library users describe both qualitative and quantitative criteria, which lead them to make rational choices determining when “enough” information satisfices their need. The situational context of both the participants' specific information need and their role in academic society affects every stage of their search – from the selection of the first resource, to ongoing search strategies, to decisions on how much information is enough.Originality/value – These findings broaden the scope of earlier user research, which tends to focus on the more static views of habitual information‐seeking and ...

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