Cognitive Level and Liguistic Level of Information Need in Reference Interview

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine the cognitive level and the liguistic level of information need, using Taylor's levels of information need, and Belkin's anomalous state of knowledge.
From the cognitive point of view, the user's information need is divided into two types of information need. One type is concerning the specifiability of information need. The cognitive level of the specifaibility has to do with the degree to which the user knows exactly what is necessary to satisfy the need. The liguistic level has to do with the expression of what is necessary.
The other type of information need is concerning the knowing that information is needed. Since the user began to know that information was needed, he or she has sought information to satisfy the need. The cognitive level of the knowing that information is needed has to do with the user's experiences or memories mainly about his or her information seeking behavior. The liguistic level has to do with the description about the user's those experiences or memories. In both types of information need, the liguitic level is dependent on the cognitive level.
In the framework of those two types of cognitive level of information need, Taylor's levels of information need is analysed.
In the reference interview, the librarian's cognitive level of the user's information need is important. The search strategy is based on what the librarian understands about the user's information need through the question-negotiation. So, the relationship between the user and librarian in the cognitive level and the liguistic level of information need is analysed.