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This chapter explores new and emerging dimensions in our understanding of how information behaviour develops in early childhood. Spink (2010) proposed that information behaviour — when we engage in behaviours to make sense of, seek, avoid, forage, use and organise information — is (1) shaped by both instinctive and environmental dimensions that are as essential to the lives of our prehistoric ancestors as they are for people today and (2) emerges in early childhood. This chapter explores what we currently know about the development of cognitive, language, social and information behaviour abilities in early childhood. Drawing on research from cognitive and developmental psychology, and findings from two studies of different aspects of young children's information behaviours, including Web searching (Spink, et al., 2010) and library information categorisation (Cooper, 2004), the chapter discusses information behaviour development in early childhood. The connection between general cognitive development and information behaviour are discussed, and further research suggested.

A sign of maturity of a scientific field is its theoretical growth that is based on an increased depth of understanding and a broadening of the contexts and issues addressed. Information behaviour research has grown substantially over the last 10 years, expanding from a focused exploration of utilitarian features such as problem-focused, work-related information behaviour to inclusion of aspects such as leisurely information needs and impact of spiritual information. Exploring new concepts and contexts helps to build an increasingly thorough and holistic understanding of information behaviour, which, in turn, lifts the field to a higher theoretical level.

Ever since our cognitive make-up allowed it, human beings have used their information behaviour abilities to help them survive. Information behaviour evolved in response to the need by early humans to benefit from information that could not be immediately accessible in the nearby environment or obtained through communication. Humans developed an information behaviour ability, including processes of information sense making, foraging, seeking, organising and using. Information behaviour brought several benefits to early humans, including greater influence and control over their environment, and the degree in which they could use the environment for their own gain and survival. Information behaviour thus brought several advantages for the survival of early humans, and consequently emerged as a genetically favoured trait (Spink, 2010).

During multitasking, humans handle multiple tasks through task switching or engage in multitasking information behaviors. For example, a user switches between seeking new kitchen information and medical information. Recent studies provide insights these complex multitasking human information behaviors (HIB). However, limited studies have examined the interplay between information and non‐information tasks.

The goal of the paper was to examine the interplay of information and non‐information task behaviors.

This paper explores and speculates on a new direction in HIB research. The nature of HIB as a multitasking activity including the interplay of information and non‐information behavior tasks, and the relation between multitasking information behavior to cognitive style and individual differences, is discussed. A model of multitasking between information and non‐information behavior tasks is proposed.

Multitasking information behavior models should include the interplay of information and non‐information tasks, and individual differences and cognitive styles.

The paper is the first information science theoretical examination of the interplay between information and non‐information tasks.

Despite the continued focus on online sharing through social media, little consumer research has looked at this behavior as an independent construct or tried to determine how it relates to other consumer behaviors. Consequently, this study aims to explore the concept of social media sharing disposition (SMSD), proposes a measure of the construct, and, in five studies, assesses its reliability and validity and its relationship to other online and offline consumer behaviors.

Five studies using surveys were carried out to assess the SMSD construct. The studies gathered data to assess the properties and validities of SMSD, as well as its ability to assess offline and online sharing behavior.

The results indicate that SMSD is a useful construct that helps to explain people’s social media and offline sharing behavior, although its focus is primarily on social media sharing. It also displays convergent, discriminant and predictive validity. These results indicate that SMSD can be used to predict the likelihood of consumers sharing online information. They also confirm that SMSD works effectively in different cultural contexts. SMSD can also be used to assess consumer offline sharing behavior.

There was neither an investigation of actual differences in behaviors among consumers in the number of posts or online reviews they undertook, based on SMSD, nor a study of whether individuals are more likely to incorporate brand information into their posts. Future research could explore these behaviors to determine whether they can be explained by SMSD. There was also no focus on a rationale for engaging in social media sharing; that is, there are no proposed antecedents of SMSD. Additional studies could assess antecedents of this construct.

Marketers interested in engaging consumers as participants in the dissemination of online (electronic) information can segment and target consumers on the basis of SMSD. Therefore, it can be used to determine who should be targeted with information to disperse to other consumers. It is likely that there is a relationship between SMSD and social media influencer (SMI) activity, so it could also be used to identify SMIs among consumer bases. It can also be adapted and applied to understanding offline sharing behavior.

The paper reports on SMSD and establishes that it is an additional construct that can help explain consumer information sharing. The construct relates to a social media context, where it may be increasingly difficult to identify consumers who engage in differential sharing of digital information.

This scoping review article examined research on information behavior in communities over the past two decades (2000–2023). The review aims to uncover the characteristics and types of communities studied, the featured information behaviors, and the research methods employed.

The PRISMA-ScR guidelines were followed to conduct this review. Five databases were selected to search for relevant empirical research. A total of 57 studies met the inclusion criteria for review. Thematic synthesis was used to analyze the multidimensional findings of included studies.

A steady increase in the number of articles is evident in the past two decades. The review suggests that information behavior in community studies involved collaboration from other disciplines, such as public health and business management. More than half of the communities studied are virtual communities (56.1%), followed by communities of identity, professional communities and support communities, communities of interest, geographic communities, and academic communities. There are overlaps among these categories. Information sharing (63.2%) and information seeking (57.9%) were the most studied behavior of communities, followed by information use, information needs, and information judgment. Questionnaires (38.6%) and interviews (35.1%) were the most commonly used data collection techniques in studying information behavior in communities. It is noteworthy that eleven (19.3%) mentioned utilizing community-engaged approaches.

This is the first scoping review to explore the intersecting constructs of community research and information behavior studies. We call for further research to understand the contextual factors that shape the community’s information environments and to increase awareness of the partnership between communities and researchers.

This paper aims to objectively present the research dynamics of China in the field of information behavior and its development trends. Firstly, it incorporates China’s research in the field of information behavior into the global research network of information behavior, analyzing the changes in the status of Chinese scholars and their research institutions in the global research network from 1991 to 2022, the trends in publication volume and the cooperation relationships with other countries. Then, it conducts a detailed analysis of China’s research categories, groups, theoretical models and hot topics in different information contexts in the past five years (2018–2022).

The study retrieved research literature related to information behavior in China from 1991 to 2022 in the Web of Science database. It then utilized a national/institutional cooperation network map to analyze the changes in the status of Chinese scholars/institutions in the global research network during this period, publication volume trends and cooperation relationships with other countries. Furthermore, it employed keyword co-occurrence network maps to analyze the key categories, groups, theories and models of China’s research in different information contexts in the past five years. Based on this, it used keyword clustering network maps to analyze the hot topics of China’s research in different information contexts in the past five years.

(1) China’s research in the field of information behavior started relatively late, but the volume of publications has grown rapidly since 2004, currently ranking second globally in cumulative publication quantity. However, the influence of the literature published by China is limited, and there is a lack of research institutions with global influence. (2) In the last five years, China has conducted extensive research in various information contexts. Among these, most research was conducted in work contexts, followed by healthcare contexts, especially studies related to epidemics. (3) Current research on information behavior in China is characterized by expanded and refined research groups, diversified research categories, continuous expansion and enrichment of research contexts, increased interdisciplinary nature of research and continuous innovation in research methods and theoretical models.

This study, utilizing a scientific knowledge map, elucidates China’s position in global information behavior research, with a specific emphasis on analyzing China’s research hot topics and trends in this field over the past five years. It aims to provide valuable resources for scholars interested in understanding the status of information behavior research in China and to offer some guidance for scholars currently or intending to engage in information behavior research.

Originally grounded in library and information science, the majority of information behaviour and information-seeking theories focus on task-based scenarios where users try to resolve information needs. While other theories exist, such as how people unexpectedly encounter information, for example, they are typically related back to tasks, motivated by work or personal goals. This chapter, however, focuses on casual-leisure scenarios that are typically motivated by hedonistic needs rather than information needs, where people engage in searching behaviours for pleasure rather than to find information. This chapter describes two studies on (1) television information behaviour and (2) the casual information behaviours described by users of Twitter. The first study focuses on a specific casual-leisure domain that is familiar to many, while the second indicates that our findings generalise to many other casual-leisure scenarios. The results of these two studies are then used to define an initial model of casual-leisure information behaviour, which highlights the key differences between casual-leisure scenarios and typical information behaviour theory. The chapter concludes by discussing how this new model of casual-leisure information behaviour challenges the way we design information systems, measure their value and consequently evaluate their support for users.

Needs for information literacy, disparities in society, bridging digital divides, richness of information sources in electronic (e-)environments and the value of dictionaries have often been propagated. To improve information sources and information literacy training, information behaviour must be understood (i.e. all information activities). This paper conceptualises new opportunities for information sources (e.g. electronic dictionaries) to all society sectors, dictionary literacy and research lenses such as lexicography to supplement information literacy and behaviour research.

A scoping review of information literacy and behaviour, lexicography and dictionary literature grounds the conceptualisation of dictionary literacy, its alignment with information literacy, information activities and information behaviour and lexicography as additional research lens.

Research lenses must acknowledge dictionary use in e-environments, information activities and skills, meanings of information and dictionary literacy, the value of e-dictionaries, alignment with information behaviour research that guides the development of information sources and interdisciplinary research from, e.g. lexicography – thus contextualisation.

Research implications – information behaviour and information literacy research can be enriched by lexicography as research lens. Further conceptualisation could align information behaviour, information literacy and dictionary literacy.

Dictionary training, aligned with information literacy training, can be informed by this paper.

The value of dictionary literacy for all sectors of societies can be improved.

Large bodies of literature on information behaviour and lexicography individually do not cover combined insights from both.