INFORMATION NEEDS AND INFORMATION SEEKING BEHAVIOR OF CHILDREN IN PUBLIC LIBRARIES (The Case Study Of Imo State Library Board, Owerri)
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTIONÂ
IMPORTANCE OF INFORMATION
The researcher would want to begin this work with a survey of the importance of information in daily living. Since the down of history, man had generally
requires information for his day to living information is required in decision and in other aspects of life. To function and be relevant, every society needs information. According to bent and melacklam, information is the life-blood of modern organization. Owing to the pervasiveness of information in the life of organization some writers have tried to analysis organizational function in term of receiving, recording, arranging and giving information. At the top management levels, it is vital in planning and strategies decision making.
Hence information is said to be data of value in decision making. It is critical resources that enable an organization to function and flourish. It is first among the other corporate resources because decisions relating to others depend on it. But the collection processing and dissemination of information are not trouble free. This is basically due to the nature of information. Information is indispensable to all processes and is essential to natural development. It is both a national and international resource for social political, religious, economic, cultural as well as technological development. Information is important as the
three basic necessities of life which are water, food and shelter and so should be given enough priority in order to achieve what is meant for. It is significant to
note that information is useless unless it is used however, before information can be made use of, it has to be provided and the user of it has to be aware of it.
In other words, the use of information depends on its availabllity and accessibility to users.
INFORMATION DEFINED.
Information is the act of informiong or the condition of being informed or the communication of knowledge. The American library association glossary of
library and information science (ALA) define information as all ideas, gfeats and imaginative works of mind whioch have been communicated, rcorded,
published and distributed formally or in formally in any format. The new webster’s dictionary defines information as, the communication of news, knowledge
obtained by search, study etc. it can also be considered as knowledge communicated concerning some particular facts, subjects or events. Information
reducesuncertainty and adds to human knowledge. Information cvan be in two forms. Those that are pointers to other information and their sources which it
provides substantive information, that is information itself. Information is regarded as resources for use, and its generation and use for efficiency and effectiveness
is a very demanding and stressful task because any information that is not organized for future use may be wasted. Also, the relevance attached to information makes people to seek it in diverse ways and for diverse needs. (hanson 1978) writes: information is normally intended for use rather than interest. It is sought by their final users for particular purpose in particular circumstances. It is of maximum potential use to person who wnts it when it meets his need not only in terms of general, subjects too. Needs can be seen as a requirement fro subsistence or for carrying out some function or activities. Thus,
information needs refer to information demands, requirements, wants or de sires for some general and specific purpose. Kadiri describes need in relation to information as: a state of lack of desirable requisition or commodity i.e. information necessary to deal with a situation as an individual deems fit.
