Citation - Spink, A., & Currier, J. (2006). Towards an evolutionary perspective for human information behavior: An exploratory study. Journal of Documentation, 62(2), 171-193.

Keyword - information behavior

• 背景/動機：Since the beginning of human existence, humankind has sought, organized and used information as it evolved patterns and practices of human information behaviors. However, the field of human information behavior (HIB) has not heretofore pursued an evolutionary understanding of information behavior. The goal of this exploratory study is to provide insight about the information behavior of various individuals from the past to begin the development of an evolutionary perspective for our understanding of HIB.
• 假定：
• 方法：透過質性分析歷史人物，包括拿破崙、達爾文、卡薩諾瓦的自傳與個人書寫
  This paper presents findings from a qualitative analysis of the autobiographies and personal writings of several historical figures, including Napoleon Bonaparte, Charles Darwin, Giacomo Casanova and others.
• 資料：
• 發現：分析他們的書寫，呈現出這些古代人的人類資訊行為，包括了資訊尋求、資訊組織與資訊使用。為他們的思維與行動提供了有形的觀點。 Analysis of their writings shows that these persons of the past articulated aspects of their HIB’s, including information seeking, information organization and information use, providing tangible insights into their information-related thoughts and actions.
• 實務影響：擴大資訊行為的演進理解，為HIB研究提供更多脈絡 This paper has implications for expanding the nature of our evolutionary understanding of information behavior and provides a broader context for the HIB research field.
• 原創性Originality/value – 第一篇研究歷史人物的資訊行為研究。?? This the first paper in the information science field of HIB to study the information behavior of historical figures and begin to develop an evolutionary framework for HIB research.

The goal of the study reported in the exploratory reported in this paper is to examine the information behaviors of several historical figures as explicitly described in their own words in autobiographies, memoirs, diaries, letters, and other documents. The research questions addressed by this exploratory study are:
(1) Did historical figures engage in information-related behaviors?
(2) What types of information behaviors did historical figures engage in information seeking, information organization or information use?
(3) What can the study contribute to the development of an evolutionary perspective for information-related human behaviors?
The answers to these questions may seem obvious, but limited studies in the field of HIB have actually addressed or explored these questions explicitly.

這三個問題，第一個「歷史人物是否投入於資訊相關行為中？」是個不好的問題。由於追究「資訊相關行為」定義，資訊本身無法行為，行為需要有主體。除非「資訊為」不涵蓋所有人類，否則第一個問題是個邏輯上不需要再問的問題。（套套邏輯）

第二個問題，為何資訊行為只限於「尋求、組織與使用」？如果這三種資訊行為的次類別是資訊行為的「前提」，那麼這個研究並不那麼如研究者所主張的「探索性研究」，而只是將所觀察到的文本「關於行為的字句」，依照既有定義分類而已，而無法超出既有解釋框架之外。例如，這許多名人的「書寫」「註記」「草稿」，算不算資訊行為呢？

第三個問題，竟然是「證明了古代人也有資訊行為，所以資訊行為不是現代的產物」！！

天啊，沒想到 Journal of Documentation 會收這種Paper!!

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file link - Google Schloar, XXC