Ann als of Library and lnform at ion Studies 4R, 4 ; 200 I ; 133-138 .
STATE OF INFORMATION SEEKING AND SEARCHING BEHAVIOUR OF WORKING
JOURNALISTS IN ORISSA: A STUDY
R K Mahapatra
Librarian
N K C Centre for Development Studies
(ICSSR Institute)
Bhubaneswa~751013
Provides an insight into various behavioural
approaches of working journalists (WJs) in
seeking and searching information. Describes the
pattern of their searching and locating information
sources and services, mode of communication
and strategy employed in seeking needed
information , their priority on information sources,
and constraints encountered by them in locating
information . Analyses data received from 226
WJs representing the leading news dailies of the
state.
INTRODUCTION
Owing to exponential growth of information ,
knowledge explosion , and publication deluge ,
everyone needs information of increasing variety
and diversity , frequency , and volume. This
complex situation appears to be ambiguous and
heterogeneous in character as the information
needs of a particular group of users and
information flow from a specific situation /
organisation are difficult to determine. Again , the
use of information is so complex and diverse that
there cannot be a simple and single system to
cope up with the task of effective retrieval of
needed information without assessing their
specific needs. This situation has given rise to
the growing concept of information searching and
the manner of determining the pattern of
searching is said to be considered Information
Seeking Behaviour (ISB) .
WORKING JOURNALISTS
Wainwright [1] aptly remarks "Journalism is
Information". To analyse the statement , one can
Vol 48 No 4 December 2001
K C Panda
Sr. Lecturer
DLlS, Sambalpur University
Burla - 768019
perhaps arrive at the conclusion that journalism
is a modern profession , a by-product of technical
advancement with main emphas is on
dissemination of information to all . Working
journalists are those professionals and users of
information who are primarily associated with
news and views . Their scope of activity is not
limited only to the press or the newspapers , but
to the whole society [2] . They are social reformers ,
informers, pioneers and educators of the public
opinion and custodians of public interest and
social reforms. Their domain of activity is confined
to reading and writing of news and feature articles
which are of interest to the society. Since they
have a greater role to play in shaping the society
in right direction , they need right information to
reflect the thought and ideas in right manner and
at right time .
Why Working Journalists Need Information ?
As the library and information centre is primarily
meant for acquiring , processing , a nd
disseminating information usually on latest
developments and current topics , it would be of
much help to working jounalists who often make
news on current events and write feature articles ,
contribute an editorial column , or report an event
with its historical background to a newspaper. In
all these cases , the library provides a solution .
Ward and others [3] therefore , rightly feel that the
library is the path that reporter and editors usually
take as they conceptualise, develop, write , and
edit the day's news. It is thus an acknowledged
fact that , a good library is the source of a good
newspaper, and a journalist keenly using the
library can enrich himself and can effectively
13 3
R K !Vla /wpatra al/ d K C Pallda
serve the media for a better society . Now, the
use of lib raries by journalists has increased a
great dea! owing to the fact that , the jobs they
undertake are highly thoughtful and investigative,
critical , more complex , controVE~rsial , and fluid
compared to any other jobs. Thi s is so because ,
even an iota of negligence and overlooking a fact
in reporting might create havoc in the society and
may lead to public unrest. The information which
journalists obtain from the library is used mainly
for writing feature articles , news items and for
editing news items [4]. To explore the background
information , the services of a memory unit, data
bank, intelligence unit, or refere nce section of a
library are very much essential for the editorial
department of any newspaper establishment.
According to Mahapatra and Panda [5] journalists
give more importance to primary sources of
information than to other sources. In this situation ,
how do working journalists seek information and
what is the pattern of their searching information
sources and services from librariHs in a
developing state like 'Orissa is a matter of great
interest and curiosity for the librarians , more
particularly the media librarians.
This paper, therefore, is designed to reflect the
behavioural approach of seeking information and
pattern of searching information sources and
services in libraries by the working journalists in
Orissa .
OBJECTIVES
The present study had the following objectives:
i) to identify the mode of communication used
by the working journalists in seeking
information from libraries,
. high-costs.
ii) to determine the strategies applied in
locating desired information,
iii) to find out the principal areas of searching
information sources , and
v) to identify the constraints encountered in
using/searching/ seeking information in
libraries.
134
METHODOLOGY
The study covers only the workin g journalists
representing various leading newspapers of the
State. A structured questionnaire designed for the
purpose was prepared and distributed among 490
working journalists in the State , out of which only
226 (46%) responses were received . The data
collected was then scrutinized and its consistency
was checked before analysis was made.
ANALYSIS
Any study designed to provide an empirical
approach needs the analytical aspect in order to
explore the results in a more elaborate manner.
Hence, the following discussion gives an
analytical approach to the data collected and
results found out from the investigations.
Table presents various modes of
communication which the working journalists
employ in seeking information . It is found that,
123 (54.43%) of the total respondents prefer to
acqu ire information by visiting libraries personally
as and when they need information on a given
subject followed by 'letters through post' as the
second most preferred mode of communication
in seeking information which constitutes 70
(30.97%) of the total response . When information
and communication revolution is on the card , it is
an irony of the fact that acceptance of 'on-line
mode ' by the working journalists in seeking
information seems to have received least
significance, that is only 16 (7.07%) respondents,
perhaps owing to the fact that, m£~dia libraries
particularly in semi urban areas are yet to avail
the full advantage of on-line access to
intemational and national databases due to their
It is obvious that, journalists prefer the mode of
'visiting the library personally' to obtain their
desired information compared to other modes
because of several reasons, namely;
(i) non-availability of modern technology such
as On-line service, Internet, Hypertext and
Hyper Media Service , E-Mail.CD-ROM. etc
in most of the media libraries particularly in
rural areas ;
Ann Lib ln t" Stu
 IN FORMATION SEE KING BE HAVIOUR

(ii) lack of awareness and knowledge among
the la rge chunk of journalists about the
application of such technologies , and
(iii) paucity of funds , etc.
Strategy of locating a piece of information or
identification of an appropriate reading material
in-need independently in a given library seldom
reflects the intellectual ability of the reader
concerned . Thus , strategy of locating pin-pointed
information tailored to the needs of the individual
clientele is very much cr ucial. In order to
determine the strategies that are usua lly
employed by the working journalists in locating
information of their choice , the various strategies
that are usually available in a library a re
categorised under 9 broad groups to which the
respondents were asked to opt the one(s) they
prefer the most.

Tabl e 1

Use of communication modes in seeking information

SI. No . Commun ication Medium No. of Responses 0/0

1. Through personal visits to library 123 54.43

2. Through letters or by post 70 30.97
3. Through telephonelTel ex 58 25 .66
4. Through Fax/E.Mai l 38 16.82
5. Through On-line service 16 7.07
6. Any other mode 30 13.27

Total 335

Note: Since the respondents have exercised more than one option, the total number of responses
is more than the actual number 226.

Table 2

Strategy of locating information

SI. No. Strategy No. of Respondents %

1. By scanning the current issues of period icals 100 44 .24

2. Through Indexing/Abstracting or receiving periodicals 37 16.37
3. Through documentation lists prepared 35 15.48
4. By consulting library catalogue s 44 19.46
5. By using references/bibliographies given
at the end of each article 34 15.05
6. By discussing with professional colleagues 82 36.28
7. By approaching the librarian 32 14.15
8. By consulting specially pre pared bibliographies 17 7.53
9. An y other strategy 6 2.65

Total 387

Note: The number of responses exceeds 226, as the responden ts have exercised more than one
option

Vol 4R No -1 Dece mber 2001 1:1 5

R K Maliapa rra and K C Panda

Table 2 reflects that quite a large ch unk of working
journalists, 100 (44.24%) prefe r to identify the
info rmation they need throug h scan ning the
current issues of different periodicals ; followed
by 82 (36.28%) of the respondents who prefer to
discuss with their own profess ional colleagues
and to seek their assistance as and when they
need to locate a piece of information fo r thei r
reference and p rofess ional purposes . Th e
strategy that received least significance is the
'Bibliographies' which only 17 (7.!53%) of the total
respondents prefer. Las tly , 6 (2 .65%) of the
responde nts employ strategies other than the 8
categories enumerated in the table , but did not
spell out the exact strategy being employed by
them in the matte r of locating information.
Searching of information source s is one of the
important activities of informati on intermediaries
and knowing the priority of the users helps them
to develop a better systems appro ach to
information retrieval and dissem ination . Since
ide ntifying priority of informatio n/sources of
information for the journalists is one of the
objectives of the study , it has been vividly
demonstrated in Table 3. Priority factors have
been divided into three categories such as , first ,
second , and third.

Table 3

Priority of Searching Information/Sources

SI.No. Sources 1st Priority 2nd Priority 3rd Priority

0/
No. /0 No . 0/ 0 No. %

1. Books & Monographs 82 36 .28 80 35.40 64 28 .32

2. Institute's CAS 31 13.72 94 41.59 101 44.70
3. Institute's SOl 29 12 .83 57 25 .22 140 61 .95
4. Current periodicals/Articles 121 53 .53 64 28 .32 41 18.14
5. Indexing & Abstracting 41 18.14 93 41.15 92 40.70
6. Discussion with Colleagues 93 41 .15 77 34.07 56 24 .78
7. Seminars/Workshops/ 104 40 .01 77 34.07 45 19.91
Conference Proceedings
8. Personal correspondence 86 38 .05 95 42 .03 45 19.91
9. Book Trade/Catalogues/ 45 19.91 74 32 .74 107 47.35
Announcement Bulletin
10. Manuscripts 58 25 .66 73 32 .30 95 42 .03
11 . Newspapers/Newspaper Clippings 131 57.96 68 30 .08 27 11 .94
12 . Theses/Dissertations 32 14.15 103 45 .57 91 40 .26
13. Research Repor1s 68 30.08 90 39 .83 68 30 .08
14. Maps 51 22.56 71 31 .41 104 40 .01
15. Sculptures/Copper plates 33 14.60 74 32 .74 '119 52 .66
16. Films/Slides 50 22 .12 66 29 .20 110 48 .68
17. Government Publications 85 37.61 85 37 .61 56 24.78
18. Media Reports viz . T.V ., Radio etc. 87 38.49 96 42.47 43 19.03
19. Commerical Databases 53 23.45 74 32 .74 99 43 .80
20 . Information Brokers 47 20.89 87 38 .80 92 40.70

136 Ann Lib Int" Stu

 IN FORM A nON SEE KING BE HA YI OU R

On analysi s it is evident that journalists gave
pr iority t o ' cur rent periodicals ', seminar/
conferenc e proceedings' and 'newspapers /
clippings ' which are primarily required for their
day-to-day writing needs, with responses of 131
(57.96 % ) 121 (53 .53 % ) and 104 (40.01 % )
respectivel y. Under second priority , theses/
dissertations 'personal correspondence ', 'media
reports', and 'research reports' figure most with
103 (45.57%), 96 (42.47%), 95 (42.03%), and 90
(39.82%) of responses respectively. Journalists
give 'third priority' to Institute 's CAS , SOl , Book
Trade catalogues , manuscripts , maps , sculpture/
copper plates, films/slides , commercial databases
and information brokers most, as these appear
to be of least use by them . Their searching
behaviour is determined by the priority factor they
emphasise upon those information sources wh ich
are essential to their day-to-day journalistic work.
Constraints are common phenomenon that every
professional faces which every researcher
desires to find out through analysis . To identify
the various constraints and limitations that
working journalists have experienced in the ir
career in connection with the use of library and
information services, different anticipated problem
areas commonly encountered have been
categorised under sixteen broad groups to which
the respondents were asked to opt under four
variables as depicted in Table 4.

Table 4

Constraints Encountered

SI. Probl em Areas Extremely Considerable A Little No Problem

No. Difficult Problem Problem At all
No. 0/0 No. 0/0 No. % No. 0/0

1. Finding time to read or look 100 44 .25 59 26 .11 41 18.14 26 11 .50

for information
2. Getti ng information quickly 53 19.25 97 42 .92 49 21.68 27 11 .94
3. Getti ng up-to-date materials 69 30 .53 66 29 .20 64 28 .31 27 11 .94
4. Locating suitable sources 74 32.74 69 30 .53 50 22 .12 33 14.60
5. Unde rstanding research reports/ 77 34 .07 75 33.18 54 23 .89 20 8.84
stati stics
6. Materials available in different 83 36 .72 103 45.57 29 12 .83 11 04 .86
languages
7. Inadeq uate resources of parent 81 35 .84 87 38.49 48 21 .23 10 04 .42
library
8. Inadequate reference service/ 83 36 .72 89 39 .38 49 21.68 25 11.06
referral services
9. Poor orga nization of reading 82 36 .28 70 30 .97 45 19 .91 29 12 .83
materials on the shelves
10 . Inadeq uate staff 79 34 .95 90 39 .82 37 16.37 20 8.84
11 . Libra ry services not ava ilable in 81 35 .84 55 24 .33 60 26 .54 30 13.27
the near vicinity/working place
12. Paren t newspaper organization 71 31.41 59 26.10 47 20.79 49 21 .68
does not have a library
13. Lack of Library Automation 96 42.47 71 31.41 42 18.54 17 7.52
14. No pre ss clipping servi ces 62 27.43 80 35 .39 48 21 .23 36 15 .92
15. Lack of prope r financial and moral 67 29.64 68 30 .08 70 30 .97 21 9.29
support from the patent institution
16. To know what type of library 70 30 .97 59 26 .10 45 19.91 52 23 .01
services are ava ilabl e to th e
Journal ists and where

V ol 4g No -+ December 2001 137

R K M o /wp([{1"{/ ({ li d K C Pall do
On analysis it is found that one of the major
constraints of the respondents is 'paucity of time '
as 1OO( 44.25%) out of 226 responden ts , do not
find time to read or look for information they really
need for their professional development. Some
of the other major constra ints which they find
e xtremel y difficult include lack of library
automation (96) ; followed by ; materials in different
languages , inadequate reference and referral
services (83 ); poor organisation of reading
materials (82) , inadequate resource s of parent
library (81 ); nonavailability of library services in
the near vicinity of the work place (81) , and many
other problems thus constituting 42.47%, 36 .73%,
36 .73%, 36 .28% , 35 .84% and 35 .84% of the total
responses respectively.
The problem areas in which the re~pondents face
considerable problems include : avail ability of
materials in different languages (103) , followed
by getting information quickly (97), inadequate
staff (90) , inadequate referen ce and referral
services (89) , inadequate resources of parent
library (87) , non-availability of press clipping
services (80) , among other problem s, which
constitute 45 .58%, 42.93%, 39 .93%, 39.49% and
35 .39% respectively.
Surprisingly , majority of the respondents
70(30 .97% ) have agreed that 'lack of proper
financial and moral support from their parent
institution ' is a matter of little problem for them .
However, they do not face any problem under
the fourth category , 'No problem at all ' as
enumerated in the said table . Thus , there is a
mixed response with regard to constraints
encountered by the working journals.
CONCLUSION
Information has become a vital resource for
sustenance . More we use information more we
gain knowledge . To achieve· professional
competency in any subject , the user's first and
foremost priority is to obtain right information at a
I :lX
ri ght time and to do so, one has to develop the
right seeking behaviour and searching strategy.
Working journalists who are primarily concerned
wi t h news , views and ass o ciated with
newspapers have specific behavioral strategies
in seeking and searching information from
libra ries and information centres . Among various
modes of information seeking , they also made
pe rsonal visit to libraries and information centres
to fi nd particular information useful for their
journalistic activities . They are also in the habit
of scanning the current issues of periodicals to
find latest information in their fie ld of interest.
Similarly , working journalists give priority to those
information sources which contain current
information useful for their work. They also
encounter problems relating to search in g and
obtaining information from different sources.
However, the study reflects the cl ear picture of
behavioural pattern of information seeking by the
working journalists.
REFERENCES
1. WA INWRIGHT (David) . Journalism: Made
simple , 1983; Calcutta ; Rupa & Co .
2. MAHAPATRA (R K) and PANDA (K C).
Information needs of the working journalists
in Orissa : A study. IASLIC Bulletin . 46, 2;
2001 ; 105-110.
3. WARD (Jean) et al. The news library 's
contribution to news makin(~. Special
Libraries. 79 ; 1988; 143-147.
4. JOSEPH (Rosamma). How journalists use
libraries . Information and Development. 9 ,
1-2; 1993; 70-74 .
5. MAHAPATRA (R K) and PANDA (K C). State
of reading interest and ut ilization of
info r mation resources by the working
journalists of Orissa : A Study. ILA Bulletin.
36 ; 3;2000 ; 93-99.
Ann Li b ln l" S ill