BIBLIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION AND BOOK SELECTION - AN EXPERIMENTAL-STUDY OF INFORMATION LOAD ON CHOICE BEHAVIOR IN A SCHOOL LIBRARY

The following research report is a between-subjects experimental investigation of the effects of information load on the choice behavior of high school students when selecting books in a school library. Information load was manipulated in terms of the number of items of bibliographic information about books as recorded on library catalog cards, and the effects of this manipulation on choice behavior were measured in terms of a correct choice measure according to an expert-determined standard, and measures of levels of satisfaction, certainty, confusion, and desire to receive more information occurring during and after that selection. Two hundred twenty-seven Grade 10 and 11 students were randomly assigned to five treatment groups and presented with bibliographic information, in catalog card format, about six books relating to a specific hypothetical library assignment. The number of items of bibliographic information was manipulated from 5 to 25 in increments of 5, the only difference per group being the number of items of information presented. The study found that the variation of the amount of information from 5 to 25 items did not affect the students' ability to select correct books to satisfy their information needs. However, the number of items of information influenced the time taken to make a selection, the shortest time for selection being when 15 or 20 items were provided on catalog cards. It also appeared that, although increasing the number of bibliographic items did not affect the level of certainty or satisfaction students felt about their choices, they did desire less additional information as information load increased, and became increasingly confused up to 15 or 20 items, and less confused with 25 items. The study highlights the need for future research to focus on how much and just which items of information should be presented on catalog cards or computerized retrieval systems and how they can be best organized to ensure effective choice making and to minimize dysfunctional consequences.