The information behaviour of consulting engineers in South Africa

Abstract

Introduction : Consulting engineers have unique information needs. These engineers also do not necessarily have formally organised information services such as libraries available in their companies to provide in their needs. Method: Time-line interviews were conducted to collect the data. The gap- metaphor in Dervin’s Sense-Making Approach was used to analyse the data. Leckie, Pettigrew and Sylvain’s General Model of the Information-Seeking of Professionals provided the framework for the study. Results: Consulting engineers rely heavily on people, personal files and personal knowledge for information. Other frequently used information sources include the Internet, FTP sites and digital cameras. Consulting engineers need information from varied sources in the initial stages of a project. Information in the final stages of a project comes from the project itself. Conclusion: More studies are required to study the use of FTP sites and digital cameras as sources of information.