Information Retrieval: A Communication Process in the 21st Century Library

Communication is a process involving a group of interrelated elements working together for the purpose of information transfer. This paper discusses information retrieval as a communication process in the 21st century library. The difficulties associated with access to recorded knowledge through bibliographic control devices have been exacerbated by the interposition of additional encoding processes in the library and further decoding by the users. In addition, the innovation of internet/web has revolutionized the means and mode of communication process in the library by flooding information seekers with information and creating an illusion of self-sufficiency in many users. With these changes in information seeking behaviour and pattern, a cybernetic approach to information retrieval has emerged emphasizing adaptive control mechanisms and feedback processes. This paper argues that libraries should strive to continuously remain relevant by keeping abreast with changes in the behavior of information users. To this end, this paper proposes apomediatic-cybernetic model of communication, which illustrates information retrieval processes for the 21st-century library.