Section Three

3.2 Belkin, N.J., Oddy R.N., Brooks, H.M. (1982). ASK for Information Retrieval: Part 1. Background and Theory. The Journal of Documentation, 38(2), 61-71.

This article presents an initial understanding of the ASK model, which describes the user's anomalous state of knowledge when entering the search. This anomalous state is here defined as approaching the searching process without knowing explicitly what information is being sought, but realizing that the information need is there. It challenges the best-match system, which requires the user to already be aware of what he or she wishes to seek. The authors go on to suggest that what is needed in a ASK moment is a dialogue between the system and the user.

I found the anomalous state of knowledge concept hard to grasp at first. The presentation of this article confused me, as the authors begin their description of ASK as if I was already familiar with it. Before I got past the first page, I had to seek out the definition of it online in order to make sense of the first page and a half. It was not until the middle of the second page that the model was defined and explained in a manner I could comprehend.

While I was reading this explanation, I was reminded of various times I sought information in my daily life. One time in particular involved seeing lyrics from a Beatles song that I found impactful embedded into a piece of artwork. The problem was, the song was not cited and I only knew the artist at all because someone at the loud art show I attended informed me when prompted. For the life of me I could not hear the name of the song, and felt bad asking her a fourth time so I dropped it. I knew that I needed to find this song, but with all of the songs they created, how on Earth would I find it? I Googled a few of the words with the terms "Beatles" and "lyrics," but the only lyrics I really retained were noise words and were lost any way. Eventually I found the song, but it was very frustrating working with Google's best match system, since it only returned titles extraordinarily well known, such as Yesterday.

I think that this article is going to be helpful in a few years when I am practicing librarianship because little kids are not always the most articulate beings, especially when they are trying to solve problems. My five year old sister is a perfect example, as she often speaks in a manner that suggests I am around her at all times. Recently, she started to describe something and then became exasperated, exclaiming "Don't you remember? Madison's new dog!" The first time I ever learned of her friend's new pet was in that very moment. Knowing that younger children tend to be very egocentric and focused on their own state of knowledge, I will work at incorporating Belkin's research into the library to try and emphasize on the communication process to assist the younger user.