Multiple search sessions model of end‐user behavior: An exploratory study

This article discusses a multiple search session model of end-users' interaction with information retrieval systems based on results from an exploratory study investigating end-users' search sessions over time with online public access catalogs (OPAC) or CD-ROM databases at different stages of their information seeking related to a current research project. Interviews were conducted with 200 academic end-users to investigate the occurrence of multiple search sessions. Results show that at the time of the interview, 57% of end-users had conducted multiple search sessions during their research project and 86% of end-users conducted their first search session at the beginning stage of their information-seeking process. Forty-nine percent of end-users had conducted between 1 and 6 search sessions and 8% more than 6 search sessions. Seventy percent of multiple search session end-users' had modified their search terms since their first search session. The implications of the findings for end-user training, information retrieval systems design, and further research are discussed. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.