Informationsanskaffningsbeteenden hos oetablerade arkeologer
The purpose of this study is to examine the information seeking behaviour among unestablished archaeologists. Special attention has been directed to the areas of informal communication and the development of personal networks. As a former archaeology student I have been able to apply my previously acquired knowledge when writing this thesis. The empirical study is based on nine interviews with archaeologists each with more than one and less than four years of professional experience. They all have various experience of working as a fieldarchaeologist and five have simultaneously worked as university researchers. The theoretical background of this study is principally based on the works of T.D. Wilson and Harriet Lönnqvist's studies of information seeking behaviour. A model of information seeking behaviour by T.D. Wilson has been used as tool to analyse the results from the interviews. The outcome of the study shows that archaeologists are dependent on informal information sources and that this is closely connected to their working situation. A functioning network of contacts could give access to certain information that was not available elsewhere. The archaeologists experienced that role-related interpersonal problems could intervene with their desire to access information. A way to resolve this problem was to use e-mail as a means of communication, instead of conversing by telephone or in person. The archaeologists emphasised that the need of keeping up to date with what was happening in the field of archaeology was an important part of their information seeking efforts.