The Effects of Cultural, Geographical and Religious Factors on Information Seeking: A Contextual Study

This study investigates how contextual factors such as culture, geographical location and religious status may either encourage, determine or prevent information seeking behavior. The study applied both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection as a mixed-method. Fifteen Catholic clergymen from Northern Nigeria were interviewed and 109 participated in a survey. Findings show that geographical location, culture, and religious status may influence these clergy’s information seeking behavior. This paper contributes to research on information seeking in context. It may help in understanding the effects of some contextual factors, especially religious status, on information seeking behavior and, consequently, aid in the planning of library and information systems that meet the needs of the African clergy and theological institutions.