One fundamental concept emerging in the field of information studies is “context” because
context is seen as provided a source of meaning for human information behavior (Dervin, 1997).
The dictionary defines “context” as “the circumstances in which a particular event or situation
occurs” and “the essence of a group of events” (American Heritage Dictionary, 1985, pp. 316).
Expanding on these definitions, the definition of “context” used in this paper is “the quintessence
of a set (or group) of past, present and future situations.” There is usually some shared
understanding of a context by its participants; this shared understanding need not be identical or
complete (Schutz & Luckman, 1973).