Introduction: Information behavior theory provides three main attributes of need, seeking and use. Seeking and use behavior are active and passive whereas need is not; but is a lack of something and lack can only be acted on. However need has for long been used to qualify behavior even when it lacks definitive attributes for behavior; thereby making the term “need” moribund and not fitting attribute of behavior. This paper analytically looks at need behavior and reviews its concept as attribute of information behavior. Argument: Need, presented as information behavior does not fit description of behavior by Wilson. Need is also different from descriptions of gaps in Dervin’s theory of information behavior; and description of need in Wilson 1981 model. Need is neither active nor passive by its definition, thus a terminology descriptive of behavior should be used in place of “need”. Development: Need behavior was analyzed to show its non alignment with either passive or active behavior. This paper showed dissimilarity between definition of need and its description in Wilson’s and Dervin’s theories. It was shown that “need” is not a right term to qualify behavior since it is an attribute that can only be responded or reacted to. Conclusion: It was the conclusion that “need” has no relationship with behavior since it is not active or passive. Recommendation: It was proposed that the following terms be used instead of need behavior: reaction of information need, response to information need, reactive need, and active need.
