讀者到資訊系統（包括實體及虛擬圖書館）詢問相關資訊，表達某種程度的資訊需求，系統理應理解讀者的資訊需求，提供合適的資訊給讀者。但是這個資訊檢索的理想陳述和現實狀況相去甚遠，檢索成功與否如買彩卷，運氣難料。本研究期望藉助分析讀者在檢索過程中詢問的問題，了解讀者檢索當時的心思想法，檢索過程的心思在言談對於檢索結果是否有影響？本研究的研究問題為：讀者在檢索對話中會詢問什麼問題？如何問法？換言之，詢問語旬的目的、功能及形式分別是什麼？讀者詢問行為和檢索結果、檢索過程滿意度是否有關係？研究方法包括言談分析、內容分析、問卷調查、觀察法、統計法等。研究結果包括解構讀者詢問語句的目的、功能及句法，分別給予編碼定義：其次統計各項類目出現頻率、解釋讀者資訊檢索互動中詢問行為特質、統計分析讀者詢問行為和檢索結果及檢索過程滿意關係。研究結果發現讀者詢問語句目的出現頻率最高的是「資料庫」、詢問語句功能出現頻率最高的是「詢問」、詢問語句形式出現頻率最高的是「非子句問句」、讀者詢問語句的「形式」與「功能」有相關，最常以「疑問詞問句」來「詢問」；讀者詢問語句目的和高低頻詢問行為有顯著差異。

　　　　　This paper depicts the characteristics of user elicitation during information retrieval interaction. Thirty user-intermediary interaction dialogues were captured and analyzed. Operationalization of definition of elicitation purposes, functions, and forms were provided; and then categorization was conducted. Frequency of each category was calculated. The results show that the most frequently occurred elicitation purpose, function, and form is ‘databases', ‘referential', ‘non-clausal question' respectively. User's elicitation form is statistically correlated to elicitation function; s/he most frequently acquires contextual information (i.e. ‘referential question') in the form of ‘question-word question'. There exists a discrepancy between the high frequency questioners and low frequency questioners in terms of elicitation purposes.