This paper describesthe user modeling approach applied in I-Help, a distributed multi-agent based collaborative environment for peer help. There is a multitude of user modeling information in I-Help, developed by the various software agents populating the environment. These ‘user model fragments’ have been created in a variety of specific contexts to help achieve various goals. They are inherently inconsistent with one another and reflect not only characteristics of the users, but also certain social relationships among them. The paper explores some of the implications of multi-agent user modeling in distributed environments.