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Article
In Their Words: Student Reflections on Information-Seeking Behaviors
The Journal of Academic Librarianship
  • Sarah P.C. Dahlen, California State University, Monterey Bay
  • Kathlene Hanson, California State University, Monterey Bay
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
7-1-2023
Abstract

Academic librarians try to facilitate student information seeking by providing classroom instruction, creating tutorials and guides, and selecting and modifying search tools to best meet student needs and preferences. These efforts are often informed by interactions with students, and can be even better informed through analysis of student descriptions of their searching practices. In this case study, 50 upper-division students from the Social and Behavioral Sciences major completed searching tasks in a few library search tools and were then interviewed about their search behaviors, both in the experimental setting and in general. Their responses illuminate some of their tendencies, including considerations when choosing sources, strategies employed when searches fail, and adoption of their instructors' priorities.

Comments

Published in The Journal of Academic Librarianship by Elsevier. Available via doi: 10.1016/j.acalib.2023.102713.

This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Citation Information
Sarah P.C. Dahlen and Kathlene Hanson. "In Their Words: Student Reflections on Information-Seeking Behaviors" The Journal of Academic Librarianship Vol. 49 Iss. 4 (2023)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/sarah-dahlen/23/