The proposed poster poster presents findings of a case study involving undergraduate students enrolled in an information literacy course that were surveyed regarding their experiences managing information found online. While information literacy courses teach students to identify, seek, analyze, and use needed information, it does not prepare them to manage and store information encountered while online.
INTRODUCTIONInformation comes to students in many forms and through many channels without active seeking or requesting it. In a society overwhelmed by the sheer mass of information available, it is just as easy for individuals to ignore information they have not actively sought or requested. Information literacy seeks to solve problems associated with information overload through the provision of a skills set to assist individuals in recognizing "when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information" (ACRL, 2000; ALA, 1989).Emerging technologies have changed the way that we, as a society, interact with information as well as the extent to which we use technology to communicate. Information literacy in the 21 st century needs to address information users as both passive and active receivers of information so that they are able to seek needed information as well as accept, gather, store, and retrieve information from a variety of sources. This includes the ability of a user to store and organize information in anticipation of a future need (Bruce, 1998). Friedel (2001 noted that "insight is every bit as important as the accident" (p. 38) so although it is very possible that needed information may be stumbled upon accidentally, if the individual is unable to make the link between the information they have encountered and a need they have, the information will not be made use of. Information encountered by students requires they have practical skills that will assist them in managing unexpected information so that they may use it at a later time.The proposed poster presents the results of a case study focused on the personal information management behaviors of students when they search for as well as encounter unexpected information. The research questions guiding this study are as follows:1. How frequently do students encounter problems managing information found online? 2. Are students interested in learning personal information management skills? 3. What tools do students currently use to manage information they find or encounter online?
BACKGROUND Personal information management