Students’ Information Seeking Behavior and Information Needs

A Case Study of "Babeș-Bolyai"University

Abstract

All around the world, universities and university libraries have faced the decline in the importance as a physical entity. This decline has multiple causes, such as  the change of users' expectations and needs, the universities switch from exclusively on-site work and teaching to remote or more flexible schedules, the availability of alternative sources of information, the use of new technologies (social networks, mobile technologies), the preference for anytime and remote access from personal devices, the demand for greater compatibility and interoperability of systems, and the transformation of library user from consumer into content creator. Thus, this research aims to study the information-seeking behavior of college students in the context of traditional and electronic resources). Urquhart and Rowley's model of information-seeking behavior will be applied along with Wilson's model, to identify the factors that influence information-seeking behavior: the design of information resources, the educational infrastructure, the organizational culture, the availability and access constraints, the information culture, the search strategy, the support and training, the pedagogy, the behavior of teachers regarding information, and the study discipline and curriculum. Nonetheless, the article will explore information literacy skills and the barriers to accessing and using them: cultural aspects related to teaching and learning styles, language proficiency and digital culture.