Information Seeking Behaviors of Undergraduate Students Within Special Collections and Archives

Abstract

This paper discusses information seeking behaviors of undergraduate students within the context of special collections and archive spaces. Many factors contribute to the use of special collections by undergraduate students including: feedback from trusted sources, research starting points, and outreach services offered by special collections and archives. An anonymous professional reference librarian who works in a special collection at an academic university was interviewed and current trends and literature were consulted to further dive into this little researched subject area. Ultimately it was concluded that undergraduate students are unlikely to pursue research at special collections libraries due to the separation between these institutions and the student’s small world context - as discussed by Elfreda Chapman.