ERIC EJ989510: Information Anxiety and African-American Students in a Graduate Education Program

2012·0.14 MB·English

by  ERIC

AA rr tt ii cc ll ee ss

Information Anxiety and African-American Students in a Graduate Education Program
By Patricia Fields Katopol

Abstract
Library anxiety has been cited as one factor affecting academic performance, but library use is only part of
obtaining information for academic needs. This paper expands the concept of library anxiety to information
anxiety by an examination of the information behavior of black graduate students when using a variety of
information resources, including electronic and human. Findings indicate that information anxiety is a
continuous element of minority students’ information behavior and creates a barrier to obtaining and using
information for academic work.

Sonya, an accomplished young black woman, majority. It examines how these students obtain
tentatively approached the reference desk and information needed for academic work, their
asked her question about the work of a certain problems in obtaining this information, and their
black scholar. “I’ve never heard of her. Did you perception of race and information acquisition and
look in this database?” suggested the librarian. sharing. Importantly, it expands the notion of
Sonya shook her head. She wasn’t aware of the “library anxiety” to one of information anxiety as
database and wouldn’t have known how to search it considers the variety of information sources
it if she had known about it. She was surprised the used by graduate students.
librarian wasn’t familiar with the scholar, whom
Sonya had thought was rather well-known. For her Motivation
part, the librarian looked at Sonya and wondered Currently, almost a third of the population of the
why this grad student didn’t know about a United States of America is considered a minority.
database that practically everyone used. This Almost half will be a minority in 2042 (U.S.
wasn’t the first time Sonya felt uneasy when Census, 2008). As of the 2010 Census, blacks
working with a librarian. She wondered what was were 13 percent of the population (U.S. Census,
wrong with her; maybe she wasn’t graduate school 2011). Similar statistics exist for other minorities.
material after all? For example, Hispanics were 16 percent as of the
2010 Census (U.S. Census, 2011), but will
Perhaps a librarian can be forgiven for assuming increase to 20.1 percent by 2050 (U.S. Census,
that graduate students, having successfully 2009). Our colleges and universities already
maneuvered their way through an undergraduate reflect the changing population; however, despite
program, would know the basics of library entering higher education at increased rates, the
research. But could it be that graduate students retention and graduation rates for black graduate
have problems satisfying their information needs? students is low, so that even after ten years in a
Could it be possible that they are as anxious about graduate program, only 47% of black students
obtaining information as their undergraduate obtain their doctoral degree (Council of Graduate
counterparts? Schools, 2008). Once they have completed the
course work portion of the graduate program,
This study explores the information behavior of students often lose their ties to faculty and other
graduate students in education, in particular, black students and are on their own as they complete
graduate students in a majority institution, that is, other degree requirements. This study was
a university at which Caucasians are in the motivated by a need to inquire if and how
Education Libraries, Volume 35, Number 1-2, Summer-Winter 2012
5
information behaviors affected graduate students Participants were recruited via an Institutional
at this stage of their degree studies. Review Board (IRB)-approved request made
The Study through the broadcast email service of a black
The study reframes ideas about library anxiety by student organization. The message included
expanding the sources of information sought by information that the researcher’s race was the
students to include electronic and human, as well same as prospective participants to encourage
as print. These sources may be provided as part of them to feel comfortable participating in a study
library services or may lie outside of the library’s that included interview questions on attitudes
control. The study seeks to ascertain student about race.
feelings and behavior surrounding information
activities and also addresses the perceived effect Questions in the structured, open-ended interview
of race on information behavior such as retrieval were framed to elicit responses regarding
and sharing. It considers academic activities as numerous sources of information used by
‘work,’ and examines these activities using a participants. These sources of information
methodological framework appropriate for included human (such as librarians, other students,
examining information behavior in the workplace. or professors); electronic resources (such as the
library website, databases, social networking and
Method push technology sources, or non-library internet
The exploratory, qualitative study uses Cognitive sources); and physical library resources (for
Work Analysis (CWA) (Rasmussen, Pejtersen, & example, books and journals available only in
Goodstein, 1994; Vicente, 1999; Pettigrew, Fidel, print). Participants were asked to recount their
& Bruce, 2001), a methodological framework that information behavior while performing a specific
examines cognitive behavior with a focus on the task related to the comprehensive exam, thesis, or
constraints faced by actors in the workplace as dissertation process. Finally, participants were
they perform knowledge work, that is, work that questioned as to their perceptions of race and
requires information and decision-making based information behavior.
on the information acquired. As defined by CWA,
constraints are factors outside of the actor’s
Findings
control, but which affect the actor's information
The interview responses revealed four significant
behavior. They determine what an actor can and
aspects of participant information behavior: tasks,
cannot do within the system and are neither
search, use of electronic media, and perceptions of
positive nor negative. For example, a departmental
race.
budget can be a constraint: it can cause spending

to be restricted and decrease travel grants but is
Tasks
also the source of funding for faculty, facilities,
Participants were asked to recall specific tasks that
and student jobs.
were part of their work as graduate students.

These tasks included information search and
Participants included fewer than ten graduate
retrieval for papers, creating reading lists for
students from various concentrations in the
comprehensive exams, finding information for
education program at a large university in the
their advisor, and deciding on dissertation topics.
American Midwest. Students were at the
They wrote papers, graded assignments as part of
comprehensive exam, thesis, or dissertation stage.
their teaching duties, and gave formal and
The study was limited to participants at this stage
informal presentations on their research or
of the process as these students are more likely to
readings. Primarily, tasks were constrained by the
require large amounts of specialized information
time available to do them, such as the end of the
and may need to obtain them outside of the
semester. Time constraints were usually
support of a course structure.
determined by something or someone other than

the participant, such as the academic calendar or
Education Libraries, Volume 35, Number 1-2, Summer-Winter 2012
6
an advisor, but could also be created by work and tasks difficult. For example, when guidance was
family demands. Participants stated that time not provided, participants spent more time looking
constraints created problems as they sought to for information, trying to ascertain if they had
balance multiple tasks with similar time enough information, and hoping that what they
constraints, such as producing multiple course found would be acceptable to the professor. They
papers that were all due at the end of term, or found it difficult to end their search while they
prioritizing dissimilar tasks such as grading remained unsure of what the professor required.
homework as part of their teaching assistant duties
while working on their own homework
Wary Users of Electronic Media
assignments or meeting an employer’s deadline.
Participants were frequent users of electronic
According to participants, it was time, rather than
media and rarely visited the library. The
the nature of the task, that often determined the
infrequent trips to the library were due mostly to
effort spent and the number of resources used
time constraints; a preference for the electronic
when searching for information. Participants
format, which could be accessed from anywhere,
sometimes smiled when admitting that time was
at anytime, and easily printed out if needed; and a
the primary determinative of the effort of they
belief that the librarian would not be helpful for
made when working on information tasks and
their particular information needs. While they did
noted that they were uncomfortable with that, but
not visit the physical library, participants did make
felt that limiting the time for information tasks
frequent use of the library website, from several
was the only way they could manage all of their
times a week to several times a day. They did this
work.
mostly to access journal databases and individual

journal articles. Rather than use the search
An Anxious Search
function of the various databases, they used
Participants felt anxious or lost when engaged in
Google and Google Scholar to search for an article
the information search. Either they found too
and then accessed it from the library website.
much information, so that they spent a lot of time
Participants stated that they often came across
determining relevance, or not enough information,
websites with discipline-related information that
so that they spent time searching through scant
appeared useful, but which required them to
sources in an attempt to find enough information
evaluate the site for authenticity and veracity.
to complete the task. Searches were performed
They felt confident in their abilities to judge the
without the assistance of library staff. Participants
authenticity of information on those sites, basing
reached out to other students for information, both
this confidence on knowledge of the literature in
for content and process. Those in the exam phase
their domain--for example, if they came across a
sought students who had taken comprehensive
familiar author or reference, they were more
exams the year before. Others sought students who
inclined to treat the site as trustworthy. They also
were working on projects similar to their own.
used electronic information services such as
They stated that although they would have
listservs and wikis created for academics, students,
preferred to go to their professors for this
and practitioners in their discipline. The most
information, professors were often unavailable,
frequent reason for using non-library resources
either due to other commitments or to what
and websites was that the library did not carry
students interpreted as an attempt to help them
resources relevant to their research needs. This
become independent researchers and learn the
typically occurred when students were looking for
literature on their own. Even when professors met
research on blacks or created by black scholars,
with students, participants stated that it was
but also happened because the library didn't carry
common for them to offer few suggestions for
a particular journal.
relevant literature. Students said that they

understood the need to learn about the discipline,
but that being left on their own made information
Education Libraries, Volume 35, Number 1-2, Summer-Winter 2012
7
Race and Information Behavior “official” information sources such as librarians,
All participants perceived race as a negative factor professors, and administrative staff, as resources
in their search for information. The majority for information on such topics as useful databases,
believed that librarians had no knowledge of their the job market, or university procedures.
racially-related research interests and therefore Discussion
could not help them with their information needs. As developed by Constance Mellon (1986), the
They also believed that white students had term library anxiety refers to student anxiety or
separate access to information, provided to them fears regarding the library (Katopol, 2005). These
by majority faculty and based on a shared racial fears can range from being afraid to interrupt the
background. Participants uniformly stated a belief librarian while s/he is at the reference desk, to an
that they had to have more information than their inability to negotiate the library’s physical
white counterparts in order to be taken seriously. structure, to a belief that other classmates were
This belief was held by all participants and familiar with the library and its resources, while
mentioned spontaneously during the interview. they themselves were not. Students with library
Similarly, when the actions or attitudes of whites anxiety may also avoid the reference librarian out
were explicitly mentioned, it was in terms of a of a fear that the librarian may judge the student as
belief that they had more access to information incompetent. Library anxiety is not the exclusive
than did black students, that white professors gave province of the undergraduate, but can also be
white students more information because they present in graduate students who may avoid
formed closer relationships with them, and even if feelings of discomfort by putting off work that
the parties didn’t mean to exclude students of requires a visit to the library, or procrastinate on
color from the information, such exclusion was projects and assignments (Onwuegbuzie & Jiao,
bound to occur (according to participants). 1997 and 2000). Stress avoidance as manifested
Students also said it was necessary to filter by students can mean that they do not ask for
people’s comments and actions – it was hard to assistance from the librarian when needed so that
know who was a friend or who had their best they do not learn about sources that would help
interests at heart. them with their academic information needs.
Graduate students with perfectionist tendencies
There was a concern that retrieved information will also exhibit some form of library anxiety due
would be viewed as insufficient or inadequate by to the conflicts inherent in trying to control their
other students and professors. This made academic work (where they can exhibit
information sharing, such as leading a discussion, perfectionism) and their inability to successfully
difficult and added another layer of discomfort to navigate and use the library. Finally, Jiao and
the experience, above and beyond the nerves or Onwuegbuzie (1998) hypothesized that library
anxiousness that might normally accompany such anxiety may be an important element as to why a
an assignment. Students stated that while it was significant portion of graduate students do not
often difficult for them to fill their information complete their degrees due to failure to complete
needs, they believed that this was not a problem their thesis or dissertation, which usually requires
for white students because their research tended to extensive use of library resources and a high level
focus on issues common to or typical for the of library expertise.
majority population--which there was a great deal
of easily accessible, existing research. They also Although the concept of library anxiety is a useful
stated that white students can be unwilling to share start, it has limited application for today’s student,
their resources with black students. To deal with who has many options for information retrieval
this perceived lack of information sharing, outside of the physical structure of the library.
participants discussed their information dilemmas First, students have always obtained information
with other black graduate students from different for academic activities by talking to people such
departments, and used these students, rather than as their professors, other students, and university
Education Libraries, Volume 35, Number 1-2, Summer-Winter 2012
8
administrators. Second, the existence of journal will be regarded. One participant captured the
databases and e-books enables students to retrieve effect of this failure to assist with a basic task,
these resources anywhere the student has online such as having a paper reviewed by a faculty
access. Trips to the library can be avoided, member:
especially in disciplines that rely heavily on
journals and conference proceedings, resources “Because it’s not valued enough,
that are more likely to be available online. More it’s not worthy of your [the
and more older journals can be accessed remotely professor’s] attention, it’s not
via databases such as JSTOR, so that many worthy of you editing my paper
students may rarely need to visit the library during because it’s about a population
their entire academic career. Third, the internet that is beneath you. And then you
contains many authoritative sites from try and convince me to pick a
universities, think tanks, government, and different population. No. And
nonprofit organizations that students may use with then that becomes something that
confidence. Individual researchers and professors you use against me. And now you
may maintain their own authoritative web sites. make it seem like I’m wasting
None of these sources require that the student your time and forcing you to read
enter the library. a paper about some minorities
that you don’t want to read about,
The concept of information anxiety is more so that’s why you don’t want to
relevant to the information behavior of students help me with my research, ‘cause
when we consider these sources in the aggregate. it’s about minorities. And it’s
It focuses on what students are actually doing, been more than one student
fulfilling an information need, rather than where who’s had that issue.”
they do it. The mental stress surrounding
information activities and filling information If the student can’t count on faculty for help, the
needs should be labeled as such, since the goal is student is likely to go elsewhere for assistance;
obtaining information, which may or may not unfortunately, “elsewhere” rarely includes the
include visiting the library. In addition, framing library or librarian.
the problem as information anxiety allows the
concept to be examined in other contexts and for Anyone but the Librarian
other populations, such as the elderly, the Information search and retrieval tasks become
chronically ill, or people at work, populations that problematic if students are uncomfortable going to
may or may not use the library to meet librarians to meet these needs. From one
information needs. participant, “[y]ou’re at a point where you’re not
finding stuff. It gets a little stressful when you’re
Problems in Information Anxiety trying to decide what you need to look at and a lot
Upon examination of the findings, one cause of of times you’re just influenced by what you’ve
information anxiety for these students is the need already found.” This student was not going to the
to work in an atmosphere in which information is librarian for help, but struggling alone. That the
hoarded. This can be seen where professors fail to student is influenced by what was previously
provide information about comprehensive exams, found is particularly important: this student, like
so that the student has to find out this very others in the study, used what was familiar, even if
important information from other students and they thought the source might not have all the
where professors refuse to provide adequate information they needed for the task.
guidelines for information retrieval so that
students do not know what information the Participants were of two minds when it came to
professor wants and how the retrieved information librarians. First, they thought a librarian was only
Education Libraries, Volume 35, Number 1-2, Summer-Winter 2012
9
useful for locating materials or suggesting a environment in which graduate students work.
journal. All of the participants turned first to They have to meet the demands of many persons
Google Scholar in their search for relevant and organizations, demands that often occur
literature, then perhaps to one of the university simultaneously, such as the end of the semester
library’s journal databases. None of the comments grading as TAs and the need to submit their papers
suggested that students knew that a librarian could for their own classes. These demands, to get the
offer assistance by suggesting new approaches or work done, to turn in the paper, to record grades,
assisting with the unfamiliar jargon of a new etc., are often more important to the student than
discipline as a student worked through an the more intellectual or academic consideration of
information problem. Some hadn’t known of obtaining all information possible on a topic
services offered by the library. This behavior was (Katopol, 2007).
representative of information retrieval problems
faced by participants: they struggled in their Preferring “just enough” information also has an
efforts to obtain information, not to become expert effect on individual information management.
library users. While some students saved their search results for
subsequent use on a similar topic, other students
Second, participants believed that librarians had had no time for information management. This
no expertise in their area of interest, nor were they meant that each task required finding information
familiar with black scholars. They thought that anew, even though the time for search was limited.
librarians were disinterested in and disrespectful These students, like students everywhere, also
of minority-related research. Since many used information gleaned from searches
participants already felt like second-class citizens performed by other students. This can be
in the classroom and in their departments, they problematic, as such behavior reduces the chance
were not going to validate their negative feelings of encountering new and perhaps more useful
by going to a librarian and so avoided the library information. Certainly education has canonical
made their lives less stressful. literature which students will use repeatedly;
however, new information sources become
Staying in the Comfort Zone available all the time. Education librarians, whose
Because students rarely used the librarian’s job it is to keep abreast of these sources, are much
services, which might have provided the more likely to be able to recommend them to
opportunity to learn about new sources, they students than students are to find them on their
repeatedly used the sources with which they were own. However, if students will not consult with
familiar. They stayed in a limited space of familiar the librarian, whether from a false sense of
resources, rarely sought new ways of approaching security with preferred sources, or a reticence to
a topic, and preferred a safe space by obtaining work with a librarian, it is unlikely that they will
information from non-judgmental students, even find them at all.
students outside of their discipline, rather than risk
a librarian’s judgment of their library skills or Is It Real or Is It Just Me? Race and
research interests. Information Anxiety
A continuous theme through participants’
Another reason students do not use the library or responses was that of race and how it was a factor
librarians may be their need for ‘just enough’ as they attempted to meet their information needs.
information (Katopol, 2007). Information One way that race was a factor was in how
professionals may recoil at the idea that students students saw themselves through the eyes of
let time rather than the nature of the information others. In developing the concept of stereotype
need determine the amount of search and retrieval threat, Steele (1999) suggests that it is “the threat
performed for any given information task. Yet it is of being viewed through lens of a negative
important to consider the complex and dynamic stereotype, or the fear of doing something that
Education Libraries, Volume 35, Number 1-2, Summer-Winter 2012
10
would inadvertently confirm that stereotype” (46). you shouldn’t have.” There is little reason to share
Like many students, regardless of race, black insecurities about one’s work or questions about
students may feel embarrassed when they have to information needs when one fears that simply
admit they don’t know something and need to ask asking a question may end up negatively affecting
for help. However, black students carry the progress in the program.
additional burden of wondering if others will see There are two factors, one based in reality and one
their questions and insecurities as arising from based on perception, may prohibit the minority
incompetence. The black student might think that student / novice researcher from meeting his or her
simply by asking questions, others might think information needs. First, majority librarians may
that s/he does not belong in a graduate program. actually be unfamiliar with minority research
Stereotype threat is a powerful force constraining issues and scholars. Education is a broad and
the actions and interactions of black students as dynamic field and not every librarian or every
well as other populations. Since its introduction, subject specialist will be familiar with every
stereotype threat has been shown to affect the aspect of it. Second, black students believe that
behaviors of Latino women (Gonzales, , Blanton, librarians are unfamiliar with minority research
& Williams, 2002); women (Murphy, Steele, & issues. Whether reality or perception, the effect is
Gross, 2007; Good, Aronson, & Harder, 2008); that the student does not include a librarian in
and even white males in math classes vis-à-vis information tasks. Consider this comment as a
Asian students (Aronson, Lustina, Good, Keough, participant recounted the frustration stemming
Steele, & Brown, 1999). In information behavior, from attempting to work with a librarian,
it may manifest itself as a burden on black “I’m like ‘You’re a librarian,
students to know it all, to find all needed you’ve been here awhile, you
information on their own, and to be competent in know the system, you know my
their discipline to an extent not expected of non- discipline. I’m not new in this
minority students. [research area], I’m not breaking
ground in any kind of way, but
For black students in majority institutions, you don’t seem to know
stereotype threat is a constant companion and anything I’m asking you, I find
source of stress, affecting their dealings with that to be hard to believe but yet
librarians as well as faculty, staff, and even other you still have a job, amazingly.’
students. From being the only black person at a Yeah, I was very frustrated. I
departmental event, to being unable to share your was frustrated because I spent
research interests with other students, to not being several hours getting nowhere.
considered as a serious scholar either due to your After that another minority
race or your research interests, black students in student told me a secret, which
majority institutions face a constellation of was don’t waste your time at the
racially-oriented problems, of which information library - here’s the person, you
anxiety is only a part. As one participant put it, email this person, and that’s it.”
“When I talk about such issues [topics related to
black concerns], I feel like all the time that I’m This level of dissatisfaction with library staff’s
educating rather than getting something back.” ability to handle their sometimes unique
This attitude was seen across participants. The information needs may lead black graduate
racial climate also caused some students to students to, at best, avoid the library, and at worst,
consider what they said and to whom, especially to believe that the librarians were overtly trying
in regards to problems they may have within the not to work with them. A combination of
program: “Trying to figure out who you can trust, stereotype threat and a general feeling of unease
who you can’t is more difficult. You hope that you may lead to the sense that one was “wasting time”
haven’t already said something to somebody that trying to work with a librarian.
Education Libraries, Volume 35, Number 1-2, Summer-Winter 2012
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At a time in their academic career when students
Summary are tasked with doing most work on their own,
The electronic and human information resources when they may be most in need of a relationship
that graduate students use for academic tasks with a librarian, they have not forged that critical
suggest that the concept of library anxiety should contact. Although willing to shoulder the burdens
be usefully reframed into one of information of being a minority scholar, they may find that in
anxiety. Most of the graduate students who the end, the burden becomes intolerable and is
participated in this study had a working grasp of better left behind. The viable option becomes
the library’s basic functions, so that the physical leaving school without the degree, despite
structure of the library or disturbing the librarian coursework success.
was not their greatest concern. Rather, the
participants’ anxiety arose from issues regarding Limitations and Suggestions for Future
online information: 1) finding too much This study has limitations that affect its
information, so that they spent a lot of time applicability to other black graduate students.
determining relevance; 2) not finding enough First, the study is exploratory only and limited to
information, so that it was difficult to do research; fewer than ten students. While the responses
and 3) determining authenticity and authority of provide an indication of the information behaviors
the online sources. When working with human of other similarly situated students, the findings
sources of information, anxiety arose when cannot be applied to all black graduate students.
students had to seek out information from people There may have been too few participants to
(librarians and faculty) who knew little about determine whether there was no new information
research on minority populations and when they to be gained from interviewing additional
felt that neither professors nor fellow students participants. Perhaps there are other methods of
treated them as serious academics. These concerns satisfying information needs that did not become
were exacerbated by comments that participants apparent in the present study.
took as a personal affronts, such as “How did you
find that source?” (emphasis added by When researching visible minorities on a majority
participant). Knowing that they would have to campus, it may be very difficult to obtain
share their findings with others increased participants, especially where these students are
information anxiety at the search stage, especially the sole, or one of a very few, visible minorities in
as to the quality and quantity of the retrieved their department and do not wish to bring attention
information. While most graduate students have to themselves. Qualitative research elicits some
moments of uncertainty during their program; very strong responses from participants, which
these findings suggest that participants’ adds depth to the findings, but it may be useful to
uncertainty arises as much from anxiety over how employ a mixed methods approach in a future
their information will be received by others, and study. Using a small number of on-campus
whether that reception will be tainted by racial participants as a focus group and sending surveys
stereotypes. The perception that faculty and to black student groups on other campuses should
library staff lack interest and expertise in research obtain a much wider range of responses and aid in
related to minorities is not seen simply as a determining whether the study’s findings are true
difficulty to be overcome by one’s own efforts, for students at other schools. In addition,
but as invalidating participants’ research interests. researchers must be careful not to lump all
Why should others listen to them if it is clear from minorities into one population for study. Blacks,
the institutional atmosphere that their work is not Hispanics, and Asians have significantly different
valued? Thus, every aspect of participants’ histories in the United States and the differences
information behavior can be a cause of among various minority groups should be
information anxiety. respected as we try to learn more about their
information behaviors.
Education Libraries, Volume 35, Number 1-2, Summer-Winter 2012
12
Information professionals working in education
Despite the study’s limitations, it is consistent libraries cannot erase students’ perceptions about
with the findings of an unpublished study from race that have been cultivated over generations. It
2002 (Katopol). In that study, black graduate is worthwhile, however, for people who interact
students from various disciplines at “University with students who struggle with anxieties and
Y” (the pseudonym of a large, RU/VH, Research stressors that stem from being a minority in a
University, very high research activity)) were asked a majority environment to recognize the existence of
series of questions about their information these stressors and perceptions that affect whether
gathering behavior with the intent to learn about and how these students will work with librarians.
library anxiety and this population. Like students It might be useful for librarians in institutions with
in the current study, participants at University Y graduate programs to work with faculty and
overwhelmingly used the internet to search for minority students to develop collections that
information, and preferred online resources, reflect research interests of and research produced
whether owned or controlled by the university by minority scholars, if they do not do so already.
library or not, rather than go to the library. Time In addition, librarians might work more closely
was again the primary constraint in participants’ with the department to show students the variety
information behavior, as participants had families of resources and help them become more
and work commitments that they stated reduced comfortable with them. They might also use
the amount of time they could spend on campus course syllabi to become more familiar with the
and in the library. These students preferred to use field.
previously successful sources and search terms
and did not make an effort to learn about new Despite the struggles that may occur as they try to
sources or more effective search methods, despite meet their information needs, these students saw
stating that they knew they “should” try to find all themselves as certain of their abilities, steadfast in
relevant sources. Participants explicitly stated that the pursuit of their research, and open to sharing
they were hesitant to seek help from a librarian out their information experiences with similar
of a concern as to whether library staff would students. This initial look into the entirety of black
think they were “stupid” or didn’t know how to graduate students’ information behavior indicates
use the library. When the previous findings are the complexity of needs which prompt the
compared to the present study, the findings are behavior, behavior which often occurs outside of
very similar and suggest that this issue be revisited the library’s boundaries and suggests that
not just for students in one discipline, but for information anxiety should be the continuing
students across disciplines. focus of research.

Conclusion References
In many ways, black graduate students are no Aronson, J., Lustina, M. J., Good, C., Keough, K.,
different from other graduate students. They have Steele, C. M., & Brown, J. (1999). When
the same needs for the same types of information white men can’t do math: Necessary and
as others, they have to find information in the sufficient factors in stereotype threat.
same places as other students, i.e. library Journal of Experimental Social
resources, human resources as well as electronic Psychology, 35, 29-46.
resources that are not controlled by the library. Council of Graduate Schools. (2008). Ph.D.
They have the same need to be respected as completion and attrition: Analysis of
persons and as new members of the academic baseline demographic data from the Ph.D.
community. They have the same need to have Completion Project. Retrieved from
others show interest in their research and to http://www.phdcompletion.org/information
respect it. /Executive_Summary_Demographics_Boo
k_II.pdf
Education Libraries, Volume 35, Number 1-2, Summer-Winter 2012
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