First gen, PhD: Understanding the information horizons of first-generation graduate students pursuing research-intensive careers

How do first-generation college students make the transition to graduate school, and subsequently, research-intensive professions? What information sources are sought and what barriers are experienced by this diverse population as they enter the global community of scholars? Information science researchers have recognized the responsibility to understand and provide support for the information needs of first-generation college students; however, much of the LIS research to date has been conducted at the undergraduate level (see Ilet, 2019). Less is known about the information needs and practices of those first-generation students who decide to pursue graduate education, and subsequently, research-intensive careers. This poster presents a method for studying first-generation graduate students’ information needs in early career decision making, drawing from the information horizons framework developed by Sonnenwald (1999) to examine when first-generation graduate students make significant education and career-related decisions, sources used when seeking career-related information, the role of individuals and information and communication technologies (ICTs) in this information seeking, and the impact of personal and professional values on graduates’ decisions in pursuing research-intensive professions and early professional positions. Ilett, D. (2019). A Critical Review of LIS Literature on First-Generation Students. portal: Libraries and the Academy, 19(1), 177-196. Sonnenwald, D. H. (1999). Evolving perspectives of human information behavior: Contexts, situations, social networks and information horizons. In Exploring the contexts of information behavior: Proceedings of the Second International Conference in Information Needs (pp. 176-190). London: Taylor Graham