Adapting and evolving: Generation Z's information beliefs.

Each new generation of students brings with them new information beliefs and practices, with Generation Z being no different, evolving along with the world while finding ways to meet their information needs. Using previous research that had established a scale for information beliefs created by Brenda Dervin, we were able to approach the complexity of "information beliefs" with greater ease. In this study we've explored these information beliefs through distributing a Likert scale survey to all incoming freshmen students at a regional campus of a large state flagship university in 2017 and 2019. Through exploratory data analysis we were able to see that students did not consistently agree or disagree with Dervin's Ten Information Assumptions, but clearly have a common theme. These themes revolved around the value of informal sources and being overwhelmed by information which results in information uncertainty, leaving students still searching even when they feel they have found a source. This study helps to shed light on areas where librarians, in particular instructional librarians, can help this current generation of students grapple with the perceived availability of information and how authority is context dependent. • Generation Z's information assumptions range widely, both accurately and inaccurately. • They experience information overload which alters the types of information they use. • They also attempt to discover a perfect source even if one does not exist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]