Project Information Literacy (PIL) is a series of national research studies that investigates what it is like to be a student in the digital age. Since 2008, we have surveyed and interviewed more than 13,000 college students and recent graduates from over 60 U.S. higher education institutions, making PIL the largest study of information literacy ever conducted. We seek to understand how students find information and conduct research — in their words and through their experiences — for coursework and solving information problems in their everyday lives. In this plenary talk, PIL’s information-seeking model is introduced and key research takeaways are presented from PIL’s different studies. Also included are examples from PIL’s work about how academic librarians throughout the country are developing ways for strengthening and supporting undergraduate research and ultimately, for helping students to succeed at learning.
