Librarian as Advisor: Information Search Process of Undecided Students and Novice Researchers

Faculty librarians who advise undecided students have found the experiences of novice researcher and advisee comparable: Both groups seek to solve a problem or answer a question by finding new information to add to their current understanding and knowledge base. As a result, librarians familiar with needs and stages of the research process may flourish as advisors to undecided students. In this article, we draw parallels between the needs of novice researchers and those of undecided students, and we advocate the use of an information-search model for all advisors working with undecided students.