“I'm in sheer survival mode”: Information behaviour and affective experiences of early career academics

Abstract

Affect plays an important role in the information behavior of early career academics. While there is a recognition of the importance of affect to information behavior in the information science literature, there has been a lack of empirical research that details its influence. Using a constructivist grounded theory methodology, early career academics were followed for a 5- to 7-month period and data were collected using in-depth and brief, ‘check-in’ interviews. Three prominent aspects of early career academics' affective experiences are described and their connection to specific information behavior is discussed, including feelings of: stress (linked to prioritization, information nonuse, information avoidance, and information seeking from colleagues); frustration (linked to prioritization and decision making to discontinue, persevere, or change tactics); and, stability and belonging (linked to comparison as a way of using information, seeking help, building information relationships, and sharing information with colleagues).