With the technological development of the last decades, an increasing number of genealogists are carrying out their research online. The purpose of this master’s thesis is to examine how and why genealogists' information behavior has been influenced by the use of online services for genealogy. Using a conceptual model of genealogists' information behavior as theoretical basis for the study, I examine how the use of online services affect genealogists’ search process, what information they are looking for and what information resources they use. Data is collected by seven qualitative interviews with experienced genealogists.The interviews indicate that online services have not completely taken over the genealogists’ search for information. Genealogists still went to physical repositories for a number of reasons. However, all participants in the study agreed that their visits to physical repositories and their use of physical records had declined since they began to use online services. The search for information was perceived to have become easier and more convenient with online services, although participants also acknowledged the risks of misleading information. Online services for genealogy also seem to have an influence on the contact between genealogists, especially on international contacts. This, together with the increasing research on foreign material, indicates that genealogy has been internationalized as a result of the use of online services. To the extent that the use of online services affects genealogists' information behavior, it seems in large part to be a result of online services removing geographical barriers that previously influenced genealogists’ information behavior. This is a two years master’s thesis in Archival Science.

This thesis strives to explore the PhD students’ information behavior (information needs, information search strat-egies and information management) to see how information literacy (use of information services and resources as well asinformation accessibility and intermediation) can evolve through increased access to information, resources and ideas. The theoretical foundation of the study is Carol C. Kuhlthau’s model of the information search process (ISP-model). Two different surveys were used, first a participant observation and then interviews, with a user group consisting of six postgraduates. The postgraduates were all from different disciplines within the same collage, in the middle of their dissertation and highly motivated by regular information seeking sessions. The study shows that postgraduate students’ knowledge of information behavior and information literacy is inadequate, something that graduate students are largely aware of and wish to change. In conclusion, PhD students need support to maintain, adapt and expand their knowledge. The study indicates that there are many areas where postgraduates’ information literacy can be developed and that there is much to be gained by enhancing the knowledge transfer between information specialists (librarians) and users. This thesis is a two years’ Master’s thesis in Archive, Library and Museum studies.