We will present the results of our study on the affective dimensions of information literacy, including frustration and anxiety with the process of and expectations surrounding academic research, feelings of information overload, and internalized guilt and shame about relying on web sources, as well as the intersections with class status and economic privilege. We examine themes that emerged through directed conversations with focus groups of students enrolled at the Springfield, Missouri campus of Ozarks Technical Community College. We will also describe the affective thresholds that are suggested by our findings, and the implications for teaching and learning.
