Re‐Centering Academics' Needs in Societal Impact Work: Exploring the Influence of Professional Staff Information Behaviors on University Practices

ABSTRACT Universities now focus on the societal impact of research, yet there is a disconnect between the information environment and the needs of academics undertaking impact‐related work. While universities acknowledge that undertaking research designed for societal impact requires changes to research culture and practices, the information and support provided do not reflect the complexity of that work. Professional staff mediate information from various sources, such as government policies, university strategies, funders' requirements, and academics' needs; however, the effectiveness and appropriateness of support provided is understudied. This qualitative study explores the information behaviors of professional staff developing and facilitating academics' engagement in impact work. It finds that while professional staff undertook iterative processes of self‐informing, mediation, and information use to support impact work, their privileging of institutional and external influences, ahead of academics' needs, creates a disconnect between services provided and what academics need. This study increases awareness of the influence of professional staff's information behaviors on impact supports, which can inform academic‐centered, responsive approaches to support contextualized, personalized and responsive information services in universities.