In this collaborative project, academic librarians across six colleges in New Jersey surveyed first-year students regarding their research preparation and their experiences in high school and in their first year of college. Data from this study was used in a subsequent article that looked at first-years' confidence in specific information literacy skills, the strategies learners brought with them from high school, and how research projects, expectations, and finding and using information were different from high school to college. The findings of the First Years suggested a taxonomy of IL skills in three categories: information management, critical thinking and metacognition. The results hold important implications for instructional design of IL skills at both the high school and college levels and suggest that students require differentiated, personalized attention.