With over 1 million international students enrolling in US colleges and universities every year and the continued expansion of available information, including the spread of mis- and dis-information, it is essential that students be information literate and know how to effectively search for, critically evaluate, and produce information. Understanding international students' experiences with information literacy (IL) both prior to and during their study in the US is vital to US institutions to better support and engage with this population of students. Utilizing a basic qualitative study design, the aim of this study was to investigate the experiences and needs of seven Chinese graduate international students related to IL and the research process as well as IL instruction at a US institution. Data was collected through focus groups, participant observations, and interviews, then viewed through the lens of Vygotsky's sociocultural learning theory. The findings highlight the participants' utilization of prior experiences and funds of knowledge when searching for and evaluating information, as well as when exploring research ideas and their implementation. Additionally, emergent findings revealed that the participants' experiences with IL and academic research were entangled with their everyday lives and larger experiences with information. Participants emphasized the importance of community in academia and the development of their own scholarly voice and authority. This study took an asset-based approach to underscore the importance of the knowledge and skills that Chinese graduate international students bring to a PhD program in the US and challenges commonly held deficit perspectives that international students are deficient in IL. The experiences of the participants are analyzed through the lens of Vygotsky's sociocultural learning theory and situated within the frames of the Association of College and Research Libraries' "Framework for Information Literacy in Higher Education" to exhibit the knowledge, dispositions, and skills that they possess. Finally, this study has implications for librarians, educators, and researchers investigating IL and who work with international students in the US higher education system. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]