OCLC researchers partner JISC report
OCLC Research scientists, in partnership with JISC, have analyzed and synthesized 12 separate studies to make it easier for information professionals to better understand information-seeking behaviours of library users and to review the issues associated with the development of information services and systems that will best meet these users' needs.
The Digital Information Seeker: Report of Findings From Selected OCLC, RIN and JISC User Behaviour Projects, by Lynn Silipigni Connaway, Ph.D. and Timothy J. Dickey, Ph.D., OCLC Research, was funded by JISC, and was presented during the JISC Annual Conference in London in April.
The 12 selected studies were commissioned and/or supported by non-profit organizations and government agencies, and were reviewed by Dr. Connaway and Dr. Dickey who analyzed the findings, compared their analyses and identified the overlapping and contradictory findings.
A synthesis of findings from these major user studies points toward a number of implications for libraries that are shared by multiple studies, including:
- Library systems must do better at providing seamless access to resources
- Librarians must increasingly consider a greater variety of digital formats and content
- Library systems and content must be prepared for changing user behaviours
- Library systems need to look and function more like search engines, i.e., Google and Yahoo, and Web services, i.e., Amazon.com, since these are familiar to users who are comfortable and confident in using them
- High-quality metadata is becoming more important for discovery of appropriate resources
- The library must advertise its brand, its value, and its resources better within the community
There are many more published user behaviour studies than the 12 included in this synopsis and analysis, according to the study. This study was an attempt to review major, funded studies that were published within the last five years and that specifically addressed electronic content, users' perceptions of their information-seeking behaviours, and library catalogues. In addition, an emphasis was placed on studies of U.K. users. This analysis provided an opportunity to identify the common findings as well as the contradictory findings.
"The findings from the 12 studies indicate that users want access to even more full-text digital content," the study concludes. "Though they value the traditional library services and human sources of information, they are already adapting to new realities in the information world, and new opportunities in access to information resources."