Peiling Wang

Use of Digital Information Resources Use of Digital Information Resources & Internet Tools by Academic Researchers in & Internet Tools by Academic Researchers in

the U.S., Greece & Chinathe U.S., Greece & China

Dimitris A. Dervos

Libraries in the Digital AgeLibraries in the Digital Age (LIDA) (LIDA) 20072007

May 28- June 2, Dubrovnik & Mljet, May 28- June 2, Dubrovnik & Mljet, CroatiaCroatia

Why this study?Why this study?

Scholarly communication and information seeking have always been topics of interest in the field

Information environment has changed rapidly as a result of the Internet

Researchers’ information seeking (IS) behaviors

Two-dimensional Framework Two-dimensional Framework Guiding Research DesignGuiding Research Design

Dimension A: IS activitiesA.1. General, pertaining to long-term research

needs

A.2. Task-based, corresponding to project lifecycle

Dimension B: Internet Information & Communication Technology/Resources (IICT) B.1. Internet communication tools

B.2. Internet-enabled information resources

IS activitiesIS activities

A.1. General IS Behaviors Pertaining to Long-term Research Needs Monitoring Monitoring Browsing Browsing Managing Managing ArchivingArchiving

A.2. Task-based IS Behaviors Corresponding to Project Lifecycle Starting Starting Searching Searching Accessing Accessing Chaining Chaining EndingEnding

Internet Information & Internet Information & Communication ToolsCommunication Tools

B.1. Internet Communication Tools Email Email Web Web FTPFTP ListservListserv Blog Blog WikiWiki Instant messagingInstant messaging

B.2. Internet-enabled Information Resources Database Database Digital libraryDigital library E-Journal E-Journal Online library Online library

catalogcatalog

Relating Research Questions Relating Research Questions to Frameworkto Framework

How do researchers engage in two types of How do researchers engage in two types of IS activities in today’s digital environment?IS activities in today’s digital environment?

What IICTs do researchers use/not use for What IICTs do researchers use/not use for IS?IS?

General IS activities Task-based IS activities

Internet Communication Tools

Internet Information Resources

Are there any differences in IS activities and Are there any differences in IS activities and the use of IICTs in the US, China, and the use of IICTs in the US, China, and Greece?Greece?

Research DesignResearch Design

Semi-structured interviewsPart I: checklist of 9 IICTs

Part II: paired questions (length & frequency)

Part III: sorting from most to least important

Part IV: How do researchers engage in IS activities? Which IICTs do they use to support specific IS activities?

Disciplines ConsideredDisciplines Considered

Productive and active researchers (faculty and doctoral students) from following fields:

Computer Science

Engineering

Information Science

Journalism

Humanities

Data Collection in ProgressData Collection in Progress

Summer 2005: Started in the US at a

research intensive state university

December 2005: Extended to China in

three national universities

September 2006: Extended to Greece in

three higher level institutions

Participants in CS and Engineering as Participants in CS and Engineering as Reported in This PaperReported in This Paper

R&D Expenditure (% GDP) in 2004 US is 4.6 times of Greece US is 1.9 times of China

Researchers (per million people) 2004 US is 3.4 times of Greece US is 6.8 times of China

Internet users (per thousand people) US is 3.6 times of Greece in 2004 US is 2.3 times of Greece in 2006 US is 8.6 times of China in 2004 US is 5.3 times of China in 2006

28

19

35

∑ = 82

IICT Usage: Communication ToolsIICT Usage: Communication Tools

email, Web, FTP, and Listserv are the four IICTs used by more than 50% participants in at least one country (Listserv is used only by 14% participants in China)

Blogs, Wiki, Instant messaging: not in our original lists, mentioned by some participants. Most CS and Eng researchers do not use

IICT Usage: Information ResourcesIICT Usage: Information Resources

All participants in the US and Greece use at least one of the four resources

The most used is digital library and the least used is e-journal

terminological confusion about e-journal overlapping in access to different resources converging and integrating resource access

Perceived IICT ImportancePerceived IICT Importance

Rank All (N=82) US (N=28) Greece (N=19) China (N=35)

1st Web Email Web Email

2nd Email Web Digital library E-journal

3rd Digital library Digital library E-journal Web

4th E-journal E-journal Email Digital library

5th Database OPAC Database Database

6th OPAC Database OPAC OPAC

Note: Based on median; the medians; means are used as tiebreaker.

Information Needs Satisfied by Information Needs Satisfied by Digital Resources Digital Resources

85% in Greece 81% in the US 74% in China

Note:

Participants from CS and Engineering

Reasons for Not Using IICTsReasons for Not Using IICTs

My opinion from the blogs I've seen so far, they're a lot of discussion, a lot of information, and you need a lot of time to process this discussion, and I don't have this time. ...

In my project, I used a lot of drawings and blue prints that will never be in electronic format. .

Even though we say "that's referred"[e-journals] ... I think it takes time for those old people to recognize the value of them

... large files like several gigabytes data that ftp couldn't support

Personal situation & perceptions

time constraints information overload availability convenience unknown nature of projects

Field or social context

trust peer-reviewed tenure tradition disciplinary norm network externality

Resource characteristics

form or mode organization & structure focus usefulness

IS BehaviorIS Behavior

Conferences continue to be an important informal channel of communication and information exchange

In CS and Eng some conferences are rated higher than journals in determining the value and impact of a research publication

Challenges to libraries and Challenges to libraries and librarianslibrarians

... thanks to the Internet, I don't have to rely on the library

Basically, the only reason I would go to the library is to get coffee.

I think that the role of the library will have to change.

General IS ActivitiesGeneral IS Activities

monitoring is much easier today with the Web and various alerts via email; online availability of conference programs/proceedings is also a boon

managing information is a big challenge

archiving with institutional repositories or disciplinary repositories is reported only by three Greek researchers

China has a university-based registry system to keep track of research output

Managing Digital InformationManaging Digital Information

A wide range of methods are adopted print out (do not save e-files)

piles, binders, file cabinet keep e-files for only a period (6 months to 2

years) personal bibliographic software multiple copies to folders and subfolders multiple copies in multiple computers group server rely on the Internet (“good stuff will be

there.”)

Task-based IS ActivitiesTask-based IS Activities

starting is not a critical stage for senior researchers; most use the Web as the first source

searching is often extended by visiting experts’ homepages for publications

accessing appears to be done in the following order: digital library, inter-library loan, author’s homepage, email to the author

chaining is made easier now with resources providing both forward and backward links (CiteSeer is the most mentioned)

ending

Implications Implications

Active researchers should maintain an up-to-date research homepage

Librarians and libraries must find new roles the physical library as we know it is being

challenged to transform to something new institutional repository a shift from service and user instruction to

user studies and design & redesign of information resources

Implications (cont’d)Implications (cont’d)

New digital tools and resources mustmeet needs and incorporate new behaviors incorporate what users know and how they use

information embed learning in use to facilitate correct

conceptual understanding revamp current personal bibliographic database

tools with new models that incorporate information needs and seeking behaviors