Library information provider OCLC Research, US, has announced that its scientists, in partnership with JISC, have released a study titled ‘The Digital Information Seeker: Report of Findings From Selected OCLC, RIN and JISC User Behaviour Projects’. The report seeks to analyse and synthesise 12 separate studies to make it easier for information professionals to better understand information-seeking behaviours of library users. It also aims to help the professionals review the issues associated with the development of information services and systems that will best meet these users' needs.
The study, authored by Dr. Lynn Silipigni Connaway and Dr. Timothy J. Dickey, 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 organisations and government agencies, and were reviewed by the authors, who analysed the findings, compared their analyses and identified the overlapping and contradictory findings.
A synthesis of findings from these 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; and 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 past 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 UK users. This analysis provided an opportunity to identify the common findings as well as the contradictory findings.
The full text of ‘The Digital Information Seeker: Report of Findings From Selected OCLC, RIN and JISC User Behaviour Projects’ can be found on the JISC website at http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/publications/reports/2010/digitalinformationseekerreport.pdf.
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