Information-Seeking Behavior and Reference Medium Preferences (original) (raw)
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User Preferences in Reference Services: Virtual Reference and Academic Libraries
This study examines the use of chat in an academic library’s user population and where virtual reference services might fit within the spectrum of public services offered by academic libraries. Using questionnaires, this research demonstrates that many within the academic community are open to the idea of chat-based reference or using chat for some loosely defined “research purposes,” but this openness does not necessarily result in high levels of use. The primary purpose of this study was to determine whether the lack of virtual reference use could, in part, be explained by students’ preference for competing methods and technologies for obtaining reference assistance. This study demonstrates a pattern that suggests chat-based reference does not compete well with other methods of providing reference service.
2006
Rowena Li, a school media specialist at Bayside High School in New York, is a Ph.D. student in information science at the University of North Texas. She received her Master Degree of Library and Information Science from Queens College, CUNY, in 1997. She has worked in her current position for more than four years. Prior to that, she worked as a senior reference librarian at Queens Borough Public Library in New York, a prospect researcher at Queens College Foundation, and a lecturer at Nankai University in China. Her research interests focus upon cross-lingual information retrieval and cultural dimensions of documentations and website designs.This study investigates patrons' information seeking behavior and information needs demonstrated in the virtual reference environment, by examining the usage patterns and service effectiveness of virtual reference services in a large academic library. Both live chat and e-mail reference questions are analyzed quantitatively by mapping peak u...
2015
In libraries around the world there are people asking librarians for research assistance. As technology has advanced and communication strategies have moved outside the physical library buildings, librarians now respond to reference queries online. This study analyzed two forms of virtual reference; instant messaging (IM) and log-in chat. The purpose of this study was to find out if there is any inherent difference between the way the patrons or the librarians used these two virtual services. An exploratory research design focused on numerous aspects of virtual reference communication. During the spring terms of academic years 2011 and 2012 at a community college, 1,341 transcripts of IM and log-in chat sessions were recorded. Using a systematic sampling process, 320 transcripts were sampled and their content analyzed. Findings indicate that a length of the transaction significantly affected the outcome of all transactions. Log-in chats were generally longer than IM chats and it was...
Information Seeking Behaviour of the Users of Academic Libraries
DESIDOC Journal of Library & Information Technology, 2021
This study offers a critical review of selected studies. A point of departure is the focus on the methodology used and the related issue of whether the inferences drawn are justified by the methodologies used. This is thus meant to be potentially useful for researchers in the broad area of information –seeking behaviour of the users in a digital environment. Eleven studies were selected for a deeper understanding of their users’ information needs and information-seeking behaviour and to make suggestions on how to enhance the effectiveness of library services and their efficient utilisation. The libraries selected for the present study are diverse–college libraries, university libraries, public libraries and a Government Department library. Our review is based on the results obtained through critical study and examination of the literature with the main focus on the Information Seeking Behaviour of the users. There is a diverse range of libraries and users covered by these studies, a...
2015
The websites provided by academic libraries are challenged by the rapid developments in information and communication technology (ICT). These developments have created diverse options and channels for information sources that can be accessed easily by users through the Internet. Because of these alternate sources, many users no longer physically visit the library. Instead, they depend on the library’s website to obtain information online, or they use Internet searches to obtain the information they require. This research addresses the following question: How do the users of academic libraries search for information and interact with the libraries’ web interfaces? The research draws on models from the disciplines of information-seeking behaviour (ISB) and human-computer interaction (HCI). A unified model based on the models in ISB and HCI is created and investigated. In addition, a qualitative study has been conducted to investigate users’ information needs, information-seeking behav...
Virtual Reference Services at a University Library
This is a case study to explore the practices of virtual reference services at one of the academic libraries at a university. The library supports the needs of about 4500 to 5000 users from various programs, from undergraduate to postgraduate levels. The library provides reference services via various channels, from face to face to electronic mediums. The study is conducted to understand more about the current practices of reference services, particularly through electronic mediums at the campus, to identify issues faced by the librarians in supporting those users' demands, and to provide several recommendations. Library users have various needs and librarians have to support those needs through the services that they provide on a daily basis. A quick response and feedback from librarians are expected. Some of the questions that the librarians receive everyday from their users could have been avoided if proper database systems are available to store them for future retrieval. However, having a system in place and enforcing people to use it can be challenging. The library needs to revisit their policy and processes related to reference services to support virtual reference services. It is good to have various ways of communicating with the users to give them flexibility; however, the library should have the capability to support them. Reference librarians should give equal attention to inquiries directly from e-mails as they would give to inquiries directly from users at the reference desk. The study has revealed that the services they provide through electronic mediums to users can be improved to reduce manual management of questions and answers between the librarians and users. Thus, the study has resulted in the development of a system prototype to support virtual reference services. In addition, librarians need to be well-trained and competent in using social media tools to take full advantage of the benefits offered by these technologies.
Information-Seeking Behaviour of the Users of Academic Libraries: A Critical Review of Literature
DESIDOC Journal of Library & Information Technology, , 2021
This study offers a critical review of selected studies. A point of departure is the focus on the methodology used and the related issue of whether the inferences drawn are justified by the methodologies used. This is thus meant to be potentially useful for researchers in the broad area of information-seeking behaviour of the users in a digital environment. Eleven studies were selected for a deeper understanding of their users' information needs and information-seeking behaviour and to make suggestions on how to enhance the effectiveness of library services and their efficient utilisation. The libraries selected for the present study are diverse-college libraries, university libraries, public libraries and a Government Department library. Our review is based on the results obtained through critical study and examination of the literature with the main focus on the Information Seeking Behaviour of the users. There is a diverse range of libraries and users covered by these studies, and several interesting hypotheses could be statistically validated. Without statistical validation of hypotheses, the inferences lack robustness. This is a striking weakness of the extant literature-including the sample examined here. However, some constructive suggestions are made. These include a focus on special libraries, methodological extensions and refinements, and a broadening of the hypotheses and validation of inferences. We believe our review fulfils an important gap as scant attention is given to analytical rigour.
PRIORITIES OF COLLEGE STUDENTS FOR ACADEMIC LIBRARY INFORMATION SOURCES IN THE DIGITAL ERA
International Journal of Knowledge Management and Practices, 2022
Information technology has changed the role of libraries in terms of services, facilities, collection and so on. At the same time, there occurs expansion in the boundaries of searching/browsing. Also, innovative formats came into play. Accordingly, user behaviour also got influenced. With the result, they (users) demand quick, fast, effective responses. For which technology need to be accepted and implemented in libraries for their (user) betterment. Even a generation (Generation Y) has been identified possessing a number of characters influenced due to technological adaptive behaviours. Proving technology has the ability to give a new direction to libraries. By keeping oceans of information preserved as well as inherited to future generations in a most suitable form.
User Perceptions and Virtual Reference Services
As academic librarians embrace the Internet as an appropriate medium for information exchange, communication, and instruction, college and university students are also becoming more familiar and comfortable with emerging technologies, including both synchronous and asynchronous tools. Acceptance of Web based products that provide speed, convenience, and anonymity cannot, however, be assumed, especially in a non-recreational context. Based on survey and interview responses, this paper discusses actual usage patterns and behaviors, what users in an academic setting expected to receive from an Ask a Librarian service, and the implications these findings might have on future virtual reference projects.