Librarians an endangered species

New research into the way academic researchers use resource discovery tools has revealed that most are more likely to use online search engines than university librarians to locate the information they need.

The study, commissioned by the Research Information Network, questioned 395 researchers and 55 librarians and information officers at universities across the UK to assess how they use and perceive resource discovery services.

It found that while 84% of those questioned use general search engines such as Google, and 66% use specialist search engines such as Web of Knowledge often or regularly, only 15% use librarians, with 29% saying they never employ them at all.

The biggest source of frustration among researchers, meanwhile, is not with the research discovery services themselves but with the fact that it is not always possible to access the articles and books found by these services. “The institution does not subscribe to the journal I need,” was a common complaint.

The study, Researchers and Discovery Services: Behaviour, Perceptions and Needs, said the findings show how quickly researchers have come to rely on online information.

Only one researcher questioned suggested that e-journals are not ‘real’ journals – a view that is common in older research findings.

According to the study: “It is clear that academic researchers have become so accustomed to getting resources directly on their desktop from anywhere in the world that dissatisfaction when something isn’t available is now the normal reaction.”

The survey found that the vast majority of academic researchers are self-taught, with more than two-thirds having received no formal training in using research discovery services. While few see this as a problem, most librarians believe they need better training to “exploit discovery tools to their fullest potential”. “Most researchers appear confident in their use of resource discovery tools,” stated the report, adding: “It is difficult to know to what degree this confidence is justified.”

Despite their reliance on internet-based information, the study also shows that researchers are making use of only a limited selection of technological tools. Few subscribe to RSS feeds, describing them as overwhelming, and only a small proportion make use of Web 2.0 technologies such as blogging.

Just under 10% look at blogs frequently or regularly, and more than 66% never use them. Similarly, while academic researchers often ask their colleagues for help, few make use of online social networking services to harness available expertise.

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