How is user behavior at your library changing?

Ineke van Mourik, MA,
Coordinator Electronic Collection Building, University Library Utrecht, The Netherlands

Do the old users of the library still exist?  Yes, they still exist. They are studying very quietly with books in the reading rooms of special collections or amidst computers and laptops. But in the breast of every old user dwells also the modern user. There is hardly anybody who doesn’t use the advanced possibilities hitherto unknown.

But above all there is the ultramodern user. She or he has been brought up in a world in which the computer and other virtual devices are like an extra limb. Without them they are stumblers in a world of promises. In a jiffy they can log-in and Google around: They want something, and they want it here and now or even yesterday. Their library is a Portable Paradise that can travel with them from Spitsbergen to Bombay or to a small village somewhere in the mountains. You don’t go to the library; you are already in it all the time. You just have to tune in.

And we, as a library, what do we do? We just follow. We go with the flow serving our fortunate and spoiled modern users and cherishing the old ones.

Randa Al-Chidiac,
Electronic Resources Librarian, University of Balamand, Lebanon

With the various majors and fields offered at our university, it is difficult to discuss changes in user behavior in the library. We have users in the sciences and medicine and another set belonging to social sciences and humanities.

However we have noticed scientists and health professionals were very prompt in embracing electronic resources, followed by business school colleagues and students. Now all users regard e-resources as a necessity. Their appetite for the electronic format has increased. First it was articles; now it is e-books, e-reference works and so on.

Besides changing their expectations regarding e-resources, our users have changed their expectations regarding library services. They now expect more precise and detailed responses. Timely document delivery, not just bibliographic pointers, is more the trend. Also, as users have become more confident in their searches, they now look to librarians to serve as search consultants in specific instances.

All of this has led to a decrease in, but not an elimination of, physical use of the library, especially in science and engineering. That’s another way our users’ behavior is changing: They are visiting our library building less often.

But there are some who are not willing to give up the more traditional practices.

Shiou-jane Chiang,
Reference Librarian, Chang Gung University, Kwei-Shan Tao-Yuan, Taiwan

Users’ behavior is changing in two ways. One concerns facilities. As hardware becomes less expensive, readers bring their own notebooks to the library. They hope the library provides wired and wireless surfing and resolves problems of network settings during usage. Readers’ storage devices have also changed from floppy disks to mobile disks. However, as our library faces certain constraints, in some regards we're unable to provide compatible hardware.

The other behavior change is most readers prefer to read full-text articles online instantaneously. So, usage of electronic resources is on the rise while usage of paper materials is declining by the year.

At work, our frequently-asked questions have been changed to questions such as the following. “I found a particular electronic journal on the search engine that requires ID authentication to access. Please can I have the username and password?”  “Why can’t I download or access the full-text article from the electronic journal subscribed by the school?” And, “Can I access from home the electronic resources subscribed to by our school?”

Hae-yeong Jeon,
Medical Librarian, Dong-A University Medical Library, Pusan, Korea

To meet our medical library users’ information needs, our library focuses on developing a cooperative relationship with faculty and providing them with information referral service. As part of this service, we show faculty members how to use e-resources efficiently and effectively in their research.

Our approach enables library users to learn the right information-seeking behavior and achieve satisfactory research outcomes. Our approach has also led to use of our Ask a Librarian Service and use of our e-resources increasing greatly.

Our faculty members' behavior has significantly changed to learning "how to" rather than being given.

Librarians Speak Up
Questions for coming issues:

• How is your library adding value to content?
  
• Do your users prefer e-books to print?

If you'd like to suggest questions or contribute a quote, drop a line to libraryconnect@elsevier.com