New Trends in Faculty Use of Digital Resources

1. New Trends in Faculty Use of Digital Resources CLIR Sponsors’ Symposium: “Libraries and Learning” April 13, 2004 Roger C. Schonfeld

2. Outline • Study design and implementation • Teachers and researchers • How their work and needs may differ • Summary and concluding questions

3. The Intended “Audience” • Faculty only – This was not a survey of graduate students or undergraduate students. • US only – We did not include faculty from other countries. • Colleges and universities that grant the Bachelor’s Degree or higher – We did not include community colleges.

4. The Recipients • 44,060 professors at U.S. colleges and universities were selected at random and sent a questionnaire. • Surveys were mailed on September 29, 2003, with covering letter. • Cut-off date November 12, 2003. • Total of 7,403 completed surveys received • Overall response rate of 16.8%

5. Teachers and Researchers

6. Teachers and Researchers Do you think of yourself primarily as a researcher, primarily as a teacher, or somewhere in between? • Much more as a researcher than a teacher • Somewhat more as a researcher than a teacher • About equally as researcher and a teacher • Somewhat more as a teacher than a researcher • Much more as a researcher than a teacher

7. Overall Distribution of Teachers and Researchers

8. Where Are the Teachers and Where Are the Researchers? Distribution by Institutional Size

9. Who Are the Teachers and Who Are the Researchers? • They are split fairly evenly on gender lines. • Associate professors are somewhat more likely than assistant or full professors to be researchers; although adjunct professors and lecturers are the least likely to be researchers. • Three-quarters of researchers have been abroad for academic conferences or substantive research in the past five years, as have 43% of teachers • In the past five years, researchers have published an average of 10.6 articles and 2.8 books, as compared with teachers’ average of 2.0 articles and 1.0 books.

10. Some Findings

11. Starting Point for Research Below are four possible starting points for academic research. Typically, when you are conducting academic research, which of these four starting points do you use to begin locating information for your research? • The library building • A general-purpose search engine on the Internet or World Wide Web, such as Yahoo or Google • Your online library catalog • A specific electronic research resource or computer database

12. Starting Point for Research

13. Starting Point for Research

14. Starting Point for Research

15. Overall Usage of E-Resources In the past year, on roughly how many separate occasions have you used computer-based electronic resources, such as databases of academic journals?

16. Usage of e-resources varies significantly by discipline “In the past year, on roughly how many separate occasions have you used computer-based electronic resources, such as databases of academic journals?” Response reported as a mean.

17. And teachers use e-resources much less frequently “In the past year, on roughly how many separate occasions have you used computer-based electronic resources, such as databases of academic journals?” Response reported as a mean.

18. Means of Awareness of a Particular Research Resource How Did You First Become Aware of JSTOR? • By word of mouth from colleagues or students • Found it listed among other resources on your library’s website / computer interface • Through announcements, memos, handouts, or e-mails from your library • Directly from a librarian • Through an advertisement • Direct mail

19. Means of Awareness of Resources Varies Tremendously “How Did You First Become Aware of JSTOR?” Base: Those Who Are Aware of JSTOR

20. Dependence on Your Library How dependent would you say you are on your college or university library for research you conduct? Thinking about five years from now, how dependent do you think you will be on your college or university library for research you conduct?

21. Dependence on Your Library “How dependent would you say you are on your college or university library for research you conduct?”

22. Current dependence on the library varies by institution size “How dependent would you say you are on your college or university library for research you conduct?”

23. And similarly by teacher/research self-perception “How dependent would you say you are on your college or university library for research you conduct?”

24. But relatively little by discipline “How dependent would you say you are on your college or university library for research you conduct?”

25. And is decreasing “How dependent would you say you are on your college or university library for research you conduct?”

26. As was anticipated in 2000 “How dependent would you say you are on your college or university library for research you conduct?”

27. And dependence is expected to decrease further “How dependent would you say you are on your college or university library for research you conduct?”

28. Value of Library Functions How important is it to you that your library provides each of the following functions? • The library is a starting point or “gateway” for locating information for my research. • The library pays for resources I need, from academic journals to books to electronic databases. • The library is a repository of resources – in other words, it archives, preserves, and keeps track of resources.

29. Three Library Functions Valued by Faculty “How important is it to you that your library provides each of the following functions?” Percent rating each function as ‘very important’

30. The Library Is Valued Differently, by Discipline Grouping “How important is it to you that your library provides each of the following functions?” Percent rating each function as ‘very important’

31. Three Library Functions Valued by Faculty “How important is it to you that your library provides each of the following functions?” Percent rating each function as ‘very important’

32. Conclusions

33. Summary • Starting point for research differs • Use levels of research resources differ • Means of awareness of research resources differ • Levels of dependence on the library differ, and are declining • The value placed in various library functions differs

34. Questions for Consideration • Why are teachers so likely to begin their research work at public web portals like Google? • Why do teachers “under-value” the archive and buyer functions of libraries, relative to researchers? • Why have perceptions of dependence on the library declined, and will they in fact continue to decline?

35. New Trends in Faculty Use of Digital Resources CLIR Sponsors’ Symposium: “Libraries and Learning” April 13, 2004 Roger C. Schonfeld

36. Disciplines Included Area Studies African Studies, African-American Studies, American Studies, Asian Studies, India Studies, Latin American Studies, Middle East Studies, Slavic Studies Humanities Classical Studies, History of Art, History or History of Science, Languages, Linguistics, Literature, Music, Philosophy, Theater and Drama Social Sciences Anthropology, Archaeology, Architecture, Business or Finance, Economics, Education, Law, Political Science, Population or Demography, Psychology, Sociology Sciences Biology, Botany, or Ecology, Geography, Mathematics or Statistics, Physical Sciences, Public Health or Epidemiology