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
  Bachelors 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
  librarys 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