Christine L. Borgman, Donald O. Case and Dorothy Ingebretsen
We have conducted a study of academic faculty use of databases for research, their need for evaluative guides to databases, and the appropriateness of currently‐available guides…
Abstract
We have conducted a study of academic faculty use of databases for research, their need for evaluative guides to databases, and the appropriateness of currently‐available guides. Although the response rate was low (19%), the follow‐up survey suggested only a minimal non‐response bias. Our findings suggest that academic faculty are typically unaware of the range of databases available and few recognize the need for databases in research. Of those faculty who do use databases, most delegate the searching to a librarian or an assistant, rather than performing the searches themselves. We identified thirty‐nine database guides; these tend to be descriptive rather than evaluative.
William Fisher, Dorothy Ingebretsen, Teresa Portilla and Marie Waters
As information professionals, reference librarians are well aware of the importance of keeping up not only with the volume of professional reading that crosses their desks, but…
Abstract
As information professionals, reference librarians are well aware of the importance of keeping up not only with the volume of professional reading that crosses their desks, but also with recent trends and developments, such as new titles that are issued annually and new databases available from major vendors. The overwhelming tendency is to focus on items of immediate concern and postpone dealing with other matters. The short‐range effect is that the job gets done; the long‐range effect is that we sometimes “cannot see the forest for the trees.” We get so focused on meeting the everyday demands of the job that the “big picture” is missed, or significant issues of concern to the profession are given little thought.