This project investigated how academic users search for information on their real-life research tasks. This article presents the findings of the first of two studies. The study data were collected in the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Brisbane, Australia. Eleven PhD students' searching behaviors on personal research topics were…

Today's students exhibit generational differences in the way they search for information. Observations of first-year students revealed a proclivity for simple keyword or phrases searches with frequent misspellings and incorrect logic. Although no students had strong mental models of search mechanisms, those with stronger models did construct more…

The use of bibliographic management software and its internal search interfaces is now pervasive among researchers. This study compares the results between searches conducted in academic databases' search interfaces versus the EndNote search interface. The results show mixed search reliability, depending on the database and type of search…

This paper provides a theoretical critique of the deficiencies of full-text searching in academic library databases. Because full-text searching relies on matching words in a search query with words in online resources, it is an inefficient method of finding information in a database. This matching fails to retrieve synonyms, and it also retrieves…

Faculty and students at University College London (UCL) were polled online in November 2006 as part of a wider investigation into the impact of e-books in UK higher education. One of the survey questions probed the strategies that members of the academic community use to identify the conventional printed books that they need for work, study, or…

Faculty and students in economics, literature, and medicine (including nursing) are frequent users of e-books. This study examines search behavior and use patterns of undergraduates majoring in the three subjects. The findings have particular relevance for publishers, vendors, content aggregators, classroom instructors, and librarians promoting…

This report presents the early findings of an exploratory deep log analysis (DLA) of journal usage on OhioLINK, reporting on the information seeking methods of users. Compared to the users who sought information by browsing journals, those who conducted searches to find information and articles tended to record longer session times and viewed more…

Presents the results of a qualitative study that focuses on search patterns of college students and community users interacting with a digital image collection. The study finds a distinct difference between the two groups of users and examines the role of mental models in information seeking behavior in digital libraries.

Discussion of subject access through classification number searching in online library catalogs highlights the present classification climate, increased potential for classification retrieval, effect of past and present practice on effectiveness of class number access, and proposals for action. Thirty-two sources are given. (EJS)

This review of research on subject searching in library catalogs includes a summary of research findings, reasons for search failures, free text versus controlled vocabulary searching, and studies of users' needs. Suggestions for future action to improve subject access in the online catalog are noted. A 52-item bibliography is included. (EJS)

Interviews with a small group of first-year university students assessed perceived self-efficacy in the domain of the ability to locate information in two different research contexts. The study paid particular attention to differences between female and male participant responses. Directions emerged for further research into the relationship…

Discusses expectations that weaknesses within the system of Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) will be bypassed by other subject access routes available on online catalogs, and compares the performance of LCSH to title field subject access. Observed patterns of LCSH functions are discussed and conclusions about search strategy are…

This article examines the role of authority control in an online environment. Topics covered include a definition of authority control, the relationship between authority control and catalogs, current school of thought regarding the need for authority control, and other models of data administration. Twenty-three references are cited. (Author/EJS)

Describes the Research Assistance Program that was developed for African American undergraduates to improve their library research skills. Topics include cognitive style of African American students; and skill objectives, including formulating a research topic, effective search strategies, discernment and source equivalence, and information…

Describes a Web usability study conducted at Western Michigan University to investigate students' success in locating journal articles. Participants' search paths and comments revealed widespread confusion about the article-finding process and revealed weaknesses in the library's Web site which led to improvements in page layout and library…