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ERIC Number: EJ803342
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008-Jul
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1531-2542
EISSN: N/A
Aggregated Interdisciplinary Databases and the Needs of Undergraduate Researchers
Fister, Barbara; Gilbert, Julie; Fry, Amy Ray
portal: Libraries and the Academy, v8 n3 p273-292 Jul 2008
After seeing growing frustration among inexperienced undergraduate researchers searching a popular aggregated interdisciplinary database, the authors questioned whether the leading interdisciplinary databases are serving undergraduates' needs. As a preliminary exploration of this question, the authors queried vendors, analyzed their marketing materials, surveyed librarians and students, and examined what titles were being downloaded at 14 liberal arts institutions. Although librarians are satisfied with these databases, and vendors intend to continue the trend of adding more content, actual usage patterns suggest that these databases are not serving the purpose one might expect. Librarians should learn more about user experiences in order to influence the development of these products. (Contains 9 tables and 29 notes.)
Johns Hopkins University Press. 2715 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218. Tel: 800-548-1784; Tel: 410-516-6987; Fax: 410-516-6968; e-mail: jlorder@jhupress.jhu.edu; Web site: http://www.press.jhu.edu/journals/subscribe.html
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A