Information searching behaviour of young Slovenian researchers
Program: electronic library and information systems
ISSN: 0033-0337
Article publication date: 26 July 2011
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of an empirical study of information behaviour of young Slovenian researchers.
Design/methodology/approach
Built on some well‐known models of scholarly information behaviour the study complements a previously conducted study of the same population, which focused on the aspects of user friendliness. This second study is an attempt to shape a more detailed picture of the investigated user group. Presented are types of scholarly information behaviour, enriched by some complementary issues regarding their behaviour as digital users.
Findings
The respondents were found to express many of the features of both digital scholars and other users of digital technology. Direct searching and power browsing are most often expressed searching behaviours; also common are probing and accessing. Collecting behaviour is mostly expressed through “squirrelling”, and sometimes gathering. Satisfaction with the system and with search results is very influential, but sometimes not decisive, for the user to stay with the system, since attention to the content of the results is also very strong.
Practical implications
The rationale for the study was that understanding users' information behaviour is crucial in the design of their information tools.
Originality/value
Scholarly information behaviour has been extensively studied in Western countries, however, studies of this nature are not so common in Slovenian scholarly literature. As such, this study is one of the first to tackle this issue.
Keywords
Citation
Vilar, P. and Žumer, M. (2011), "Information searching behaviour of young Slovenian researchers", Program: electronic library and information systems, Vol. 45 No. 3, pp. 279-293. https://doi.org/10.1108/00330331111151593
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2011, Emerald Group Publishing Limited