Showing papers presented at "Aslib Journal of Information Management in 2008"
06 Jul 2008
TL;DR: In this article, a benchmarking survey of e-book usage and perceptions in more than 120 participating universities is presented, which is based on an online survey which was conducted between 18 January and 1 March 2008, over which period 22,437 full or partial responses were received.
Abstract: Purpose – This JISC funded UK National E‐Books Observatory study is a benchmarking survey of e‐book usage and perceptions in more than 120 participating universities. The paper aims to present the results that investigated: use of e‐books in general (methods of obtaining e‐books, reasons for using, viewing/reading behaviour in connection with e‐books); use of e‐books provided by the library; use of JISC collection texts (use and awareness); use of the library and print material in general.Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on an online survey which was conducted between 18 January and 1 March 2008, over which period 22,437 full or partial responses were received.Findings – The study shows that e‐book penetration is very strong (61.8 per cent of all students are already using them in connection with their scholarly work, as teachers or students), so the e‐book revolution has already happened but clearly it has some way to go.Originality/value – The paper presents the results of the biggest su...
92 citations
30 Sep 2008
TL;DR: The study reveals differences among subfields of physics and astronomy in terms of information-seeking behaviour, highlights the need for and the value of looking at narrower subject communities within disciplines for a deeper understanding of the information behaviour of scientists.
Abstract: Purpose – The study examines two aspects of information seeking behaviour of physicists and astronomers including methods applied for keeping up-to-date and methods used for finding articles. The relationship between academic status and research field of users with their information seeking behaviour was investigated.
Methodology/approach – Data were gathered using a questionnaire survey of PhD students and staff of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at University College London; 114 people (47.1 per cent response rate) participated in the survey.
Findings – The study reveals differences among subfields of physics and astronomy in terms of information-seeking behaviour, highlights the need for and the value of looking at narrower subject communities within disciplines for a deeper understanding of the information behaviour of scientists.
Originality/value – The study is the first study to deeply investigate intradisciplinary dissimilarities of information-seeking behaviour of scientists in a discipline. It is also an up-to-date account of information seeking behaviour of physicists and astronomers.
76 citations
23 May 2008
TL;DR: In this article, the authors focus on usage data in respect to full-text downloads of journal articles, which is considered an important usage (satisfaction) metric by librarians and publishers.
Abstract: Purpose – This article aims to focus on usage data in respect to full‐text downloads of journal articles, which is considered an important usage (satisfaction) metric by librarians and publishers. The purpose is to evaluate the evidence regarding full‐text viewing by pooling together data on the full‐text viewing of tens of thousands of users studied as part of a number of investigations of e‐journal databases conducted during the Virtual Scholar research programme.Design/methodology/approach – The paper reviews the web logs of a number of electronic journal libraries including OhioLINK and ScienceDirect using Deep Log Analysis, which is a more sophisticated form of transactional log analysis. The frequency, characteristics and diversity of full‐text viewing are examined. The article also features an investigation into the time spent online viewing full‐text articles in order to get a clearer understanding of the significance of full‐text viewing, especially in regard to reading.Findings – The main findin...
69 citations
19 Sep 2008
TL;DR: The productivity of female authors at the individual level as measured by article per author share was lower than male authors and a chi‐square test showed that female contribution was significantly lower than expected.
Abstract: Purpose – The aim of the paper is to explore and test gender differences in the authorship of Iranian journal articles.Design/methodology/approach – A list of articles published by Iranian authors in ISI journals in 2003 was obtained from the Web of Science. The names of authors were searched in a specific database as well as the web to find their first names and hence their gender. The articles were then broken down by gender and subject category. International collaborations of the authors were also investigated.Findings – The productivity of female authors at the individual level as measured by article per author share was lower than male authors. In total, females accounted for 6 per cent and males for 94 per cent of the articles published in 2003. A chi‐square test showed that female contribution was significantly lower than expected.Originality/value – The study is the first to investigate gender participation in scientific productivity in Iran and most likely in a Muslim country. The article highli...
21 citations