Dimensions and Use of the Scholarly Information Environment, 2001

With this survey, researchers sought to obtain information regarding changing patterns of information use for teaching, learning, and research, and the implications of these changes on academic and research libraries. In collaboration with the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) and Outsell, Inc., the Digital Library Foundation (DLF) initiated a research process to understand how library use is changing and to support future investigation and analysis. The primary goal of the questionnaire was to collect data on the relevance of existing and possible future services, as well as on student and faculty perceptions of the library's value in the context of the scholarly information environment. Other objectives included determining (1) what information resources are used to support research, teaching, and learning, and (2) how those sources and services are located, evaluated, and used by faculty and students at different kinds of institutions. Faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students were surveyed at public and private research universities and private liberal arts colleges in fall 2001. Respondents were asked questions regarding specific locations from which they access information, the accessibility of information equipment, and usage of hardcopy or electronic materials or reference resources. In addition, the survey asked respondents to identify preferred sources of information, including library resources, and the overall importance of the medium of sources. Finally, respondents were asked questions in regard to time devoted to information access and collection, as well as the effects of potential barriers on information accessibility. Specific questions were addressed to faculty, researchers, and students regarding the use of teaching-related resources, coursework-related materials, and course information availability.