CNI Task Force Meeting Alexandria, Virginia April 16, 2004 Kevin Guthrie Roger C. Schonfeld Ithaka

What Do Faculty Think of Electronic Resources?Findings from the

2003 Academic Research Resources Study

CNI Task Force MeetingAlexandria, Virginia

April 16, 2004

Kevin GuthrieRoger C. Schonfeld

Ithaka

The Intended “Audience”

• Faculty only – This was not a survey of graduate students or undergraduate students.

• US only – We were unable to include faculty from other countries.

• Colleges and universities that grant the Bachelor’s Degree or higher – We did not include community colleges.

The Recipients

• 44,060 professors at U.S. colleges and universities were selected at random and sent a questionnaire.

• Surveys were mailed on September 29, 2003, with covering letter.

• Cut-off date November 12, 2003.

• Total of 7,403 completed surveys received

• Overall response rate of 16.8%

Interpretation of the Findings

• The technological environment is changing rapidly. We need to collect and analyze data on current and emerging trends very rapidly.

• We have hired a firm that does business market research. The technique it uses involves asking similar questions in multiple ways, allowing for a sort of “triangulation” of current views. By comparing the answers to similar questions, evidence of consistency emerges that enhances the confidence we have in findings even at low response rates.

• Although we recognize that the findings presented here are not statistically significant by academic standards, the results we show are broadly consistent across multiple questions. We believe they have considerable value as inputs into strategic planning for librarians, information technologists, and others interested in scholarly communications.

Findings from 2000

For the Vast Majority, Electronic Databases are Already Invaluable

“Electronic research resources, such as computer databases of academic journals, are an invaluable research tool.”

• Not well: 5%• Somewhat: 22%• Very Well: 73%

How well does the following statement describe your point of view?

Faculty Value Three Library Functions Highly – by discipline

“How important is it to you that your library provides each of the following functions?”

Percent rating each function as ‘very important’

All Econ. Math. Hum.

Gateway 65% 48% 56% 80%

Archive 77 72 74 84

Buyer 80 77 83 83

But They Expect Libraries to Become Less Important in these Areas

“Thinking about 5 years from now, how important will it be that your library provides each function?”

Today 5 Years from Today• Gateway: 65% 56%• Archive: 77% 68%• Buyer: 80% 76%

Electronic Archiving is a Very Important Concern

“With more and more journals becoming available electronically, it is crucial that libraries, publishers, or electronic databases archive, catalog, and protect these electronic journals.”

How well does the following statement describe your point of view?

All Econ. Math. Hum.

Very well 76% 73% 76% 71%

Somewhat 21 22 19 22

Not well 3 4 3 5

Conclusions

• Electronic resources are important to faculty.• Humanists depend more on the library for access

than social scientists.• Library access role is expected to diminish.• Electronic archiving is important to all.

Closing Question for Further Reflection: Are the majority of library resources going toward

disciplines that “value” the library’s access role the least?

General Trends

Finding articles locally is becoming more difficult

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

2000 2003

Not WellSomewhatVery Well

“A substantial problem for me is that journal articles that I need are sometimes not available at my university or in my locale and I have to get them from another source”

Faculty want tools to help them find information

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

2000 2003


“The process of locating information in academic journal literature is tedious and often hit-or-miss, and the act of physically searching through hard-copy collections is much too time-consuming and onerous. I would welcome access to new tools that improve my ability to locate and access journal

literature.”

And dependence on them is expected to increase

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

2000 2003


“I will become increasingly dependent on electronic research resources in the future.”

Electronic resources have gained in importance

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

2000 2003


“Electronic research resources are invaluable research tools”

Findings

• Use of electronic resources, and dependence on them, has increased since 2000.

• Notwithstanding the major progress in providing access electronically that has been achieved in the past three years, more faculty report having trouble finding the articles they need.

• Faculty want help, including new tools and resources, to make their research more effective and efficient.

Disciplinary Variations

Starting Point for Research

Below are four possible starting points for academic research. Typically, when you are conducting academic research, which of these four starting points do you use to begin locating information for your research?

1. The library building2. A general-purpose search engine on the Internet or World Wide Web,

such as Yahoo or Google3. Your online library catalog4. A specific electronic research resource or computer database

0%5%

10%15%20%25%30%35%40%45%50%

The librarybuilding

Your onlinelibrary catalog

A general-purpose searchengine such as

Google

A specificelectronicresearchresource

Area Studies

Humanities

SocialSciencesSciences

Starting Point for Research: Disciplinary Groupings

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Your online library catalog A specific electronic researchresource

History of Art

HistoryBusiness / Finance

Economics

Biological Sciences

Starting Point for Research: Specific Disciplines

Different expectations for future dependence on e-resources

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

History ofArt

History Economics BiologicalSciences

Business /Finance

“I will become increasingly dependent on electronic research resources in the future.”

Cancellation of print versions would be tolerated differently

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

History ofArt


Business /Finance

“If my library cancelled the current issues of a print version of a journal but continued to make them available electronically, that would be fine with me.”

Preference for using the computer for research

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

History ofArt


Business /Finance

“I often find using the library to be difficult and time-consuming - I’d much rather get the information I need from a computer in my office or home.”

Replacement of hardcopies…

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

History ofArt


Business /Finance

“Assuming that electronic collections of journals are proven to work well and are readily accessible, I would be happy to see hard-copy collections discarded and replaced entirely by electronic

collections.” (Well or Very Well)

Importance of Maintaining Hard Copies

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

History ofArt


Business /Finance

“Regardless of How Reliable and Safe Electronic Collections of Journals May Be, It Will Always Be Crucial for Some Libraries to Maintain Hard-Copy Collections of Journals.”

Individual disciplines whose faculty most use CMSes“Blackboard and WebCT are two examples of commercial course management programs, which some academic institutions license for a fee, that offer an array of web-based tools and services

that help you manage the courses that you teach. To what extent would you say that you use these commercial course management programs?” Percent responding sometimes or frequently.

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

History ofArt


Business /Finance

Value of Library Functions

“How important is it to you that your library provides each of the following functions?”

• The library is a starting point or “gateway” for locating information for my research.

• The library pays for resources I need, from academic journals to books to electronic databases.

• The library is a repository of resources – in other words, it archives, preserves, and keeps track of resources.

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Area studies Humanities Social Sciences Sciences

GatewayArchiveBuyer

The Library Is Valued Differently, by Discipline Grouping“How important is it to you that your library provides each of the following functions?”


0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Gateway Archive Buyer

20002003

Humanists“How important is it to you that your library provides each of the following functions?”


0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%


20002003

Mathematicians“How important is it to you that your library provides each of the following functions?”


0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%


20002003

Economists“How important is it to you that your library provides each of the following functions?”


Gateway

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

History ofArt


Business /Finance

“How important is it to you that your library provides each of the following functions?”Percent rating each function as ‘very important’

Archive

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

History ofArt


Business /Finance


Buyer

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

History ofArt


Business /Finance


The Importance of Electronic Archiving

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

History ofArt


Business /Finance


Findings

• Notable disciplinary variations exist, with humanities faculty reporting different attitudes and preferences from other faculty.

• Biological scientists are more concerned than might be expected that paper backfiles be retained, perhaps largely because of their dependence on images. How will their needs be met in the new environment?

• The data seems to suggest an increasing reliance on and enthusiasm for e-resources in fields like economics and business/finance. Studying changes in the information needs and research behavior of economists in the past three years might offer predictive insights for other fields that expect e-resources to become more important in the future.

• These disciplinary comparisons may suggest implications for how libraries should serve faculty on their campuses.

Archiving

Faculty Are Not Yet Ready to Part with Paper Backfiles

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

2000 2003


“Assuming that electronic collections of journals are proven to work well and are readily accessible, I would be happy to see hard-copy collections discarded and replaced entirely by electronic

collections.”

Archiving:

“Preserving and protecting access to a collection of scholarly literature in perpetuity, without regard for how frequently or

infrequently these materials are being read.”

The Importance of Archiving Is Widely Recognized…

84%

14%2%

ExtremelyImportant

SomewhatImportant

Not Important

…Across Institutional Sizes

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

VerySmall

Small Medium Large VeryLarge

NotImportant

SomewhatImportant

ExtremelyImportant

•Note: Current Market Only

…And Across Disciplines: Disciplines in Which Less than 80% Rate It Very Important

• Math / Statistics : 78%• Political Science: 78%• Sociology: 76%• Theater / Drama : 76%• Law : 75%• Business / Finance : 74%• Economics : 73%

Electronic Archiving Is Growing in Importance: I

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

2000 2003

Not Well

SomewhatWellVery Well


Electronic Archiving Is Growing in Importance: II

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Today Five Years from Today

NotImportant

SomewhatImportant

VeryImportant

Importance of Long-Term Preservation of Electronic Journals

…Leading Most to Want Both Versions Archived

The version designated by

my library6%

The electronic version only

21%

The print version only

13%

Both the print and the

electronic versions

56%

The version designated by the publisher

4%

Version Of Journal That Must Be Archived

More Than Half Of Faculty Feel That Print Versions Of Current Issues Are Expendable

Somewhat28%

Not Well19%

Very Well53%

“If my library cancelled the current issues of a print version of a journal but continued to make them available electronically, that would be fine with me.”

Uncertainty about Current Preservation Practices

Don't Know / No Answer

14%Very Satisfied

23%

Not Satisfied7%

Somewhat Satisfied

56%

Satisfaction With The Way Electronic Journals Are Being Preserved For The Long Term

So, E-Archiving Doesn’t Drive Publishing Choices

“How important is the archiving of electronic versions of journals in determining where you publish your articles?”

Not Important

41%

Extremely Important

28%

Somewhat Important

31%

Findings

• Archiving is strongly supported, in principle, by all faculty, and electronic archiving is a priority that is growing in importance.

• A majority of faculty are prepared for the cancellation of print current issues, yet a majority also would prefer to see both the print and electronic versions archived – two findings that are incompatible.

• Current practices for electronic archiving are poorly understood by faculty and do not drive publication choices. Electronic archiving is complicated and the problem is not well-defined in their minds.

Shelf Space /Paper Repositories?

Paper Repositories Are Clearly Desired“Regardless of How Reliable and Safe Electronic Collections of Journals May Be, It Will Always Be Crucial for Some Libraries to Maintain Hard-Copy Collections of Journals”

Very Well70%

Somewhat20%

Not at all10%

But Local Solutions May Be Needed as Well“Regardless of How Reliable and Safe Electronic Collections of Journals May Be, It Will

Always Be Crucial for My Library to Maintain Hard-Copy Collections of Journals”

Extremely Well49%

Somewhat32%

Not at all19%

Retaining Hard-Copies Is Somewhat More Important among Faculty at Larger Institutions

Regardless of How Reliable and Safe Electronic Collections of Journals May Be, It Will Always Be Crucial that Hard-Copy Collections of Journals Be Maintained by …

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Very Small Small Medium Large Very Large

MyLibrary

SomeLibraries

•Note: Current Market Only (to exclude scientists)

And More Valued by Faculty in the Humanities and Area Studies

Regardless of How Reliable and Safe Electronic Collections of Journals May Be, It Will Always Be Crucial that Hard-Copy Collections of Journals Be Maintained by …

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Area Studies Humanities SocialSciences

Sciences

MyLibrary

SomeLibraries

Findings

• There is broad support for the concept of paper repositories, at minimum, in the archiving system.

• By institutional size, there are some notable differences in which faculty prefer to retain local hardcopies, leading to some suggestive possibilities for an eventual system of paper repositories.

Faculty Attitudes Toward Journals

Important Journal Characteristics

How important to you is each of the following possible characteristics of an academic journal?

a) The journal makes its articles freely available on the Internet, so there is no cost to purchase or to read.

b) The journal permits scholars to publish articles for free, without paying page or article charges.

c) Measures have been taken to ensure the protection and safeguarding of the journal’s content for the long term.

d) The current issues of the journal are circulated widely, and are well read by scholars in your field.

e) The journal is highly selective; only a small percentage of submitted articles are published.

f) The journal is available to readers not only in developed nations, but also in developing nations.

Preferences for Academic Journals

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Accessible indeveloping world

Highly selective

Available for free

No cost to publish

Preservation isassured

Wide circulation andreading

Characteristics that are “very important” to faculty in a journal

Wide Circulation and Reading…

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%


Sciences

Preservation Is Assured…

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%


Sciences

No Cost to Publish…

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%


Sciences

Available for Free…

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%


Sciences

Highly Selective…

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%


Sciences

Available in the Developing World…

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%


Sciences

Findings

• The three most important characteristics in an academic journal are wide circulation and reading; preservation; and no cost to publish.

• Scientists appear to value two characteristics less than other faculty: no cost to publish (perhaps because they often have grant funding available) and selectivity (perhaps because some scientists have begun to utilize open access resources like arXiv).

• Availability in the developing world is more important among area studies faculty than others, but, even among them, it does not rise as high in value as might have been expected.

Conclusions

Conclusions

1. General trends are towards greater use of and dependency on electronic resources.

2. The disciplinary comparisons indicate apparent differences in faculty attitudes toward and use of electronic resources. This has implications for how libraries should serve faculty on their campuses.

3. All faculty value archiving, but the issue is complicated and the problem is not well-defined in their minds.

What Do Faculty Think of Electronic Resources?Findings from the

2003 Academic Research Resources Study

CNI Task Force MeetingAlexandria, Virginia

April 16, 2004

Kevin GuthrieRoger C. Schonfeld

Ithaka

CNI Task Force Meeting Alexandria, Virginia April 16, 2004 Kevin Guthrie Roger C. Schonfeld Ithaka

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