Librarian Online Survey

Methodology and Objectives Methodology: We conducted a 15 minute online survey of librarians in Winter, ,120 invitations were sent to librarians at 1267 higher education institutions All were librarians at institutions that are either CIAO or Earthscape subscribers, or have been identified as being potential subscribers librarians completed the survey for a response rate of 32% The objectives of this study were to: Gain insights into the purchasing of electronic resources. Gain insights into how electronic resources affect the role of the library and of the librarian. Learn what librarians perceive as the benefits and disadvantages of electronic resources. Gain insights into how electronic resources affect the role of print resources.

Respondent Profile

Gender/Number of Years as Librarian The respondents were primarily female. The length of time the respondents had been a librarian ranged from 1 to 47 years.

Type of Institution/Library The vast majority of respondents were from 4-year colleges or research universities. “Other” institutions included law schools and non-research institutions offering some graduate degrees. Most of the librarians work in the main library of their school, with 13% working in a special or branch library.

Current Roles The majority of librarians surveyed currently have the role of Reference, Public, Access or Information Services Librarian as part of their responsibilities. Slightly more than half have the role of Selector, Liaison or Subject Librarian. Those who chose “other” listed management, government documents, interlibrary loan, instruction or serials librarian as part of their responsibilities. What are your current roles? (check all that apply)

Purchase of Electronic Resources

Funding Sources for Electronic Resources The primary source of funding for electronic resources is money diverted from other items in the library budget. Less than half of the librarians report that there has been an increase in their library’s base budget to allow for the purchase of electronic resources. “Other” responses included student technology fees. What funding sources are used to pay for electronic resources at your library? (check all that apply). Asked only of those whose roles include ‘Library Administrator’ or ‘Collection Development’.

Funding Sources for Electronic Resources (by Institution Type) Research universities were more likely to receive additional funding from their university for the purchase of electronic resources than were 4- year colleges. What funding sources are used to pay for electronic resources at your library? (check all that apply). Asked only of those whose roles include ‘Library Administrator’ or ‘Collection Development’.

Money is Diverted From: Money to cover electronic resources is diverted from the budgets for serial publications and for books. Since many serial publications may be included in aggregated online resources, this may not necessarily lead to a decrease in the available journals for the library users. However, the diversion of funds from the books budget may be indicating a trend of libraries investing less in scholarly monographs in favor of electronic subscriptions. Where is the money diverted from? (check all that apply). Asked only of those who specified that money for electronic resources came from other items in the library budget.

The Decision to Purchase an Electronic Resource The relevance of an electronic resource’s content to the library’s collection is top consideration when evaluating an electronic resource for purchase. How important are each of the following factors in your library’s decision to purchase an electronic resource? Asked only of those whose responsibilities include reviewing, evaluating, recommending, or approving the purchase of electronic resources. Slide 1 of 2

The Decision to Purchase an Electronic Resource (cont’d) Issues that have to do with the ease of use for the library or ease of use for the user are of least importance when deciding to purchase an electronic resource. How important are each of the following factors in your library’s decision to purchase an electronic resource? Slide 2 of 2

The Decision to Purchase an Electronic Resource (by Institution Type) Percent who said “Very Important” 4-year colleges were significantly more likely than research universities to cite issues relating to quality of information and ease of use as being “very important”. This may be due to the fact that they are serving a predominantly undergraduate population that is less skilled in discerning quality information and less skilled in the use of electronic databases. Research universities were significantly more likely to say license agreement terms were a very important factor in the decision to purchase an electronic resource. This may be because many universities have more than one campus, so they may be concerned about the ability to use resources at more than one location. How important are each of the following factors in your library’s decision to purchase an electronic resource?

Assessing the Value of an Owned Electronic Resource: Usage data is the most common way libraries assess the value of an electronic resource, followed by user feedback and the cost of an electronic resource compared to a similar print resource. Only 3% of librarians said their library does not assess the value of electronic resources. How does your library assess the value of an electronic resource? (check all that apply)

Library Staffing Needs and Librarian Responsibilities

Library Staffing Needs Have Changed The most common changes to the library’s staffing needs were the addition of IT staff and/or addition of a webmaster. Sixty-four percent of respondents indicated that their library added at least one of the positions listed. Under “other” responses, 12% of respondents commented that their library was in need of additional staffing, but funding was not available. This situation resulted in extra responsibilities being placed on the existing library staff, which resulted in librarians feeling overloaded. Less than 1% of librarians mentioned under “other” that their library added an electronic resource librarian. How have electronic resources and the Internet directly changed your library’s staffing needs? (check all that apply)

Library Staffing Needs Have Changed (by Institution Type) Research universities were significantly more likely to add IT staff, a webmaster, a site licensing specialist, or a data management librarian than were 4-year colleges. Interestingly, a significantly larger percentage of librarians from research universities also said that the overall number of full time staff was reduced as a result of electronic resources and the internet compared to 4-year colleges. How have electronic resources and the Internet directly changed your library’s staffing needs? (check all that apply)

Librarians are Taking on Many Responsibilities Related to Electronic Resources Eighty percent of respondents said they were responsible for three or more of the responsibilities listed. More than three quarters of the librarians surveyed said they were responsible for instructing users, reviewing/evaluating electronic resources for purchase and/or recommending electronic resources for purchase Which of these responsibilities related to electronic resources do you carry out? (check all that apply)

Librarians are Taking on More Responsibilities Related to Electronic Resources (by Length of Time as a Librarian) Many responsibilities related to electronic resources were related to time having been a librarian. Respondents who had been a librarian for 15 years or less were more likely to be responsible for instructing users. Those who had been a librarian for 15 years or more were more likely to be responsible for making retention decisions and approving the purchase of electronic resources. Which of these responsibilities related to electronic resources do you carry out? (check all that apply)

Electronic Resources Require New Skills for Librarians Does the presence of electronic resources require new skills or qualifications for librarians? The vast majority of librarians responded that electronic resources require new job skills. However, only 56% of the librarians report that their institution has provided additional technical training to help librarians meet these new needs. As one respondent said in reference to new skills needed: “The list of what librarians 'should' know is just too darn long.”

New Skills Needed There are a wide range of new skills needed by librarians as a result of the presence of electronic resources. Computer related skills (such as a fundamental knowledge of how computers work, and being familiar with various software programs) were cited most often by the librarians surveyed. As one respondent said: “Increasingly, the comfort level with computers is becoming a greater concern. While this is in a sense a 'new' skill set, few of the newly minted librarians have difficulty adjusting to the more computer oriented environment. It is often a different matter with older librarian of the 45+ set.” Please list out the new skills or qualifications needed.

How Problematic are These New Demands? Among the potential problems with electronic resources, librarians see their diminished opportunity to instruct users who access the library remotely as being the most problematic. Although answers to previous questions indicate that librarians are taking on more responsibility as a result of the presence of electronic resources, only 16% find this “very problematic”. Another 42% view it as being “somewhat problematic”. Below are some potential problems libraries might encounter with electronic resources. Please indicate the degree to which each of the following has been problematic in any way to your library. If the statement does not apply to your library, please check the “Does not apply” box.

The Pros and Cons of Electronic Resources

Benefits of Electronic Resources The main benefits of electronic resources relate to user access and providing the library with material it may not otherwise have. Below are some potential benefits of electronic resources. Please rate the degree to which each of the following has been beneficial in any way to your library. If the statement does not apply to your library, check the “Does not apply” box. Slide 1 of 2

Benefits of Electronic Resources (cont’d) The ability to track individual titles rated lowest among benefits. This may be due to the variability in the quality of reports produced by publishers of electronic resources. “Time efficient for librarians” was also rated low among benefits. While electronic resources may often save time when helping patrons look up information, they can be time consuming in that they add addition responsibilities to the librarian’s role. Below are some potential benefits of electronic resources. Please rate the degree to which each of the following has been beneficial in any way to your library. If the statement does not apply to your library, check the “Does not apply” box. Slide 2 of 2

Benefits of Electronic Resources (by Institution Type) Percent who said “Very Beneficial” Librarians from 4-year colleges were significantly more likely to say that providing the library with material that they would otherwise not have the resources to purchase was “very beneficial”. This could be due to smaller library budgets in 4-year colleges than in research universities. Benefits related to the availability of materials were significantly more likely to be rated “very beneficial” by research university librarians. Since these universities have a strong focus on research, access to more materials in a timely fashion may be particularly beneficial to their users.

Problems with Electronic Resources The lack of guaranteed archived copies and the high cost of some electronic resources were rated as the most problematic aspects of electronic resources. The lack of guaranteed archives is particularly problematic because if publisher drops a title or goes out of business, the library is left with a hole in their archives. To what degree do you consider each of the following problematic in any way for your library? Slide 1 of 2

Problems with Electronic Resources (cont’d) Among the potential problems listed, the possible duplication of materials and the inclusion of titles in aggregated resources that the library would not otherwise subscribe to were the least problematic. To what degree do you consider each of the following problematic in any way for your library? Slide 2 of 2

Problems with Electronic Resources (by Institution Type) Percent who said “Very Problematic” Research universities were more likely to say that the lack of guarantee of an archived copy from electronic publishers was “very problematic”. To what degree do you consider each of the following problematic in any way for your library?

Patrons Use of the Library

The majority of librarians strongly agreed that users are increasingly demanding electronic resources. Very few librarians, however, agreed that in 5 years, their interaction with users would be predominantly electronic. Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following statements.

Users Primarily Use the Library for: Only 24% of librarians surveyed said that students primarily use the library for accessing information in the stacks. The librarians were more likely to say that the physical library is used for its facilities, (either as a study location or for computer access) than for the information available in the stacks. Many of the “other” responses indicated that patrons use the library equally as a study place, for the stacks, and for the computing facilities. Users now primarily use the physical library building for:

The Role of Print Resources

Print Resources are Still Necessary More than half of the librarians surveyed disagreed that electronic resources make print unnecessary and 48% disagreed that the library’s materials would be primarily electronic in 5 years. More than half agreed that there is a risk when canceling print in favor of electronic resources and that electronic resources do not replace print. Most do agree, however, that electronic resources diminish the use of print. Please rate how much you agree or disagree with the following statements on how electronic resources have affected the use of print resources.

Why is Print Still Necessary? When asked to list why they believed print resources were still necessary, the top reason librarians gave was that in many cases print is preferred by users. Users often prefer print because it is easier to handle, easier to read, and it has better graphics. Surprisingly, given their previous answers, less than a third of librarians said print is necessary for ensured archiving. Quote from one respondent: “As an academic librarian involved in teaching research skills, I am concerned that research is perceived to be quick and easy, that all questions can be answered with a few simple keystrokes. In fact for many questions, a review of many sources (print and non- print) may be necessary, including older material.” Please tell us more about why you say print resources are still necessary? Asked only of those who somewhat or strongly disagreed that print resources were unnecessary.

Most Libraries Retain Print Versions of Electronic Resources The vast majority of librarians said that their library retains print versions of electronic resources. This may be indicative of librarian’s uneasiness with the reliability of electronic resources. As one respondent said: “Technology is great--when it works. It's always a good idea to have a back-up.” Does your library retain print versions of electronic resources?

What is Your Policy Regarding Retaining Print Resources? The most common response given was that libraries did not have a policy regarding the retention of print resources that are available electronically, or that the library decided on a case by case basis whether to retain the print. This may be due to the range of cost, quality, etc. of electronic resources. As one respondent said: “Our policy takes into account each resource individually and assesses the cost of the print and electronic versions and licensing agreement requirements and patron usage.” Eleven percent of librarians surveyed said their library retained all print resources even though they were available electronically. Please tell us your policy regarding retaining print versions of electronic resources.

Key Findings Purchase of Electronic Resources Money is primarily diverted from serials and books to pay for electronic resources. Content relevance to the library’s collection is the most important consideration when purchasing an electronic resource. Issues related to ease of use are least important when purchasing an electronic resource. Staffing and Responsibilities Many institutions have added staff to accommodate demands of electronic resources, particularly IT staff and webmasters. Librarians are taking on multiple responsibilities related to electronic resources. The largest problem related to librarians’ job responsibilities is the loss of opportunity to instruct users now that users are often accessing library resources from remote locations. Pros and Cons 24/7 access is the most beneficial aspect of electronic resources. Lack of guaranteed archives from publishers and the high costs are the most problematic aspects of electronic resources. Patrons Use of the Library The library is used equally for a study place, computer access and accessing information in the stacks. While most librarians agree that users increasingly demand electronic resources and that users come to the physical library less often than they did 5 years ago, they do not agree that in 5 years librarian interaction with users will be predominantly electronic. Role of Print Print still plays a major role in scholarly communication, and it is expected to continue to do so. Print is often preferred by users over electronic resources because it is sometimes easier to use, and it has better graphics.

Conclusions

Electronic resources are perceived as being beneficial to libraries. They allow libraries to better serve their patrons by providing 24/7 access, and materials that the library might not otherwise be able to provide. However, they also seem to be creating a hardship for some libraries – they require extra funding to purchase, which many libraries are not receiving in their base budget. This means that libraries are needing to divert money from other items in their budget in order to afford electronic resources. The two items that are primarily being hit are serial publications and books. Electronic resources are also creating extra job responsibilities that need to be carried out, and many of these are falling onto existing librarians. (Again, funding from administrations is not forthcoming.) These librarians are feeling overloaded by these new responsibilities. Furthermore, new skills are needed among library staff in order to carry out these responsibilities. One of the largest problems with electronic resources is that publishers often do not guarantee archives. This is problematic in that if a publisher drops a title from an aggregated resource, or if the publisher goes out of business, the library is left with a hole in their archive. Another major problem with many electronic resources is the high cost. Although users are increasingly demanding electronic resources, it seems that electronic resources will not replace print resources until they become easier to use, have graphics that are equal to print, and have an archive guarantee.