Carol Tenopir University of Tennessee web.utk.edu/~tenopir/ How Electronic Journals Are Changing Scholarly Reading Patterns

Subject experts… 1) read more in not much more time 2) use many more ways to locate and read information 3) rely more on library provided articles 4) value reading for many reasons, but make choices based on convenience

Tenopir & King Data From: Surveys of reading habits of 35,000+ subject specialists 1977 to the present University and non-university settings Recent surveys at U.S. and Australian universities, pediatricians, astronomers Also focus groups, observations, logs These users have library access

1. Subject experts read more in not much more time

Average Time Spent and Number of Articles Read Per Year Person

Average Articles Read per year per University Faculty Member Average number of articles read per scientist *280 with outliers

Average Minutes per Article by University Faculty Member Average number of articles read per scientist Year of Studies

Average Articles Read per year per University Faculty Member Average number of articles read per scientist Year of Studies

Average Minutes per reading per University Faculty Member Average number of articles read per scientist Year of Studies

2. Subject experts use many ways to locate and read information

Many Ways to Locate Information Browsing (through print or electronic journals; for current awareness and reading from core titles) Searching (in search engine, e-journals system, or index; for new topics; older articles; research and writing; favorite method for students) Following citations in print or electronic Recommendation from another person Other, including alerts, preprint services

U.S. Universities Faculty Still Use Many Ways to Locate Articles Australian Universities

PediatriciansAstronomers More Subject Differences

3. Subject experts rely more on library provided journals and separates

Average Number of Personal Subscriptions to Scholarly Journals

Proportion of Readings of Scholarly Scientific Articles

Source of Articles Read at a U.S. University FacultyDoctoral Students

OhioLink: All universities and all journals % No. of Journals% of article usage 5%38.8% 10%53.8% 25%77.2% 50%93.1% 75%98.6% 99%100%

Readings of older materials may be increasing (university faculty)

1stYear 1st Year 2-5 Years Over 5Years Over 5 Years Older articles are judged more valuable & are more likely to come from libraries

4. Readings have many values, but readers want convenience

Subject Experts Want More sources More backfiles Sources continue to be available High Quality Speedy access No barriers to access Convenience (getting their work done)

Purposes of Reading Medical Faculty Keeping Up (22%) Research/writing (48%) Teaching (17%) Consulting/advising (4%) Other (9%) Pediatricians Keeping Up (50%) Research/writing (7%) Teaching (5%) Consulting/treating (32%) Other (6%)

Value of Reading in Order of Frequency of Responses (faculty) Inspired new thinking Improved results Changed focus Resolved technical problems Saved time Collaboration Faster completion Wasted my time

Print or Electronic Astronomers Pediatricians Univ Scientists Australia

Form of Final Reading Pediatricians AustralianFaculty n=644

Articles are read more now than ever E-journal systems from libraries and through the web are making this possible But both print and online and browsing and searching are still important Students rely on libraries and searching even more than subject experts Quality and convenience are both important In conclusion

For users of the New York Public Library “Convenience trumps quality every time…. It is the job of librarians to make quality convenient.” Stewart Bodner, Associate Chief Librarian, NY Public