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A study of academic library users' decision-making process: a Lens model approach.
- Source :
-
Journal of Documentation . 2009, Vol. 65 Issue 6, p938-957. 20p. - Publication Year :
- 2009
-
Abstract
- Purpose — The purpose of this paper is to investigate the mediating role different information sources (or cues) play in forming users' mental representation of a work in an academic library setting. Of particular interest is discerning how these information sources influence borrowing decisions. Design/methodology/approach — A large-scale user survey featuring two-part questionnaires was utilized in an academic library setting. The questionnaires were designed to ascertain those information sources exerting a formative influence on users' information-seeking behavior, especially the routes by which users came to know of a title and the sources by which they infer its content. Findings — Evidently users adaptively make use of a variety of cues to help them fulfil their information needs. These cues significantly reduced the uncertainty faced by users making a borrowing decision, even after their sense of domain familiarity was controlled for. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of the findings for library services. It is suggested that libraries could provide a more "cue-rich" environment that supports users' decision making and facilitates exploration of their collection. Originality/value — The research questions were framed in the language of decision-making theory, which, as the research demonstrates, sheds light on the dynamics between "cue validity" and judgment uncertainty. It also demonstrates the applicability of the "accuracy-cost" framework in the study of human information-seeking behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 00220418
- Volume :
- 65
- Issue :
- 6
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Journal of Documentation
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 47834392
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1108/00220410910998933