Libraries at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Date of this Version
2017
Abstract
Abstract
Purpose: A number of models have been designed from time to time globally by various authors and researchers relevant to information needs and seeking behavior of users in various academic institutions. The paper explores, introduces and discusses various information seeking models and explains various elements of each model with an aim to design a model showing the information seeking behavior of Research Scholars in Universities of Kashmir.
Design/methodology/approach: Various online resources like database, research articles and other web tools were accessed to retrieve relevant information related to the select models. To explore the information seeking behavior of Research Scholars, a total of 200 scholars were selected from University of Kashmir using stratified random sampling. Besides, a well-designed questionnaire was used as a data gathering tool and was personally distributed among all the scholars pursuing research degree in university of Kashmir to examine their information seeking behavior.
Findings: The main findings of the study are presented in the form of a model which reveals that the information seeking behavior of scholars is greatly influenced by the introduction of Information Technology in the university libraries. There is a transformation from the traditional way of seeking information by scholars towards the tech savvy mode. Some of the findings of the study includes that Research Scholars mainly use Laptops as compared to desktops for seeking their desired information. Internet and Newspapers are mostly to get updated with the latest information related to their research. The study also reveals that research scholars face a number of barriers while accessing the needed information from the electronic resources including slow internet connectivity, electricity disruption, limited internet access time provided by authorities.
Originality/value: The paper shows the practical value of a new model of information behavior which was developed using insights from earlier models in the field of Library & Information Science. Such research paves new horizons in understanding the information needs and seeking behavior of researchers at University level.
Keywords: Information Seeking Behavior, Information Seeking Models, Information Literacy, University of Kashmir, Universities of Jammu & Kashmir.
Paper type: Research Paper