Trends in Use of Electronic Journals in Higher Education in the UK - Views of Academic Staff and Students

This article examines disciplinary differences in the use of electronic journals by academic staff and students and considers whether library services need to differentiate between staff and students when planning support services for electronic journals. Findings from two research projects are collated, one an in-depth study of academic staff at one UK institution, and the other a cross-sectional, longitudinal sector study (focusing more on student usage). Interviews were conducted with 35 staff (in-depth study) and over 500 students (cross sectional survey). Results indicate that academic staff incorporate electronic journal usage into their working patterns in different ways than students and that these differences may affect attitudes towards support services (library Web pages, Virtual Learning Environments) designed to promote electronic journal usage. Disciplinary differences also need to be considered.