Elsevier Library Connect Newsletter: What is the value of content to the research workflow? A recent study found that online access to eBooks is key

Volume 7 • Number 3
August 2009
ISSN: 1549-3725
Subscribe for free, View PDF

Theme: Changing Roles

welcome

features

SLA names Elsevier as the most influential publisher Thrive rather than survive: Incorporate assessment into your library planning Today’s changing environment brings benefits and challenges to researchers From stronghold to threshold: The library’s role in supporting the University of Aberdeen’s quest to join the ranks of the world’s top 100 universities Academic research executives and managers (REMs) face increasingly complex and changing challenges Case study: Using science mapping to identify areas of scientific leadership at the University of California, San Diego Martin Myhill talks about tapping into additional funding to grow an academic library’s offerings How we’re promoting Elsevier eBooks via our library blog What is the value of content to the research workflow? A recent study found that online access to eBooks is key

center of attention

Library Connect Seminar draws over 100 to Xi’an Librarians Speak Up: In this time of information professionals’ changing roles, how is your LIS degree benefiting you? Five questions with Professor Lai Maosheng

community connections

Partnering further with faculty and university administrators: Academic librarians offer a vision of their future Information juggler to infopreneur: Innovation Explorers discussion reveals divergent views on the role of librarians TRANSFER Code of Practice aims to facilitate journal transfers

behind the scenes

Talking with Alexander van Boetzelaer about the future of journal pricing in an electronic environment

on the road

Librarians in Argentina sharpen their skills in unleashing the power of digital resources The Islamic World Science Citation Database partnership with Scopus brings greater visibility to Islamic researchers

staying connected

TrainingDesk Flash: What’s my institute’s research output, and how can I monitor my institute’s changing research trends? Ask UCD: Doesn’t persuasive design conflict with usability goals? Upcoming Events 2009 Library Connect Editorial Team

What is the value of content to the research workflow? A recent study found that online access to eBooks is key
By Theresa Herbst, Online Marketing Director, Elsevier, New York, NY, USA

According to a 2009 global study by SMS and
Elsevier, depending on the stages of the research
workflow, books and journals offer differing value
to researchers.

Only by understanding what today’s researchers want and need, and therefore value most in terms of content type and delivery, can publishers and libraries build partnerships and deliver solutions to help researchers work efficiently. To that end, Satisfaction Management Systems, Inc., (SMS) and Elsevier’s Science & Technology Division recently teamed up on a global study to survey 500 researchers and librarians regarding how researchers find and use content in their daily workflow.

Researchers value eBooks

Researchers participating in the study defined the way they work, and then tied the value of book and journal content to their productivity at each stage of the research workflow. Researchers reported that, during three of the identified workflow stages, books offer more value than journals, and at all five stages, books offer significant value. Also, researchers indicated that at all stages of the workflow, access to integrated book and journal content on one platform makes the research process more efficient.

Researchers recommend eBooks

Further, researchers indicated that the most important attributes associated with book content are those accommodated via online delivery: accessibility, flexibility, searchability and convenience. Also of note, 92% of the participating researchers reported regular use of crossdisciplinary research content.

Of the researchers surveyed, 83% would recommend online books, over print, to their peers, and a significant number want to access and use online books but do not have access through their libraries.

Librarians prefer ScienceDirect

Of the surveyed librarians, 56% said they prefer ScienceDirect to other publishers’ platforms. Asked why, the responding librarians gave these three answers most frequently: ScienceDirect’s easy-to-use interface, its familiarity and reliability, and its breadth and quality of content across a diverse range of subjects.

t.herbst@elsevier.com
www.onlinebooksonsciencedirect.com

Resource

Herbst, T., & Cawley, S. (Eds.). (2009). The evolution of the book: Defining the value of content in academic knowledge discovery — and differentiating the value of online books in the ScienceDirect platform [ScienceDirect white paper]. www.onlinebooksonsciencedirect.com