Again, the web seems to be the main causative agent. Studies, such as that of
Griffiths and Brophy (2005), Xia (2003), Fast and Campbell (2004), and Novotny (2004)
show that users believe that web search is fast and easy, providing immediate access to
information and giving them what they want. Griffiths and Brophy (2005), in the most
thorough study of its kind, find that Internet search engines totally dominate the
searching practice of UK students, with 45 per cent using Google regularly, as against
10 per cent using online library catalogues. The rationale for this is that search engines
are perceived to offer ease of use, familiarity and reliability.
That this perception of reliable ease of use is, to an extent, valid is confirmed by a
study by Brophy and Bawden (2005), which indicates that an improvement in
searching skills brings better results from library databases, but not from internet
search engines. The further finding from this study, that the two kinds of system are
complementary, offering different kinds of information, is likely to be less important to
most users than the evident fact that search engines can be used to good effect with
minimal, or no training. The findings by Griffiths and Brophy (2005) that students of
library and information management used, and appreciated, library and academic
resources to a much greater extent than other students confirms that perception of ease
of use equalling quality can be overcome, but only in groups of users with a particular
disposition to do so. Both the Griffiths and Brophy study, and that of Fast and
Campbell (2004) show that even when typical user groups have an explanation of, and
experience with, structured library/academic sources, they still tend to prefer the
simple and familiar systems. Becker (2003, p. 85) similarly reports that students
typically “follow the path of least resistance” and rely on basic Google searching, even
though they are able to articulate the advantages of source evaluation. This clearly has
consequences for the kind of training and awareness programmes that may be thought
to be the “solution” to an over-reliance on search engines for all information seeking.
By contrast, studies show that many, perhaps most users, find that traditional
library systems, even in digital form such as OPAC, are disappointing, frustrating,
illogical, counter-intuitive, and intimidating. These negative aspects outweigh their
appreciation, and even admiration, of the control and order of “library style”
information environments. The latter should not be over-looked. Fast and Campbell
(2004) found that their student users expected that OPACs would be well-organised,
with material properly arranged and described, and appreciated the difference between
this and the search engine environment (which, for other reasons noted above, they
nonetheless found more congenial). Griffiths and Brophy (2005) found a clear
expectation among some of their participants that certain kinds of resources, and hence
some kinds of information, would be found in academic/library sources, and not in
search engines; this “collection expectation” is a perspective which digital library
designers may do well to build on.
One response on the part of the designers of digital libraries has been to make their
interfaces take on as much as possible the “look and feel” of a web search engine (Babu
and O’Brien, 2000). This can, and should, go beyond provision of a simple “search box”
interface, into a more thoughtful incorporation of the “best” features of search engines:
As service providers and developers, it is crucial that we learn lessons from those commercial
search engines that dominate students’ use, and embed those lessons into academic resources
that students can find and use easily (Griffiths and Brophy, 2005, p. 552).