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This article presents an introduction to the Delphi method and review of Delphi studies published in the literature of library and information science (LIS).

A review of Delphi studies published between the years of 1971 and 2019 is performed, using studies retrieved from the Library and Information Science Source database. A total of 122 articles were retrieved and evaluated based on the population studied, means of identifying experts, number of participants for each study round, type of Delphi, and type of findings.

General librarians (any type), academic librarians, and information science researchers are the most common populations in LIS Delphi studies. On average (middle 50 percent of studies), 14–36 experts are used in the first round of LIS Delphi studies (median n = 23). Employment in a specific role and publications in scholarly journals are the most common means of identifying experts. Variants of the e-Delphi (online survey/email) method are increasingly common, particularly in LIS Delphi studies that focus on general information science, rather than library, topics. Though LIS Delphi studies are relatively few in number, they have a consistent record of being published in some of the most prestigious LIS journals.

This paper provides an introduction to the Delphi method for LIS research and presents an overview of existing literature in LIS that utilizes the research method. No overview of this extent exists in the LIS literature, and, thus, this paper may serve as an important information source about the method for LIS researchers.

This study examines the use of the search engine, Google Scholar, from the perspective of a specific study group, that of international postgraduate students. Based on the theory of task perceived performance and effort expectancy influencing intention to use, further factors of system, individual, social and organisational, in the postgraduate student context are explored.

The questionnaire for the measurement of 11 factors was developed from related studies of e-library use, and data were collected from 200 international postgraduate students studying in the UK. Analysis using confirmatory factor analysis established the contextual influencing factors, and structural equation modeling examined the predicted model.

The findings confirmed the influence of the task-based factors of performance and expectancy and revealed that these were based on the perception of the visibility, accessibility and relevance of the system, and on perceived self-efficacy. The perception postgraduates held of themselves as competent users of Google Scholar was further borne out in the participants' own words when asked for the reason for their preference.

The approach taken enables research into use of search tools to go beyond ease of use as a main driver and to explore the relationship held among the internal and external influences of use. Recommendations for further user research are suggested as well as possible impact on the university library provision and support of services for students.

The purpose of this paper is to examine how different cognitive style groups use electronic journals via mobile devices, with an emphasis on the use of search mechanisms, the approaches to judge the relevance and to refine the results, the use of horizontal screens, and on the influence of negative emotions.

Participants’ cognitive styles were identified as Holists and Serialists with Ford's Study Preference Questionnaire. The behaviour of the participants interacting with the ScienceDirect was observed and was analysed with both traditional statistics and data mining.

Holists prefer to use multiple searches when undertaking the Expert Search only, which is a complex search mechanism. Conversely, Serialists have a tendency to use multiple searches, irrespective of the complexity of search mechanisms. Additionally, the Expert Search may be helpful for Serialists while the Basic Search seems beneficial to Holists. Regarding the judgement of relevance, Holists tend to use a variety of approaches while Serialists prefer to use a single approach. In general, the major results of this study confirm those of Vilar and Žumer (2008).

The novelty of this study covers two aspects. One is to examine the behaviour of Holists and Serialists in the mobile context of electronic journals and the other is to analyse data with an integrative approach that combines both traditional statistics and data mining. The former contributes to the understandings of how to design mobile electronic journals that can accommodate the needs of different cognitive style groups. The latter can not only strengthen the reliability of the results obtained from traditional statistics, but also discover findings neglected by traditional statistics.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of the most recent literature concerning document supply and related matters.

The approach is based on the reading of over 150 journals as well as monographs, reports and web sites.

It was found that the fundamental debate on the direction of scholarly publishing continues intensely. Electronic books remain a minority market but the literature at least remains optimistic. The mass digitisation of books continues apace. Open access continues to grow but with continuing and widely differing views on its impact.

The paper represents a useful source of information for librarians and others interested in document supply and related matters.

The purpose of this research is to examine the impact on usage of the journal Nucleic Acids Research (NAR) moving to an open access model. A major objective was to examine the impact of open access in the context of other initiatives that have improved accessibility to scholarly journals. The study also aims to demonstrate the potential of deep log analysis for monitoring change in usage over time.

Data were gathered from the logs for the period 2003‐June 2005 and analysed using deep log methods. The data were analysed to provide the following information on use: type of item viewed; usage over time; usage for individual journal issues; usage per type of article; age of article. Usage analyses were further examined with regard to the following user characteristics: subscriber/non‐subscriber; referrer link employed, organisational affiliation; geographical location.

The analysis showed that the rise in use of NAR over the survey period (140 per cent) could largely be attributed to the opening up of the site to search engines and that the move to OA had a relatively small influence on driving usage up further (less than 10 per cent).

The study for the first time thoroughly analyses the usage data of a significant experimental open access journal and reveals the huge impact of search engines on driving up usage.

The purpose of this paper is to explore undergraduate students’ use of mobile apps to search library catalogs and analyze the problems students encountered. Student opinions and suggestions regarding mobile library apps were also examined.

A total of 16 undergraduates were observed and subjected to semi-structured interviews. Four tasks were assigned, and the participants used mobile apps and laptops to search library catalogs. Follow-up in-depth interviews were conducted to gather participants’ opinions regarding the mobile library app.

Among the 64 total searches conducted by the 16 participants, 45 (70.31 percent) were completed when using the mobile app, and 51 (79.69 percent) were completed using the laptop. Participants spent less time completing the tasks when they used the mobile app. Mobile apps are thus an effective tool for searching library catalogs. However, the interviews revealed that none of the participants had used mobile library apps prior to the interviews conducted in this study, and half of the participants expressed that they would not install library apps on their smartphones in the future.

The study findings may help university libraries improve their understanding about undergraduates’ search behavior and opinions about mobile library apps.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of e‐journals by the users of IIT Delhi and Delhi University.

Survey research was conducted to access e‐journal use among IIT Delhi and Delhi University users. A stratified random sample method was used for selection of respondents. The survey was conducted through a structured questionnaire taking a random sample of 300 users (PG and PhD) from different disciplines of IIT Delhi and Delhi University libraries and the response rate was 66.66 per cent. The questionnaires were administered personally among the users of IIT Delhi and Delhi University during the survey period (March‐May 2011).

From this survey it was found that most of the users are aware of e‐journals and they are not only using them for building and updating their knowledge but also for collecting relevant material for their study and research purposes as information can be acquired expeditiously through e‐journals. The main aim of consulting these journals is for retrieving information regarding research, publishing research papers and manuscripts, assignments, presentations, seminars, and largely to update their own knowledge. However, this study also reveals several inherent problems especially with the use of e‐journals e.g. slow downloading as revealed by maximum IIT Delhi and Delhi University users. Other mechanical deficits like non‐availability of a particular issue, lack of training and limited access to terminals are also present while using e‐journals.

The present study consists only of e‐journal users of IIT Delhi and Delhi University. The geographical coverage is restricted to Delhi. The responses have been taken from users and the data have been collected during the months of March‐May 2011 only.

The problem is selected by the investigator to understand the use of e‐journals by IIT Delhi and Delhi University users so that libraries can make further improvement in their e‐journal services depending upon the results and suggestions.

The paper provides suggestions derived from the analysis of data which in turn will help to enhance the use of e‐journal services and fulfill the needs and requirements of users in the libraries of IIT Delhi and Delhi University.

The growing dominance of Google Scholar (GS) as a first-stop resource for scholars and researchers demands investigation of its influence on citation patterns, freedom of information, and scholarly communication. The purpose of this paper is to break new ground in understanding the various versions GS indexes, correlations between the number of GS versions and citation counts, and the value of institutional repositories for increasing scholarly impact.

GS listings for 982 articles in several academic subjects from three universities were analyzed for GS version types, including any institutional repository versions, citation rates, and availability of free full-text.

First, open access articles were cited more than articles that were not available in free full-text. While journal publisher web sites were indexed most often, only a small number of those articles were available as free full-text. Second, there is no correlation between the number of versions of an article and the number of times an article has been cited. Third, viewing the “versions” of an article may be useful when publisher access is restricted, as over 70 percent of articles had at least one free full-text version available through an indexed GS version.

This paper investigates GS versions as an alternative source for a scholarly article. While other articles have looked at GS through various lenses, the authors believe this specific aspect of the topic has not been previously explored.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the special issue on research carried out at the Department of Information and Communications at Manchester Metropolitan University.

The paper reflects on two factors: the context of the Department within the University; and beyond that in the “city region” of Manchester. It also introduces the contributions to the special issue from the Department.

The papers are opinion pieces, exploratory studies, evaluation of practice and critical perspectives and reflects the research of the Department of Information and Communications in the context of developments in the information and knowledge disciplines. The scope ranges from the detailed study of a particular system or organization to the understanding of the sector, which enables the information and communications industry.

The paper is important in the face of the renewed focus on the applicability of the academic enterprise.

The purpose of this paper is to present a study of attitudes displayed towards the Central Humanist Library (CHL) from the perspective of both undergraduate and graduate students as well as librarians, specifically in light of the proposed relocation and merging of the library, which consists of 18 separate departments and is currently scattered across two locations. It is proposed that bringing all of the departments into a single building would enable a number of positive key changes, such as cost reduction (in terms of single premises), communication and cooperation between departments, as well as various other process and service improvements.

A number of different techniques were employed to obtain and analyse various sets of data, depending on the target group: student responses were obtained through web surveys, focus groups and interviews, with data being extracted and analysed through descriptive analysis; librarians’ responses were obtained through interviews, with data being extracted and an analysis driven through content analysis.

The CHL has traditionally been a place with a lack of space and a focus on traditional library services (i.e. loan of printed materials). Other more technological aspects of library and information services are fulfilled by nearby resources, including public libraries and alternative university libraries. It is also worth noting that there is a stark difference in the perceptions of the CHL between students of the Social Sciences and the more traditional Humanities. Responses from librarians pointed towards the fact that many feel reluctant towards change.

As this study has only focused on three categories of end user, it should be noted that responses from faculty, researchers and doctoral students will be obtained in a separate research study, to enable a broader picture to be formed.

As this research focused on the present library and current information needs of the students within different study programmes, planning should not be based on the present situation, but rather take account of future predictions and needs. It is suggested, therefore, that the following is also undertaken to assist future projects and provide further insight: informing students and librarians of findings; systematic weeding; and, as noted above, further investigation of other stakeholders, e.g. researchers, doctoral students, faculty and management.

There is minimal information surrounding the attitudes of users and staff within the CHL – it is proposed that the findings of this study will assist in decisions regarding the renovation of newly acquired premises, and the subsequent relocation and reorganization of the existing library, staff, collections and services.