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Digital libraries and academic search engines have developed as two important online scholarly information sources with different features. The purpose of this study is to compare digital libraries and academic search engines from the perspective of the dual-route model.

Research hypotheses were developed. Potential participants were recruited to answer an online survey distributing at Chinese social media out of which 251 responses were deemed to be valid and used for data analysis. The paired samples t-test was used to compare the means.

Both information quality (central route) and source credibility (peripheral route) of digital libraries are significantly higher than those of academic search engines, while there is no significant difference between digital libraries and academic search engines in terms of affinity (peripheral route).

In the digital information society, the important status of digital libraries as conventional information sources should be spread by necessary measures. Academic search engines can act as complementary online information sources for seeking academic information rather than the substitute for digital libraries. Practitioners of digital libraries should value the complementary role of academic search engines and encourage users to use academic search engines while emphasizing the importance of digital libraries as conventional information sources.

According to the dual-route model, this study compares digital libraries and academic search engines in terms of information quality, source credibility and affinity, which the authors believe presents a new lens for digital libraries research and practice alike.

Digital libraries and social media are two sources of online information with different characteristics. The purpose of this paper is to integrate self-efficacy into the analysis of the relationship between information sources and decision making, and to explore the effect of self-efficacy on decision making, as well as the interacting effect of self-efficacy and information sources on decision making.

Survey data were collected and the partial least squares structural equation modeling was employed to verify the research model.

The effect of digital library usage for acquiring information on perceived decision quality (PDQ) is larger than that of social media usage for acquiring information on PDQ. Self-efficacy in acquiring information (SEAI) stands out as the key determinant for PDQ. The effect of social media usage for acquiring information on PDQ is positively moderated by SEAI.

Decision making is a fundamental activity for individuals, but human decision making is often subject to biases. The findings of this study provide useful insights into decision quality improvement, highlighting the importance of SEAI in the face of information overload.

This study integrates self-efficacy into the analysis of the relationship between information sources and decision making, presenting a new perspective for decision-making research and practice alike.

Knowledge transfer which refers to the communication of knowledge from a source so that it is learned and applied by a recipient has long been a challenge for knowledge management. The purpose of this study is to understand influencing factors of transactive memory system (TMS) and knowledge transfer.

Drawing on the theories of communication visibility, social distance and flow, this study develops a research model. Then, data are collected from users of the social media mobile App. Partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) is employed to analyze data.

TMS is a valid second-order construct in the social media mobile app context, which is more reflected by credibility. Meanwhile, communication visibility and social distance each have positive effects on TMS which further has a positive effect on knowledge transfer. Flow has a positive effect on knowledge transfer.

Developers of the mobile App should carefully consider the role of information and communication technology (ICT) in supporting TMS and knowledge transfer. They should consider recommendation algorithm so that the benefit of communication visibility can be retained. They should design the feature to classify users based on similarity so as to stimulate users' feeling of close social distance. They should keep on improving features based on users' holistic experience.

This study incorporates the perspectives of communication visibility, social distance and flow to understand TMS and knowledge transfer, presenting a new lens for research.

Microblogging as one kind of social media application provides an important information sharing platform. Adaptive information sharing is the combination of adaptive information technologies (IT) use behavior and information sharing behavior and subsequently refers to adaptive use of IT oriented to information sharing. The purpose of this paper is to understand adaptive information sharing in the context of microblogging from the perspective of cognitive switching.

A research model was developed and survey data were collected. The partial least squares structural equation modeling was employed to verify the research model.

Adaptive information sharing is positively impacted by other people’s use, discrepancies and deliberate initiatives among which other people’s use is the key determinant. Meanwhile, task self-efficacy positively moderates the effect of other people’s use on adaptive information sharing.

Developers of microblogging should as far as possible create learning atmosphere and learning culture. With learning atmosphere and culture, more and more users could keep on learning from observing other people. Consequently, more and more users would be willing to try new features of microblogging to share information.

This study examines adaptive information sharing by extending adaptive IT use behavior from the levels of technology, system and feature to the information level, presenting a new lens for adaptive IT use and information sharing alike.

This study aims to explore the mechanisms of extended information seeking, which is the combination of extended information technologies (IT) use behavior and information-seeking behavior. The purpose is to identify the factors that shape extended information seeking from the perspectives of psychological empowerment and attachment.

A research model was developed based on prior theory and literature. Survey data were collected, and the partial least squares (PLS) structural equation modeling was used to verify the research model.

Psychological empowerment is a well-constructed second-order construct, having a larger positive effect on extended information seeking. Digital libraries attachment has a positive effect on extended information seeking.

Accessing digital libraries does not mean using digital libraries effectively. Managers of digital libraries should design various specific information activities to help users enhance psychological empowerment. They should provide more available and responsive services for users to enhance digital libraries attachment.

Drawing on the adaptive structuration theory, this study examines extended information seeking by combining extended use of digital libraries and information seeking, presenting a new lens for digital library and information seeking research.

Digital libraries and social media have emerged as two prominent online information sources with different characteristics. The purpose of this paper is to compare digital libraries and social media from the perspective of the dual route model which outlined a general framework of central and peripheral route-induced attitude change.

Research hypotheses were developed and data collected from users of digital libraries and social media were used for data analysis. The paired samples t-test was employed to compare the means.

Both central route (information quality) and peripheral route (source credibility and reputation) of digital libraries are higher than those of social media.

The important status of digital libraries as conventional information sources should be propagated by various “marketing” ways. Managers of digital libraries should encourage their users to use both digital libraries and social media so that some unique advantage of social media could usefully complement digital libraries. They should also recognize the challenge brought by social media and try various ways to enhance reputation.

Building on the dual route model, this study compares digital libraries and social media in terms of the central route and peripheral route, which the authors believe presents a new lens for digital library research and practice alike.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the antecedents of information seeking in digital libraries from the perspectives of the Technology Acceptance Model and flow experience, as well as the consequences from the perspectives of self-efficacy in getting information and individual performance.

A research model is developed and tested using questionnaires and, partial least squares structural equation modeling.

The effect of flow experience on information seeking in digital libraries is the largest one. Meanwhile, flow experience fully mediates the effects of ease of use and usefulness on information seeking in digital libraries which further leads to self-efficacy in getting information and individual performance.

Librarians should help users to experience more stable and sustainable flow by providing dependable, prompt, personalized and professional service to them. Librarians should try their best to provide diversified user training so as to guide potential users to seek information in digital libraries.

This study contributes to the theoretical development of the structural model exploring information seeking in digital libraries, presenting a new view for digital library research and practice alike.

Flow experience is conceptualized as an optimal experience about an activity, characterized by a match between perceived challenges and perceived skills. The purpose of this paper is to explore mobile libraries by comparing users’ perceptions of web digital libraries and mobile libraries in terms of flow experience so as to obtain insights regarding the healthy development of mobile libraries.

Data collected from university digital library users were used for analysis. One figure was used to present the exact nature of users’ perceptions of flow experience in terms of data distribution. The paired samples t-test was used to present the exact mean difference between flow experience in using web digital libraries and mobile libraries.

Fewer users can experience flow and more users cannot experience flow in using mobile libraries than in using web digital libraries. The mean of flow experience in using mobile libraries is significantly smaller than that in using web digital libraries.

Digital libraries have faced severe competition in the modern information society. In China university libraries as a whole are undergoing the transition from web digital libraries to mobile libraries. It is critical to examine user experience in the initial or early stage of mobile library development. The authors believe the findings of this study regarding flow experience provide useful insights for facilitating the healthy development of mobile libraries.

This study explores and compares users’ perceptions of web digital libraries and mobile libraries in terms of flow experience, which the authors think provides a new view for university digital library research and practice alike.

The purpose of this study is to examine and compare Chinese electronic resources and English electronic resources in terms of ease of use, usefulness and usage in the context of a Chinese university library, so as to facilitate the effective use of English electronic resources in China.

Data collection was conducted through a large scale survey. A total of 378 valid data coming from the users of a Chinese university library were used for data analysis.

There are more users in Chinese university library who perceived that Chinese electronic resources are both easy to use and useful while English electronic resources are neither easy to use nor useful. Meanwhile, there are more users who used Chinese electronic resources more frequently while used English electronic resources less frequently.

This study could advance our knowledge about the current status of the use of Chinese electronic resources and English electronic resources as well as the digital divide at the second‐level and the third‐level, facilitating the effective use of English electronic resources.

Building on three levels of the digital divide, this study examines and compares Chinese electronic resources and English electronic resources in terms of ease of use, usefulness and usage in the context of Chinese university library, providing a new view for library electronic resources management research and practice alike.

In this study, the authors use the term “e-quality” to refer to information quality, system quality and service quality. This study aims to focus on e-quality, exploring and comparing users' perceptions of digital libraries and virtual communities in the hope that the results of this study can help lead to better understanding of the exact nature of e-quality as perceived by users.

A large-scale survey was conducted for data collection. Data collected from 334 users of digital libraries and virtual communities were used for data analysis.

The study finds that users are likely to perceive a higher level of information quality, system quality and service quality of digital libraries than of virtual communities.

The authors suggest that librarians do not need to have concerns over the challenge brought by virtual communities, which indeed have an increasing impact on the way a lot of people seek and gather information. Instead, they should encourage their users to use both digital libraries and virtual communities. The authors believe that the usage of these two types of information sources by users can efficiently inform each other, thus facilitating the e-quality of both digital libraries and virtual communities to reach excellence.

Building on the information systems (IS) success model, this study explores and compares users' perceptions of digital libraries and virtual communities in terms of e-quality, which the authors think presents a new view for digital library research and practice alike.