An October 2005 Survey of Library User Studies by Thomas Mann of the Library of Congress shows that while most college students go to the Internet for their initial research, the majority also use real libraries in addition to the Internet. "Search techniques such as browsing library bookstacks are still regarded as necessary because of the inadequacy of online keyword searches," the summary says.
I like this survey because it seems to offer two divergent paths. On the one hand, we'd better step up our work on building efficient search tools. On the other hand, we ought to spend some of our research time browsing, because useful things turn up in unlikely places. Here's a quote from the survey results:
"It’s that one minute out of fifty-nine [minutes], when you find that one gem on the shelf" that makes the act of browsing not only effective but absolutely vital to many researchers. As one participant emphatically noted, "There is no substitute for walking the stacks. It’s not "browsing" -- that sounds too aimless. It’s more directed–"surveillance," really."
That reminds me of a recent column I read and saved bemoaning the lost art of discovery of the unexpected. In The endangered joy of serendipity, William McKeen says that even the best search engines will only direct you to what you’re looking for. You miss out on all the fascinating side trips you might take when you browse in a library or bookstore. “Technology undercuts serendipity. It makes it possible to direct our energies all in the name of saving time. Ironically, though, it seems that we are losing time - the meaningful time we once used to indulge ourselves in the related pleasures of search and discovery. We're efficient, but empty.â€
Take a read.
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