There is a report of an experiment comparing Swedish students' use of Google Scholar and Metalib for their dissertations, carried out for BIBSAM . (from the abstract) "The study concludes that overall, students were not very satisfied with either tool. However, Google Scholar performed relatively better in almost all measurements. Results for both tools were improved by instruction in terms of number of documents saved (Metalib, Google Scholar) and type of document saved (Google Scholar)." (from page 64) "The fact that instruction increased the amount of “peer reviewed” material students found in Google Scholar was a surprise to the designers of this study and should make libraries consider including it in their instructional programs. This study is a strong indication that librarians should not assume that Google Scholar is so simple to use that merely pointing out its existence to students is enough." (and spot the reference in this report to Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance - gosh, haven't heard that cited for a while!)
Nygren, E., Haya, G. and Widmark, W. (2006) Students' experience of Metalib and Google Scholar. University of Stockholm. http://www.kb.se/BIBSAM/bidrag/projbidr/avslutade/2006/
P528report_students_experience.pdf
Photos by Sheila Webber: Guggenheim musuem, Bilbao, Spain - people were really glued to the audio guides that came free with the entrance fee (bottom photo has reflection of me, plus just-seen people sitting and listening inside). Sept 2006.
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