OCLC Report Highlights Scholarly Behavior in Virtual Environments

Published in January, on a commision from OCLC Research:
Palmer, C.L., Teffeau, L.C. and Pirmann, C.M. (2009). Scholarly Information Practices in the Online Environment: Themes from the Literature and Implications for Library Service Development. Dublin, Ohio: OCLC. http://www.oclc.org/programs/
publications/reports/2009-02.pdf
It focuses in particular on highlightling disciplinary differences revealed in the literature, and organises the report by focusing on particular information activities (using Ellis' model of information seeking as a key starting point). At the end it draws out recommendations for how libraries can best contribute to teh process.
It is a useful review, although I think it is a pity that, whilst including reference to the extent to which scholars use people (peers etc) as sources of information, when it comes to aligning scholarly activities with library services, the library services are all (I think) to do with published sources. I would have thought there could have been some recommendations about how librarians could be using their information management and Web 2.0 skills to support/ facilitate informal scholarly information exchange.
Photo by Sheila Webber: March 2009