User Assessment of Electronic Reserves and Implications for Digital Libraries

ABSTRACT

In the 1990s, electronic reserves services rapidly developed in academic libraries following the emergence of the Internet, particularly the World Wide Web, as an information delivery tool. Because similar technologies are used to develop and access digital libraries and electronic reserves, the implications for the evaluation of electronic reserves go beyond traditional service satisfaction levels. User responses to electronic reserves are an indicator of the acceptance and technical challenges of digital libraries. As we examine user reactions, inferences can be made on such topics as user technical skills, institutional networking infrastructure and the electronic communication process in instruction. These inferences give us greater insights into the future use, satisfaction level and technical demands in the use of digital libraries.

KEYWORD:

• Electronic reserves