From Print to Electronic: The Adoption of Information Technology by Academic Chemists.

Summary In recent years large academic research libraries have acquired and made available to their users numerous information technologies designed to facilitate information retrieval and support the research process. Ranging from online computer catalogs, databases, and electronic journals to Internet-based resources, these new products are costly for university libraries but arc acquired because of the much-enhanced access to information they offer for both faculty and students. This paper examines data collected in two surveys, four years apart, for a group of university faculty chemists who were queried about their use of electronic resources. The two surveys represent a long term, and continuing, effort to document the adoption of technological innovations by university faculty. The role of librarians as change agents will be explored as will issues related to promotion and training of faculty in the use of electronic resources.

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