Authors

• Finnish National Electronic Library (FinELib)

Keywords

electronic resources, information retrieval, information/library resources, library services, online services, public libraries

Abstract

The survey studied user views on the electronic resources provided by Finnish public libraries. Electronic resources were taken to include, for instance, electronic publications, e-books, online dictionaries and reference databases.

The respondents were first asked about the amount and frequency of use, types of e-resources used, perceived availability of e-resources, what type of e-resources the respondents hoped the library would provide, and whether they would be willing to give up printed materials (books, dictionaries) if the electronic versions were provided by the library. Satisfaction with the e-resources available and main problems with using e-resources were also charted.

Other topics included information channels on e-resources, training needs relating to e-resources, printed books read in the previous 12 months, the most recent use of an e-resource, and the use of the Nelli information retrieval portal.

Background variables included the respondent's gender, age, education level, economic activity and occupational status, and sub-region.