An internet role for the academic librarian?

Harry Bruce and Peter Clayton
harryb@u.washington.edu, prc@comserver.canberra.edu.au

The academic librarian is a key stakeholder in the development of internet technologies. The profession is well positioned to promote and exploit the benefits of information networks. In recent years, this has generally meant that academic librarians have assumed the role of campus internet trainer or instructor. The logic behind this is compelling. The role of internet trainer will enhance the profile of the profession because it will help academics to become better users of the internet, and therefore better able to achieve the benefits of improved access to networked information resources and services.

Is this the case? This article reports on a pilot study that, amongst other things, examined the relationship between training and satisfaction with information seeking on the internet. The outcomes suggest that academic librarians might consider shifting their emphasis from Internet training to network-based support for self-learning. The methodology of magnitude estimation, employed in this pilot, is also discussed.