ACADEMIC LIBRARY SERVICES SUPPORT FOR RESEARCH INFORMATION SEEKING

This study investigated the use of a university library academic service to assist in research information seeking, and the role and value of the academic services in support of research from the viewpoints of both academic users and librarians. Ten Ph.D. students completed questionnaires followed by face-to-face discussions and four academic librarians participated in semi-structured interviews. Findings include library online databases and interlibrary loans and document delivery as the services most familiar to, and utilised by, academic users. Assistance in searching for resources in and out of the library, subscribing to the databases and maintaining access, as well as providing training on research skills were major roles and values of the university library as perceived by academic users in research support. Academic librarians believed that users' research-related service needs varied for different stages of the research process and disciplines and they reported perceiving their role as that of a "mediator" and an "information broker". Recommendations for further research are also provided.