Factors Influencing Usage of an Electronic Journal Collection at a Medium-Size University: An Eleven-Year Study.

Abstract

This paper reports the results of a quantitative analysis examining factors affecting electronic journal usage at the J.N. Desmarais Library of Laurentian University. This study covered an 11-year period, from 2000 to 2010. The number of full-text articles downloaded was compared to the size of the e-journal collection, the number of students, and the number of faculty members at the university, all of which exerted varying degrees of influence on the rate of use of e-journals. Pearson’s Product-Moment Correlation Coefficients were calculated to determine the strength of any existing linear relationship. Although the size of the e-journal collection did impact its level of use, there seems to be a “critical mass” which once reached will slow or stop any further increase in usage. Among the student population, the number of doctoral students demonstrated the strongest linear relationship to the use of the e-journal collection while the undergraduate population showed the least strong linear relationship. Faculty members were important users of the library’s e-journal collection but the linear relationship was not as strong as that observed for graduate students. In fact, faculty members demonstrated the least strong linear relationship of all segments of the Laurentian University community. It may be wise for the library to consult not only its faculty members but also its graduate students when seeking advice on collection building and management.