Research Content as an Expression of the Scholarly Information Seeking Habits and Behavior of University Faculty

Abstract

A group of faculty and staff of the Missouri State University (MSU) Libraries, assisted by an anthropologist, conducted a survey and then an ethnographic study using direct observation and semi-structured interviews of a broad sample of MSU faculty members to explore faculty scholarly information seeking habits and behavior. Research questions explored where faculty researched, what they used, and whom they consulted for assistance. This article will discuss the methodologies of the study, as well as its findings on content used by faculty, to be followed by a companion article discussing findings on services and spaces.