Factors associated with the information-seeking behavior of Filipino scientists , researchers and research staff at SEAFDEC/AQD

Abstract

The study was undertaken to determine the information-seeking behavior of aquaculture scientists, researchers and research staff at Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center, Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC/AQD) through factors which includes: personal, work or role related, environmental, and psychological. Frequency counts, percentage analyses, mean and cross tabulation were utilized to describe the information-seeking behavior of the respondents. Results suggested that regardless of the factors, majority of the respondents, on average has visited the library once in every month. The main purposes were to ask assistance from the librarian and to browse current acquisitions. Infrequent library visits may be attributed to the delegation of library research to subordinates and to the frequent utilization of remote services (e.g. email, chat messaging, phone and text messaging) provided by the library. When searching for information, majority of the respondents preferred using online sources than the library and its databases. However, when given an option, the respondents would prefer to use the combination of print and electronic formats in searching. The respondents who visited the library more frequently were males, belonging to the age bracket 40 years old and below, non-researcher staff, individual with lesser experience in research, with no other research interest, individuals who were more than 200 meters from the physical library and those who have limited Internet connectivity. Furthermore, respondents who utilized the library online public access catalog (OPAC) and databases were confident to find the information that they need compared to other individuals who used the Internet. In a work week (5 days), respondents have spent at least four hours per day in reading. The Internet was the most preferred source of information, while the combination of print and electronic was the most preferred format when reading. Information on print formats was preferred by greater proportion of the respondents who were males, belonging to the age bracket 40 years old and below, with master’s degree and specializing on fish health or nutrition. Moreover, significant numbers of respondents who preferred to source the information through the Internet were females, belonging to the age bracket above 40 years old, with bachelor’s and doctoral degrees, and other specializations. In conclusion, it is recommended that SEAFDEC/AQD Library should continue to enhance its resources and services to better reach its clienteles. The library should subscribe to quality resources (print and electronic formats and databases), strengthen networks and linkages to other libraries (local and international), and to conduct training on information and Internet literacy.