Organising e‐journals from the point of view of humanities: a case study at the University of Parma

Abstract

PurposeResearch was carried out at the University of Parma with the purpose to investigate the organisation of e‐journal titles from a user viewpoint, in order to find out what influence the approach adopted by the library may have on the use of e‐journals and what characteristics the organisation of e‐journals should have to enable an easy discovery of resources.Design/methodology/approachThe case study involved students, faculty members and library staff in classics and medieval studies. Research methodology comprised a mixed qualitative and quantitative approach: a focus group, observations, interviews, and a questionnaire.FindingsThe group of users appeared still reluctant to use e‐journals, the main barriers to use being lack of awareness and limited number of relevant resources. Users were favourable to being provided with multiple points of access to e‐journals. Their preference appeared to be based on the familiarity of the method and similarity to the organisation of their physical library. The organisation of e‐journals adopted at Parma had the potential to meet the users' expectations, but its actual implementation seemed to require more effective promotion and user‐centred design.Originality/valueThis paper may prove useful to humanities librarians engaged in providing user effective organisation of e‐journals and in encouraging researchers and students to use electronic journals.