A COMPARISON OF THE EFFECTS OF NEW TECHNOLOGY ON SEARCHING HABITS IN INDUSTRIAL AND ACADEMIC-INSTITUTIONS

This article is based mainly upon the findings of three surveys on the effects of new technology on searching habits in industrial and academic institutions, conducted in Autumn 1988 and Autumn 1990. It is appreciated that this two-year time gap between the two sets of surveys must be taken into account, as should more recent advances in the technology and services available, in that they have an influence on the findings. These are investigated, and conclusions drawn as to the overall differences, similarities and changes in searching in industrial and academic institutions. In particular, the effects of new technology on information personnel and end-users with regard to their searching are reviewed and compared, and changes in the roles of the various players in the field considered.