PHYSICAL LIBRARIES AND VIRTUAL LIBRARIES: WHAT'S IMPORTANT FOR GEOSCIENTISTS

The library and information environments have changed substantially during the past ten years. The development of the World Wide Web and subsequent rapid growth of scholarly information and other data, available anytime or anyplace through the internet, have exerted a profound impact on the way geoscientists find and use the information resources needed for research and teaching. This presentation draws upon the extensive survey and user assessment data accumulated at the University of Washington since 1992. Large scale survey information provides sufficient granularity to compare how geoscientists and scientists in other areas find information and use libraries.