Although many studies have identified search tactics, few studies have explored tactic transitions. This study investigated the transitions of search tactics during the Web-based search process. Bringing their own 60 search tasks, 31 participants, representing the general public with different demographic characteristics, participated in the study. Data collected from search logs and verbal protocols were analyzed by applying both qualitative and quantitative methods. The findings of this study show that participants exhibited some unique Web search tactics. They overwhelmingly employed accessing and evaluating tactics; they used fewer tactics related to modifying search statements, monitoring the search process, organizing search results, and learning system features. The contributing factors behind applying most and least frequently employed search tactics are in relation to users' efforts, trust in information retrieval (IR) systems, preference, experience, and knowledge as well as limitation of the system design. A matrix of searchtactic transitions was created to show the probabilities of transitions from one tactic to another. By applying fifthorder Markov chain, the results also presented the most common search strategies representing patterns of tactic transition occurring at the beginning, middle, and ending phases within one search session. The results of this study generated detailed and useful guidance for IR system design to support the most frequently applied tactics and transitions, to reduce unnecessary transitions, and support transitions at different phases.

Purpose This study aims to investigate the factors affecting students’ continuance intention to use online library resources (OLRs) in the context of academic libraries. Based on an extended expectation confirmation theory (ECT), the effects of usefulness, confirmation and resource quality on continuance intention to use OLRs were examined. Design/methodology/approach To empirically test the model, a survey study was conducted. Data were collected from 606 student library users at a large state university in the USA. The collected data were analysed quantitatively to answer seven hypotheses using partial least squares method. Findings The findings revealed that both usefulness and confirmation had a positive direct and indirect influence on continuance intention. Also, the effect of resource quality on continuance intention was found to be significant. Satisfaction had a mediating effect on the relationship between usefulness, confirmation and resource quality, and continuance intention. Originality/value This study is one of the first attempts that adopted the ECT to understand students’ continuance intention to use OLRs. In addition, the effect of the multiple dimensions of resource quality – accessibility, credibility, coverage, and format – on users’ continuance intention to use OLRs was investigated.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how health scientists’ attitudinal, social, and resource factors affect their data reuse behaviors. Design/methodology/approach A survey method was utilized to investigate to what extent attitudinal, social, and resource factors influence health scientists’ data reuse behaviors. The health scientists’ data reuse research model was validated by using partial least squares (PLS) based structural equation modeling technique with a total of 161 health scientists in the USA. Findings The analysis results showed that health scientists’ data reuse intentions are driven by attitude toward data reuse, community norm of data reuse, disciplinary research climate, and organizational support factors. This research also found that both perceived usefulness of data reuse and perceived concern involved in data reuse have significant influences on health scientists’ attitude toward data reuse. Research limitations/implications This research evaluated its newly proposed research model based on the theory of planned behavior using a sample from the community of scientists’ scholar database. This research showed an overall picture of how attitudinal, social, and resource factors influence health scientists’ data reuse behaviors. This research is limited due to its sample size and low response rate, so this study is considered as an exploratory study rather than a confirmatory study. Practical implications This research suggested for health science research communities, academic institutions, and libraries that diverse strategies need to be utilized to promote health scientists’ data reuse behaviors. Originality/value This research is one of initial studies in scientific data reuse which provided a holistic map about health scientists’ data sharing behaviors. The findings of this study provide the groundwork for strategies to facilitate data reuse practice in health science areas.

the terms of the Creative Commons-Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike License 4.0 International (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly attributed, not used for commercial purposes, and, if transformed, the resulting work is redistributed under the same or similar license to this one. Abstract Objective-To investigate multiple factors that may affect undergraduate students' selection of online library resources. Usefulness and ease of use, quality, and user differences were each explored as factors influencing undergraduates' use intention. Design-Survey questionnaire. Setting-A state university located in the United States of America. Subjects-332 randomly selected undergraduate students. Methods-A survey designed to measure the intent to utilize online library resources was administered to an undergraduate population. The results, including 11 factors of use intention, were analyzed quantitatively using inferential statistics such as structural equation modeling, multiple regression, t-tests, ANOVAs, and linear regression.

PurposeThis study aims to develop a measurement instrument, which involves four usability dimensions of efficiency, effectiveness, satisfaction, and learnability, as a way of assessing the usability of academic digital libraries.Design/methodology/approachTo generate measurement items, previous research related to usability frameworks, usability guidelines, and empirical usability tests was reviewed. The measurement instrument was then verified in terms of reliability and validity, empirically using data from 230 actual users of an academic digital library. To ensure the reliability of the instrument, internal consistency of measurements, measurement item reliability, and construct reliability were examined. Construct validity, which consists of convergent validity and discriminant validity, was also examined on the basis of confirmatory factor analysis using structural equation modeling.FindingsThe usability evaluation instrument suggested in this study comprises four dimensions: efficiency, effectiveness, satisfaction, and learnability, and three to four items were identified to measure each dimension.Originality/valueTo date, while many of the usability studies have relied on either experimental methods or inspection methods, few studies have been conducted to identify evaluation measures that can assess the usability of a digital library from a survey method. This study is one of a few studies to develop a measurement instrument tailored to academic digital library environments.