E-learning and student behavior in academic libraries

Traditional teaching takes place in classrooms and lecture halls. Under the impact of digital technology, both teaching and independent study are changing. In this paper we focus on the role of academic library lies in the transition to e-learning, emphasizing the changes in library user behavior. Our approach is empirical and quantitative. At the Mykolas Romeris University in Vilnius we have started to investigate how students study, by collecting systematic observations on what students actually do while they are using our library facilities. We chose a method called Count The Traffic (TTT), which has be tested out and widely used in Norwegian libraries since 2006. TTT is based on regular tours of observation through the library at regular intervals throughout the day during one full week (or more). It uses a fixed set of categories that cover activities that are easy to observe without intruding, for instance whether a student is working with a book or a computer and whether she works in a group or alone. The method, which was developed by one of the authors, provides representative statistical data on a few major categories of behavior. The paper reports on the results of our first TTT survey in April 2+13, based on 6.500 observations, and interprets them in light of the qualitative changes we observe as well as the library’s strategic development plans. We expect that similar changes are occurring elsewhere and take a brief look at patterns of behavior observed in other academic libraries that have used the same instrument to study user behavior.