ACADEMIC LIBRARY USE IN THE GOOGLE ERA (48)

Academic websites provided by academic libraries face challenges to their utility stemming from the rapid developments in information and communication technology (ICT). These developments have created diverse options and channels for information sources that can be accessed easily by users through the Internet, particularly Google search engine and its specialised variants such as Google Scholar. Hence, the number of users who take advantage of library websites is also decreasing because of the availability of other diverse options for information sources and channels on the Internet. This paper aims to explore the role and impact of search engines, particularly Google, on use of the academics’ libraries’ websites. A qualitative study has been conducted with staff and students at two universities, one in UK and one in GCC (Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf.). The findings illustrate problems with the use of library websites to search for information. In particular, these concerned the complexity of finding information, lack of resources and the organisation of the library websites. As a result, the library users relied heavily on Google to find information. These finding imply a necessity for the academic libraries’ websites to reflect the effectiveness and simplicity of Google’s search features and techniques which have become dominant and which are the de facto standard