Electronic Library, The

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to encompass the assessment of the effectiveness of the digital library and the value of multidisciplinary databases in terms of user preferences and use frequency by academic ranking.

Design/methodology/approach – This paper compares the results of two survey questionnaires carried out in 2002 and 2005. It examines the level of awareness by academic staff of digital library resources along with their use rate and to evaluate the preferences of faculty for specific electronic databases case studies were undertaken by means of separate questionnaires in both years.

Findings – Findings were consistent that positive results have been observed in two studies conducted in two years, 2002 and 2005. According to the results of the current survey, increased numbers of the faculty members of Ankara University know about the existence of the digital library. Another result of the survey is that many of the faculty members, although not all, use electronic databases. The most preferred databases have been Web of Science, Science Direct and Ebsco. When use of the electronic databases is analyzed, in respect of faculty rank and level of awareness, associate and assistant professors, assistants are ranked first.

Originality/value – The study presents the first case study in the field in Turkey that compares the current situation of the digital library usage with the initial survey data.