JUSTEIS: JISC Usage Surveys: Trend in Electronic Information Services

The JUSTEIS Project Introduction

Introduction
The rationale behind JISC's call, Monitoring and Evaluating User Behaviour in Information Seeking and Use of Information Technology and Information Services in UK Higher Education, was summarised by JISC as:

The research should provide information and tools to identify current use of electronic information services (EIS) and to forecast areas of growth. The data would help JISC plan for new services, network enhancements and other areas of investment.
While statistics regarding use were available, relatively little data were available on who were using the services and for what purposes. Current academic use of electronic information services tended to be from research-based areas, but there was concern that growth in teaching/student use could change this picture rapidly.
JISC envisaged a framework in which they would be able to monitor changes annually over a period. Any mechanism for surveying users and providers should therefore be sustainable.

In parallel with the work being undertaken by the Aberystwyth team, a further strand of work, a qualitative longitudinal monitoring of electronic information services use is being undertaken by the University of Northumbria at Newcastle: The JUBILEE project: JISC User Behaviour in Information seeking: Longitudinal Evaluation of EIS.

Anyone wishing to engage in correspondence with the JUSTEIS team or who would like to contribute thoughts or data, is invited to turn to our feedback page on this Web site.