A Study on the Information Use Behavior of Social Science Researchers

This study focuses on investigating and analyzing overall information use behavior of the social science researchers. questionnaires were sent to 150 researchers in three major libraries or research institutes in the area of the social sciences, Five hypotheses were tested on the basis of the assumption that there would exist unique characteristics in the information seeking behavior of social science researchers The findings of the study shows that social science researchers prefer monographs and journals: they tend to use current material: the first information source for their research activities is the cited references in the book or journal article : they are likely to delegate literature searching to the librarian, but they tend to conduct direct searching in online setting: in general, they react positively for the rapid change in information environment caused by recent development of information technology, It is emphasized that to design an efficient information system and provide an effective information service in the social science related library or information center, it is essential to consider the major characteristics and attributes of social science researchers in terms of their information use behavior