From Availability to Access

How Students Perceive and Navigate Access to Online Information Resources

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5860/ital.v44i4.17460

Keywords:

Information Access, Information Availability, Online Information Resources, Information Seeking Behavior, Resource Evaluation, Students, Barriers and Enablers

Abstract

This paper reports on student perspectives on access to online information resources when conducting an initial search for a school project. Through thematic analysis and user vignettes based on data from 175 students in elementary through graduate school, this paper explores how students determine whether they have access to online information resources, the barriers and enablers they attend to when pursuing access, and the characteristics that influence this process. Results reveal that resource previews, university and library branding, and the word download are generally viewed as enablers of access, while payment cues, learned heuristics around brands and formats, and the need to take extra steps to obtain the full text were barriers that often prevent students from trying to get access even when resources were available to them. Potential influences on individual capacity are also revealed, including experience in high- or low-availability information environments, ability to manage the complex cognitive load of determining access alongside other types of point-of-selection evaluation, a variety of dispositions related to information seeking, and situational factors related to the importance of the information need to the individual. While library staff work diligently to make online resources available, this does not automatically result in students’ ability to access those resources. This paper provides evidence to better equip library professionals for constructing their online information systems, collaborating with information providers about their online information systems, and teaching students about converting availability to access.

Author Biographies

Brittany Brannon, Independent

Brittany Brannon is an independent researcher. She has worked on several large, multi-institutional research projects, including projects funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). She was formerly a Senior Research Specialist at OCLC. She received her MLIS from Kent State University and MA from the University of Kansas. Her research interests are in information seeking behavior, academic research skills, and scholarly communication.

Samuel R. Putnam, New York University [https://ror.org/0190ak572]

Samuel R. Putnam (he/him) is the Director of the Bern Dibner Library for Science and Technology at New York University. His research focuses on how technology influences library patrons and the libraries’ role in situating and potentially mitigating that influence. He received his B.A. in History from the University of Florida and M.L.I.S. from Florida State University. He is currently an MA candidate in Sociology of Education at New York University. He was previously an Engineering Librarian at the University of Florida.

Amy G. Buhler, University of Florida [https://ror.org/02y3ad647]

Amy Buhler is an Engineering Librarian at University of Florida’s Marston Science Library. She provides research expertise and instructional support to the areas of Agricultural & Biological Engineering, Biomedical Engineering,  Engineering Education, and Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering. Prior to her work at Marston, she was a medical librarian at the University of Florida Health Science Center Libraries. Her research interests surround issues related to assessment of information seeking behaviors, library instruction, and the marketing and outreach of library services. She holds a B.A. from the University of Florida and an M.S.L.S from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill.

Tara Tobin Cataldo, University of Florida [https://ror.org/02y3ad647]

Tara Tobin Cataldo is the STEM Collections and Research Metrics Librarian at the University of Florida’s George A. Smathers Libraries. She provides consulting, research and instructional support in research metrics and impact at the university, directs the collections’ operations of the Marston Science Library and serves on the group that manages the libraries’ multi-million dollar collections budget. Tara has her B.S. in Biology from the University of Tampa, her M.L.S. from the University of South Florida and she has been an academic librarian for over 25 years.

Ixchel M. Faniel, Online Computer Library Center [https://ror.org/02nv42w72]

Ixchel M. Faniel is a Senior Research Scientist at OCLC. She conducts user and library studies primarily focused on research data management, sharing, reuse, and curation practices and online information behavior. Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), and National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). She graduated from Tufts University with a BS in Computer Science and earned an MBA and Ph.D. in Business Administration at the University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business. 

Lynn Silipigni Connaway, Independent Researcher

Lynn Silipigni Connaway is an independent researcher, who conducts multi-methods research to investigate user behaviors in information discovery and access. She is Past President of the Association for Information Science and Technology, the recipient of the ASIS&T 2019 Watson Davis Award, and the 2020 Distinguished Alumna Award at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Information School. Lynn is Past Chair of the Association of College and Research Libraries Value of Academic Libraries Committee. Connaway has received research funding from the IMLS, Jisc, and the Arts and Humanities Research Council. She is co-author of the 4th and 5th editions of Basic Research Methods for Librarians and of the 6th and 7th editions, Research Methods in Library and Information Science.

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Published

2025-12-15

How to Cite

Brannon, B., Putnam, S. R., Buhler, A. G., Cataldo, T. T., Faniel, I. M., & Connaway, L. S. (2025). From Availability to Access: How Students Perceive and Navigate Access to Online Information Resources. Information Technology and Libraries, 44(4). https://doi.org/10.5860/ital.v44i4.17460

Issue

Vol. 44 No. 4 (2025)

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2025 Brittany Brannon, Samuel R. Putnam, Amy G. Buhler, Tara Tobin Cataldo, Ixchel M. Faniel, Lynn Silipigni Connaway

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