{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,7]],"date-time":"2026-02-07T23:15:10Z","timestamp":1770506110944,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":19,"publisher":"Emerald","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2006,4,1]],"date-time":"2006-04-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1143849600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/site-policies"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2006,4,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Purpose<\/jats:title><jats:p>Online content has largely replaced traditional print\u2010based resources as the primary tool for literature searching throughout much of the academic and research community. This paper presents the results of a small\u2010scale study, commissioned by the JISC in 2004, to assess the potential efficiency gains that may be achieved through the use of online content by researchers.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Design\/methodology\/approach<\/jats:title><jats:p>Information gleaned from an extensive literature review was combined with recent usage data to calculate broad estimates of the efficiency gains which are being made by the research community through using online searching strategies as opposed to print resources.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Findings<\/jats:title><jats:p>The estimated staff costs in UK universities of literature searching are some \u00a37 million per annum. Manual literature searching can take around five times as long as using relevant electronic resources. The consequent savings from the availability of electronic bibliographic databases are estimated in the region of \u00a325 million per annum.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Originality\/value<\/jats:title><jats:p>This paper brings together findings from a number of distinct studies and extrapolates these to the current situation in the UK. It demonstrates the value of investment in electronic bibliographic databases to the funding bodies which provide these to researchers.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1108\/00330330610669299","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2006,7,4]],"date-time":"2006-07-04T03:50:17Z","timestamp":1151985017000},"page":"178-189","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":7,"title":["An assessment of potential efficiency gains through online content use"],"prefix":"10.1108","volume":"40","author":[{"given":"Claire","family":"Creaser","sequence":"first","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Yvonne","family":"Hamblin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"J.","family":"Eric Davies","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]}],"member":"140","reference":[{"key":"key2022021419542896600_b1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Akeroyd, J. and Foster, A. (1979), \u201cOnline information services in UK academic libraries\u201d, Online Review, Vol. 3 No. 2, pp. 195\u2010203.","DOI":"10.1108\/eb023997"},{"key":"key2022021419542896600_b2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Archer, M.K. (2004), \u201cElectronic\u2010only in the corporate environment\u201d, Serials, Vol. 17 No. 1, pp. 47\u201050.","DOI":"10.1629\/1747"},{"key":"key2022021419542896600_b3","unstructured":"Creaser, C. (1996), Electronic Publishing: Statistics of Supply and Library Use, LISU, Loughborough."},{"key":"key2022021419542896600_b4","unstructured":"Creaser, C., Maynard, S.E. and White, S.U. (2005), LISU Annual Library Statistics 2005, LISU, Loughborough, available at: www.lboro.ac.uk\/departments\/dils\/lisu\/pages\/publications\/als05.html (accessed 6 January 2006)."},{"key":"key2022021419542896600_b5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Cropley, J. (1986), \u201cTowards the paperless business library: from print to online business information\u201d, Business Information Review, Vol. 2 No. 4, pp. 3\u20109.","DOI":"10.1177\/026638218600200402"},{"key":"key2022021419542896600_b6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"East, H. (1980), \u201cComparative costs of manual and on\u2010line bibliographic searching: a review of the literature\u201d, Journal of Information Science, Vol. 2 No. 2, pp. 101\u20109.","DOI":"10.1177\/016555158000200206"},{"key":"key2022021419542896600_b7","unstructured":"East, H. (1998), \u201cA decade of experience in measuring academic database use\u201d, paper presented at the 64th IFLA General Conference 16\u201021 August, available at: www.ifla.org\/IV\/ifla64\/114\u2010134e.htm (accessed 6 January 2006)."},{"key":"key2022021419542896600_b8","unstructured":"East, H. and Leach, K. (1997), A Survey of Attitudes to the Pricing of JISC\u2010funded Databases, Database Resources Research Group, City University, London, available at: www.soi.city.ac.uk\/informatics\/is\/drrg\/attitu97\/attitu97.html (accessed 6 January 2006)."},{"key":"key2022021419542896600_b9","unstructured":"Elman, S. (1975), \u201cCost comparison of manual and on\u2010line computerized searching\u201d, Special Libraries, Vol. 66 No. 1, pp. 12\u201018."},{"key":"key2022021419542896600_b10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Flynn, T., Holohan, P.A., Magson, M.S. and Munro, J.D. (1979), \u201cCost effectiveness comparison of online and manual bibliographic information retrieval\u201d, Journal of Information Science, Vol. 1 No. 2, pp. 77\u201084.","DOI":"10.1177\/016555157900100204"},{"key":"key2022021419542896600_b11","unstructured":"Hamblin, Y. (2005), LibPortal Project: Case Studies of Portal Implementation in Higher Education Libraries \u2013 A Report to the Joint Information Systems Committee, JISC, London, available at: www.jisc.ac.uk\/uploaded_documents\/Lib%20Portal%20Case%20Studies%20in% 20HE.pdf (accessed 6 January 2006)."},{"key":"key2022021419542896600_b12","unstructured":"HESA (2005a), Students in Higher Education Institutions 2003\/04, Higher Education Statistics Agency, Cheltenham."},{"key":"key2022021419542896600_b13","unstructured":"HESA (2005b), Resources of Higher Education Institutions 2003\/04, Higher Education Statistics Agency, Cheltenham."},{"key":"key2022021419542896600_b14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Hewett, S. (1997), \u201cThe future for mediated online search services in an academic institution: a case study\u201d, Online & CD ROM Review, Vol. 21 No. 5, pp. 281\u20104.","DOI":"10.1108\/eb024632"},{"key":"key2022021419542896600_b15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Johnston, S. (1977), \u201cComparison of manual and online retrospective searching for agricultural subjects\u201d, Aslib Proceedings, Vol. 29 No. 7, pp. 253\u20108.","DOI":"10.1108\/eb050599"},{"key":"key2022021419542896600_b16","unstructured":"Nicholas, D., Pang, Y.W., Erbach, G. and Palman, K. (1987), \u201cEnd\u2010users in higher education: the British experience\u201d, British Journal of Academic Librarianship, Vol. 2 No. 2, pp. 105\u201026."},{"key":"key2022021419542896600_b17","unstructured":"SCONUL (2005), Annual Library Statistics, SCONUL, London."},{"key":"key2022021419542896600_b18","unstructured":"Strouse, R. (2004), \u201cThe changing face of content users and the impact on information providers\u201d, Online, Vol. 28 No. 5, pp. 27\u201031."},{"key":"key2022021419542896600_b19","unstructured":"Winship, I.R. (1986), \u201cThe use of online information services in UK higher education libraries\u201d, British Journal of Academic Librarianship, Vol. 1 No. 3, pp. 191\u2010206."}],"container-title":["Program"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/content\/doi\/10.1108\/00330330610669299\/full\/xml","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/content\/doi\/10.1108\/00330330610669299\/full\/html","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,24]],"date-time":"2025-07-24T23:55:17Z","timestamp":1753401317000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"http:\/\/www.emerald.com\/dta\/article\/40\/2\/178-189\/328489"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2006,4,1]]},"references-count":19,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2006,4,1]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1108\/00330330610669299"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1108\/00330330610669299","relation":{},"ISSN":["0033-0337"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0033-0337","type":"print"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2006,4,1]]}}}