Do users dream of electronic libraries?

Abstract

Although enough has been written about users’ behaviour in information search, experiences with regard to their conduct within the library are very scarce. Many of the aspects are closer to psychology than to librarianship: but to improve services, it is necessary to know the client reactions, specially in situations related to the use and yield of the available resources. Among librarians a broad answer is to offer many electronic tools, all types of equipment, and qualified robots for any kind of task. Turning the library into a science-fiction film can be attractive, but is not always the best solution: readers are not "androids". This paper tries to analyze who comes to the library and why; thus we will accompany them and see what their problems and their reactions are in order to obtain a global vision that points to possible solutions.