Um estudo do comportamento de busca de informação por estudantes universitários da geração Google

Abstract

The aim was to evaluate the degree of information literacy of undergraduate students of Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), born in the mid- 90s, as known as the Google generation. Using the survey method, we elaborated a questionnaire subsequently applied online, using Google's software platform, "googleforms", that seeks to analyse the information behaviour of students, considering their different undergraduate course. The research objetives were to: identify how students seek information to meet their needs, mapping what supplies they use and how they use them, not only sources of information in physical supports, such as books, printed periodicals, but on digital supports, such as databases, electronic books (e-books), among other sources; and find out what is the level of information literacy among the participants. Another dimension also addressed, was how respondents see librarians and the library environment as a study area and social environment. The questionnaire included eight multiple-choice questions , six of these also having an open field for comments. As results, we had 216 replies, 1% Agricultural Sciences 13% Biological Sciences 15% Human Sciences 25% Technology and Exact Sciences 11% Health Sciences 25% Engineering , 11% Linguistics, Literature , Arts. As predicted, when confronting with the previously read literature on the subject, we found that respondents most frequently used sources of information in digital format. However, they do not demonstrate full knowledge of search tools, although the information is found faster, students show difficulties in filtering the information retrieved. When comparing the use of printed and digital journals, the difference is clear-cut: 74% of students say they have used "few times" (30%) or "never" (44%) printed journals, and only 1% say they have used them "always", and "often " (8%). But when it comes from the same source in digital form, this figure rises to 26% ( "always" 14% and "often" 12%) , while the number of respondents who say they have used "few times" and "never" added are 56% , 20% and 36% respectively. Another result that points out the difficulty in filtering the data, showing a low level of information literacy is the lack of knowledge of the tools available to assist in searches: when asked up search strategies, only 6 % use specialized thesaurus, the strategies that they use the most are looking at the first three pages of results and using quotes and Google operators (44% and 55% , respectively) , with 38 % admitting not use any search strategy . The vision that this new generation has in relation to the library environment is still more traditional, which is seen as place to be quieter and conducive to study, 68% said that they used the library space "a few times" (29%) or "never" (39% ) as a leisure space. As the research participants overwhelmingly reported having searched the librarians in University Library "few times" (26%) or "never" (61%), we can conclude that they do not see librarians as professional to help them with their studies, information search and retrieval.