Libraries – Entry Points to the Digital World

Abstract

Academic libraries are no longer the only choice for students and researchers to go for information. In the digital world blogs and wikis, Facebook and YouTube create new  types of content. The digital natives have different needs, they search, learn, work and communicate in a different way. As the search behaviors changed, discovering became the new trend. The discovery systems make accessible all the materials that a library can offer (print and electronic) through a single search box. Libraries have to give up some traditional catalogue functionalities and offer a unified view of all institutional data whether it comes from the online catalogue or the institutional repository or a licensed resource. Libraries have to know what topics users are searching and how they search and have to introduce new services based on the new trends.