圖書資訊學系MUH-CHYUN TANG2012-10-172018-05-302012-10-172018-05-302009http://ntur.lib.ntu.edu.tw//handle/246246/242805Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the mediating role different information sources (or cues) play in forming users’ mental representation of a work in an academic library setting. Of particular interest is discerning how these information sources influence borrowing decisions. Design/methodology/approach – A large-scale user survey featuring two-part questionnaires was utilized in an academic library setting. The questionnaires were designed to ascertain those information sources exerting a formative influence on users’ information-seeking behavior, especially the routes by which users came to know of a title and the sources by which they infer its content. Findings – Evidently users adaptively make use of a variety of cues to help them fulfil their information needs. These cues significantly reduced the uncertainty faced by users making a borrowing decision, even after their sense of domain familiarity was controlled for. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of the findings for library services. It is suggested that libraries could provide a more “cue-rich” environment that supports users’ decision making and facilitates exploration of their collection. Originality/value – The research questions were framed in the language of decision-making theory, which, as the research demonstrates, sheds light on the dynamics between “cue validity” and judgment uncertainty. It also demonstrates the applicability of the “accuracy-cost” framework in the study of human information-seeking behavior.400794 bytesapplication/pdfen-USDecision makingAcademic librariesBibliographiesjournal article10.1108/00220410910998933http://ntur.lib.ntu.edu.tw/bitstream/246246/242805/2/A study of academic library users decision-making process.pdf