Humanists and Electronic Information Services: Acceptance and Resistance

The design and implementation of online systems in libraries have proceeded without much demonstrated empirical understanding of the complexities of users' needs. The authors interviewed a group of humanist scholars at the University of Pennsylvania about their experiences with the RUN database. These interviews yielded a wide range of responses. Four factors emerged consistently as significant determinants of use: content, connectivity, userfriendliness, and cost. The significance of these factors, individually and in relation to one another, is discussed and evaluated.