Disciplinary Differences in Library Search: Insights Into Researchers’ Mental Models of Knowledge Organisation

<strong>Why did you do this activity, project, or research?</strong> Why do researchers seek information in specific ways, and how do their approaches vary across disciplines? This lightning talk presents preliminary findings from a study exploring how researchers’ mental models of knowledge organisation influence their use of library search and discovery systems. By focusing on disciplinary differences, the research lays the groundwork for improving library interfaces to better serve diverse academic communities. <strong>How did you do this?</strong> The study uses qualitative, library UX, and ethnographic methods, with case studies from four disciplines: chemistry, history, law, and medicine. It investigates how researchers perceive and interact with knowledge structures in their fields. <strong>What did you discover?</strong> Preliminary findings suggest that frequent use of particular information systems shapes researchers’ mental models, fostering confidence and trust in some academic disciplines while leaving others frustrated by fragmented or decentralised repositories. Scholars adapt their thinking to align with system designs to locate information, facing greater difficulty when interfaces are not intuitive. Historians, for example, struggle with dispersed materials and inconsistent access, while chemists and lawyers benefit from specialised platforms like Reaxys and WestLaw. Uncertainty in locating resources links to scepticism about systems and one’s own search skills, while familiarity with centralised systems fosters confidence. <strong>How have findings been applied? What lessons did you learn? What is the potential value to the wider performance measurement/assessment/user experience library community?</strong> While the research does not yet provide actionable insights, these findings underscore the value of investigating disciplinary differences in search behaviour. This work aims to inform the library performance measurement community and facilitate future development of systems that address diverse academic needs, fostering more effective and equitable information-seeking experiences.