| Abstract |
One of the most innovative library services to evolve in the Internet era is reference linking, the capacity to transmit bibliographic data through hypertext links and to connect users with the full richness of electronic collections with ease. The development of information technology has shortened the distance between online reading and reading printed media. However, how can hypertextuality, one of the most prominent characteristics of online reading and writing, benefit information users? How can the nonlinearity of hypertext become compatible with the complexity of textual contents? Will the structure of hypertexts make users lost and confused? In order to explore these issues relating to the characteristics of hypertext, how hypertext compares with printed texts and its impact on information users, this study utilized observation and interviews to collect data from 21 college students. Three types of hypertext readers are identified by navigational profile: the knowledge seeker, the feature seeker and the apathetic hypertext user; subject matters and individual interests are found to have an impact on information seeking behavior in the hypertext environment; and most of the college students are seen to hold positive views towards the hypertext structure in electronic books.
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