DIGITAL LIBRARY FATIGUE AND ITS EFFECT ON UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH PERSISTENCE

Abstract

The undergraduate research experience has been fundamentally transformed by the proliferation of digital library resources, which offer unprecedented access to scholarly literature, primary sources, and data. Yet this abundance carries an unanticipated cost. A growing body of evidence suggests that many undergraduate students experience a phenomenon that can be characterized as digital library fatigue, a state of cognitive overload, decision paralysis, and emotional exhaustion that arises from the sheer scale, complexity, and fragmentation of the digital information environment. This fatigue is not merely a subjective discomfort but has measurable consequences for research persistence, the sustained engagement with library resources necessary for deep inquiry and intellectual growth. Students afflicted by digital library fatigue are more likely to abandon complex searches, settle for superficial or low-quality sources, avoid library platforms altogether, and disengage from research assignments that require sustained bibliographic exploration. This article examines the origins and manifestations of digital library fatigue among undergraduates, drawing upon cognitive psychology, information behavior research, and educational theory to explain why this phenomenon is particularly acute for novice researchers. It argues that mitigating digital library fatigue requires not only improved interface design and discovery tools but also a pedagogical reorientation that emphasizes process over product, curiosity over compliance, and resilience over efficiency.