This article describes use of the InfoTrac system, a self-contained periodical reference system designed for in-library use that provides coverage of 900 general interest, business, management, and economic periodicals, at Indiana University (Bloomington). Discussion covers InfoTrac installation, InfoTrac and student interaction, system…

In order to use new educational technologies effectively and to help students cope with the mass of information that has become available, librarians have begun to develop strategies and lessons to instruct students in searching. There has been, however, no detailed curriculum in the schools to ensure that students and teachers in grades K-12 are…

This "workshop-in-a-book" is a much-expanded second edition designed for the businessperson, legal researcher, information specialist, consumer, student, or scholar wanting to discover information in three overlapping areas: business, government, and law. The book is divided into two modules: (1) "The World Wide Web: Your Entree to…

A college level, one-unit library research skills course is required of all students as part of a general education program at the State University College at Plattsburgh, New York. The course emphasizes the presentation of learning experiences within the context of two conceptual structures: principles that underlie information access systems,…

This paper presents a synthesis of the ideas and issues developed at a conference convened to review the results of the Dewey Decimal Classification Online Project and explore the potential for future use of the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) and Library of Congress Classification (LCC) schedules in online library catalogs. Conference…

This document is a self-paced training packet developed for a pilot project at the University of Houston-University Park to teach art faculty members to do their own online searching. The training begins with general topics such as the kinds of searches that can be done most effectively online, the selection of appropriate databases to search, and…

This document is a self-paced training packet developed for a pilot project at the University of Houston-University Park to teach chemistry faculty members and research assistants to do their own online searching. The training begins with general topics such as the kinds of searches that can be done most effectively online, the selection of…

This instructional package describes techniques that reference librarians at George Mason University (Virginia) have found to be successful and offers specific suggestions for the application of those techniques to teach research skills to students in English 302. The first of three major sections discusses the assessment of student library…

Expected Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSHs) and assigned LCSHs for 161 books requested by faculty in sociology, anthropology, and social work were compared to gauge the likely success of an online subject catalog search for those works. For 80% of the titles checked, inspection of the ninth edition of "Library of Congress Subject…

Describes and reports results of a project which used computer assisted instruction to teach public library users to search online databases directly. Tables of data provide information on the study participants; their reactions to the instruction both before and after a search session; and their attitudes toward paying for searches. (CLB)

Discusses the need to teach undergraduate students the critical thinking processes necessary to formulating and researching a topic, rather than the technicalities of online catalogs. The development and design of an online catalog at Dickinson College, which forces students to make informed choices throughout the search process, is described.…

The use of locally produced dissertations by extramural scholars was examined in four Ohio academic libraries. The results include identification of users by type of institution; purpose for which the dissertations were used; and tools and approaches successfully used in identifying and locating the desired dissertations. (CLB)

Critiques the InfoTrac system and its use in academic libraries in terms of journals covered by the index; indexing accuracy; ease of use and need for instruction; and effects on the research skills of students relying on the system. (CLB)

Presents a methodology for describing, analyzing, and evaluating the public service functions of serial file systems, and describes a user study conducted in a university departmental library to determine the efficiency and effectiveness of its system in enabling students new to the library to locate known-items in the serials collection. (CDD)

Describes a unit developed to introduce chemical technology students to basic library research using the resources related to chemistry. The unit consists of a lecture on basic library organization, bibliography and abstracting, a lab with hands-on bibliographic searching, and a follow-up independent exercise in research. (BT)