Describes resources to use for biology questions and provides search strategies for reference questions involving specific nomenclature. Highlights include nomenclature; common names versus scientific names; locating books and journal articles; and core reference sources. (Author/AEF)

For a music history research class, the students at the University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa) must examine a musical artifact of their choice, thus learning standard and nonstandard research strategies. Utilizing both group instruction and individual tutorials, the music librarian and course professor teach cooperatively so that students use critical…

Describes the use of transaction log analysis of the online catalog at the University of Nevada, Reno, libraries to help evaluate reasons for unsuccessful user searches. Author, title, and subject searches are examined; problems with Library of Congress subject headings are discussed; and title keyword searching is suggested. (11 references) (LRW)

Special section includes two articles on academic library collection management: "Current Awareness: Acquisitions to Endusers" (Michael Lonardo and Dianne Taylor-Harding) describes methods for announcing recent library acquisitions to faculty; and "Book Acquisitions: A Purchasing System" (Ting Zheng and Joyce Huang) explains a…

Discusses the pricing of online information and describes searching practices and pricing formulas at the Clemson University library. The use of mediated searching, end-user searching, and locally mounted databases is described; cost/benefit comparisons are explained; the value of a search is considered; and benefits to students and faculty are…

Describes a course on information gathering and evaluation that is required for journalism and mass communication majors at the University of Minnesota. Search strategies and the search process are emphasized; weekly assignments and requirements for the final project are explained; and goals and objectives of the course are discussed. (LRW)

Explores the significance of expert system design for library reference services and library education, focusing on model logic and modeling for query analysis. The approaches of some graduate library schools are reviewed. Appendices included a decision-support module, a reference module component, and a typology of queries and reference tools.…

Describes online databases available through the Research Libraries Information Network (RLIN) that focus on research in the humanities. A survey of five databases (AVERY, ESTC, RIPD, SCIPIO, and AMC) is presented that includes contents, search capabilities, and record formats; and future plans are discussed. (12 references) (LRW)

Describes workshops based on active learning that were developed collaboratively between a librarian and an economics faculty member to teach students how to locate appropriate academic sources on the World Wide Web and in library databases, how to create effective search strategies, and how to use retrieval features in InfoTrac. (LRW)

Describes a process-oriented approach to teaching searching skills for computer-based resources that was developed at the New York University library. A syllabus based on DIALOG's Classmate Program is explained, and the use of active learning theory to help restrict results is described. (LRW)

This study of the Web information searching behavior of 206 United Kingdom college students over a 10-month period showed that, contrary to expectations, the users adopted a more passive or browsing approach to Web information searching and became more eclectic in their selection of Web hosts as they gained experience. (Contains 61 references.)…

Discusses the role of consortia in academic libraries, specifically the Illinois Digital Academic Library (IDAL), and describes a study conducted by the IDAL that investigated issues surrounding full text database research including stability of content, vendor communication, embargo periods, publisher concerns, quality of content, linking and…

Describes a study at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln that compared searches in two different keyword indexes with similar content where search results were dependent on search strategy quality, search engine execution, and content. Results showed search engine execution had an impact on the number of matches and that users ignored search help…

Plagiarism is not new, of course, but it is rampant now and is just one aspect of widespread "information illiteracy." Faculty in many disciplines have even given up on assigning research papers that require students to identify, locate, evaluate, and use research materials on their own. Instead, they simply have their students write papers based…

This paper proposes the idea of 'information commitments' for Web-based learning environments. Information commitments are a set of evaluative standards which Web users utilize in order to assess the accuracy and usefulness of Web-based materials. As a result of interviewing two experts who specialize in Web-based instruction and 10 college…