After seeing growing frustration among inexperienced undergraduate researchers searching a popular aggregated interdisciplinary database, the authors questioned whether the leading interdisciplinary databases are serving undergraduates' needs. As a preliminary exploration of this question, the authors queried vendors, analyzed their marketing…

Millennial students make up a large portion of undergraduate students attending colleges and universities, and they have a variety of online resources available to them to complete academically related information searches, primarily Web based and library-based online information retrieval systems. The content, ease of use, and required search…

Describes the corporate origins, development, and unique features of three World Wide Web search tools. Open Text released LiveLink Search 64 in April 1996. Harvest indexes fewer sites than many competitors but offers powerful searching options. 2ASK is a service that provides links to over 100 Internet indexing tools and rates Web sites and…

Raises questions about the validity and reliability of doing research online via the proliferation of academic databases. Finds different versions of the Lexis-Nexis database have differing search capabilities. Argues that dependence on database research findings means dependence on decisions made by a few people who design search engines and…

Presents results from a collective professional searcher evaluation of the effectiveness of Web search engines versus two traditional online services, DIALOG and Dow Jones Interactive. The conclusion outlines: searching assumptions; subjects and types of searches where DIALOG and Dow Jones Interactive showed superiority; advantages of using the…

Describes a Web-based information service, Northern Light, which demonstrates a new paradigm for serving large populations of users and delivering high-quality content on topics both general and narrow. Discusses performance of the search engine, search syntax, Northern Light's special collection, and pricing. (AEF)

Considers how the role of information specialists is changing and evolving due to the use of the Internet and the World Wide Web. Topics include the impact of new technology, knowledge of information systems and databases, the emergence of new vendors, examples of unique Web sites, and economic factors. (LRW)

Competitor information gathering is a key aspect of business planning. Information can be collected from either published or unpublished sources. Unpublished information will often be verified based on material from published sources. Published information is more likely to be factual and includes financial, stockmarket, press, market and…

This Congressional hearing transcript presents testimony on how to best combat the risk of copyright infringement facing content providers on the Internet. The Internet enables users to reproduce perfectly and distribute globally copies of the digital works that represent some of the most valuable products of American creativity. While some of…

Discusses developments at the U.S. Bureau of the Census. Includes strategies and changes for Census 2000, new information storage and retrieval systems, a new Internet subscription service offering enhanced access to selected Census Bureau databases, and the transfer of responsibility for the Census of Agriculture to the National Agricultural…

This paper outlines the market developments, governmental promotion policies, and efforts by private industries for online database services in Japan since the late 1970s. The combination of these efforts over the years has resulted in an online database service market of US$20 billion annually, of which approximately one third is Western online…

The Internet has brought about a revolution in the concept of information provision for end-users, and opened up a diverse new market. The Internet has challenged the need for and role of traditional online services. Despite the benefits of the Internet, users face a number of dilemmas: finding needed information in a vast sea of information; time…

This books provides a basic introduction to the World Wide Web, e-mail, and other Internet functions, emphasizing the research and writing processes. It includes an in-depth look at search techniques, strategies for organizing information, online services, news services, writing help, and writing for an online environment, and covers such related…

This practicum was designed to provide better access to current information for the students and staff in a middle school. The printed materials in the school's media center were outdated, in scarce supply, or had inadequate subject coverage. Electronic databases were available for online searching and information retrieval, but students did not…