Presents an overview of the National Library of Medicine's 1988 field test and evaluation project on the use of MEDLINE products on CD-ROM. Results are summarized in the areas of user characteristics, search characteristics, user satisfaction, product features and costs, and impact on online searching. (10 references) (LRW)

Describes a "scavenger hunt" approach to teaching research and critical thinking skills to high school and college students. Students are provided with lists of challenging questions, supporting materials (cartoons, quotations, odd facts and humorous excerpts), and clues for developing a research strategy. Examples of questions, clues…

Describes the development of an expert system for online patent searching that uses menu driven software to interpret the user's knowledge level and the general nature of the search problem. The discussion covers the rationale for developing such a system, current system functions, cost effectiveness, user reactions, and plans for future…

Explores types of information which might be used in making decisions about the quality of education. Presents methods by which this information may be utilized to make decisions at various levels in the educational enterprise. Urges that quantitative techniques for gathering information be linked with decisions concerning the quality of…

Describes a survey of users of three academic libraries that examined users' reactions to CD-ROM products and compared their satisfaction with different products. Some of the evaluation criteria used include ease of use, satisfaction with the number and quality of citations retrieved, and time spent searching. The survey form is appended. (eight…

Describes an evaluation project in which King's College Library acted as a test site for the OCLC version of ERIC on CD-ROM. The description covers the provision of equipment, software, accompanying literature, and assessment questionnaires, as well as characteristics of the system and search facilities. Results discussed include user reaction and…

Presents a set of methods and results for characterizing decision making while searching online databases. The discussion compares these results to studies of decision making in other contexts, and examines the role of user uncertainty and expectations, as well as implications of the findings for database design and user training. (37 references)…

Discusses using a library database to aid students in book selection. Describes choosing a database program. Lists important database variables as desired grade level, difficulty level, length of book, and sex of the main character. Notes student critiques of the system. Summarizes five library database programs. (MVL)

Describes a study that was conducted at Tilburg University (The Netherlands) to test the impact of system and domain knowledge on search behavior in an online catalog. Highlights include time spent on task; the number of search patterns performed; and search patterns used most frequently. (11 references) (LRW)

The effectiveness of using the age of references to control the exhaustivity of the reference representation in information retrieval was investigated through analysis of optimal cluster-based retrieval results. The results show that the foreground representation at its optimal level of exhaustivity is restricted to references with ages less than…

Discusses the need to reevaluate bibliographic instruction in academic libraries for an expanded online environment based on experiences at Moorhead State University (Minnesota). Topics addressed include the addition of databases to local online catalogs; student searching; search patterns; database characteristics; student search skills; library…

Discussion of recruiting and hiring minorities in academic libraries focuses on steps needed for the retention of these minorities. Highlights include literature search strategies; mentoring systems; networking within and outside the organization; and supervision, including immediate feedback. (Contains 20 references.) (LRW)

A survey of online search techniques of 50 undergraduate and graduate students at Arizona State University's Hayden Library revealed heavy reliance on simple subject searching. The analysis included search types, use of library personnel and online help screens, exposure to library instruction, and length of time at the terminal for citation…

Describes a study that investigated fifth-grade children's search behavior using an automated library catalog designed for children called the Science Library Catalog. Level of science domain knowledge was found to influence both their success and search behavior. (Author/LRW)

Examines whether the paper-medium structure of the major classics bibliography, "L'Annee Philologique", validly reflects information retrieval paradigms of individual classicists. Faculty and graduate student attitudes toward and use of features of the paper-medium form are discussed, and attitudes toward the upcoming CD-ROM version are examined.…