A program implemented in the University System of Georgia to assist women and minorities advance in educational research is described. The program is one of individually guided research and each participant is free to select individual objectives, topics, research procedures, rate of progress, and outcomes. Program participants are predominantly…

A detailed analysis was made by the National Library of Medicine of the performance of the Medical Literature and Analysis System (MEDLARS) in relation to 300 actual "demand search" requests made to the systems in 1966 and 1967. The objectives of the study were : (1) to study the demand search requirements of MEDLARS users, (2) to…

Batch mode processing is compared, using cost-effectiveness, with on-line processing for computer-aided searching of chemical abstracts. Consideration for time, need, coverage, and adaptability are found to be the criteria by which a searcher selects a method, and sometimes both methods are used. There is a tradeoff between batch mode's slower…

Part 1 of this two-part book examines "the subtle and ubiquitous nature of change." The purpose of the first group of readings is twofold. First, the works of Wasserman, Meadow, McAnally and Downs, Pettinger and Zapol, and Steere comment and report on needs, obstructions, and futures of many aspects of library-media-information programs and…

Two questions arise in regard to the computer-based humanities reference services: (1) What knowledge, abilities, and attitudes should the information specialist or librarian in the university library have in order to aid users in fully exploiting the innovative humanities information handling processes? (2) To what extent do users in the…

The Four Directions Project, administered by the Pueblo of Laguna Department of Education, is a 5-year federally-funded technology innovation grant that aims to help Native people and their educators develop culturally relevant curricula through technology. This report includes the full text of 45 "pathfinders" designed by students in…

As a way to teach database searching skills, students in a nursing research class were paired with, and performed literature searches for, faculty members or community health care professionals. Because students did not formulate questions or initial search terms, they concentrated on the search process, learning how professionals find and use…

Discusses the current state of American public education and identifies collegiality as being important in bringing about educational improvements. Topics discussed include individualization in the teaching and learning process; the role of the school media specialist; continuing teacher education; end-user searching of databases; and in-house…

Describes a study of graduate students that examined search behavior and affective response to a hypertext-based bibliographic information retrieval system called HyperLynx for searchers with different search skills and backgrounds. Previous experience with hypertext or Boolean searching is examined, and search times are discussed. (21 references)…

Presents abstracts of 15 special interest group (SIG) sessions. Topics include navigation and information utilization in the Internet, natural language processing, automatic indexing, image indexing, classification, users' models of database searching, online public access catalogs, education for information professions, information services,…

Discussion of the use of CD-ROM databases for end-user searching versus online database searching in academic libraries focuses on a comparison of two databases, "Psychological Abstracts" and "Sociological Abstracts," that were searched in both formats. Factors of response time, coverage, content, and cost were investigated for…

Discusses factors to consider in identifying and accessing appropriate data sources for environmental chemical information and describes three training programs for end-users: (1) a course on retrieval of information on dangerous substances; (2) a seminar on German offline databases on chemicals; and (3) a workshop on the Information System for…

Presents five papers from the American Library Association's June 27, 1992, conference session, "The Right to Know: Will Changing Our Instruction Methods Empower the Public," in which panelists debate the design and impact of bibliographic instruction and the provision of reference services in academic and high school libraries. (EA)

Describes the use of DIALOG and Classmate by students at McDowell High School (Texas). Requirements for accessing DIALOG are explained; methods of teaching using DIALOG are described, including planning search strategy and the use of small groups; and problems are reviewed, including supervision time, cost, and limited accessibility. (three…

Discussion of the cost effectiveness of searching online versus searching on CD-ROM highlights an example that compares costs for searching the ERIC database. Fixed costs and variable costs are described, labor costs are examined, implications for management are considered, and the effect of the number of databases and workstations is discussed.…