With help from the Council on Library Resources and the National Endowment for the Humanities, a five-year Library Outreach Orientation Program was instituted at Eastern Michigan University. Through intensive contacts between the orientation librarian and faculty members in the humanities and social sciences, library sessions were set up during…

Computer-based reference search services were provided to users on a fee-for-service basis at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as the first, and experimental, note in the development of the Northeast Academic Science Information Center (NASIC). Development of a training program for information specialists and training materials is…

A series of five runs comprised of 20 searches each were carried out in a three-year span of the INSPEC data base. The same queries were processed manually in the corresponding volumes of Science Abstracts, and comparison of the output of each search method exposed reasons for the failures. Emphasis is laid on the fact that a query comprises other…

Distance teaching of online searching poses a number of problems especially with regard to its practical aspects. The principles of sound instructional design and technological developments can, however, be used to develop a multimedia study package that can solve these problems and be used to teach end-users, information specialists as well as…

While most librarians are aware of the increasing amount of electronic resources available in and from libraries, they may not realize how much World Wide Web information is being used in higher education classrooms. Making a web page with links to related sites for use in class and instructing students on finding Web information can be a daunting…

Describes a study that observed undergraduates as they searched bibliographic databases on a CD-ROM local area network. Topics include related research, information needs, evolution of search topics, database selection, search strategies, relevance judgments, CD-ROM interfaces, and library instruction. (Author/LRW)

Provides an overview of the 1991 Treasure Mountain Research Retreat for school library media researchers and practitioners, which focused on information literacy issues, including the roles of teachers and library media specialists; information-based education; teaching library information skills; diagnosing information needs; electronic…

Offers instructions and resources for Internet novices wanting to access Internet services. Instructions are offered for connecting to 13 education listservs, 9 electronic journals and newsletters, 3 education databases, 7 Telnet gopher sites, Veronica and Archie search tools, and File Transfer Protocol (FTP). (Contains 16 references.) (SLW)

Discusses various types of technology used in online searching based on a survey of special libraries and online search services in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The use of modem control programs, gateway software packages, CD-ROM, and LANs (local area networks) is examined, and intermediary searching versus end-user searching is considered. (10…

Describes software selection criteria considered for use with the bibliographic database of the Development Information Network for South Asia (DEVINSA), which is located in Sri Lanka. Highlights include ease of database creation, database size, input, editing, data validation, inverted files, searching, storing searches, vocabulary control, user…

Includes three articles that consider the effects of the Internet on public library reference services. Highlights include the reliability of Internet information sources, its timeliness as a tool for information access and dissemination, the Internet as change agent for libraries; reference publishing, helping the searcher refine requests, and an…

Conducts a scenario-based usability test with 10 data analysts using visual querying (visually analyzing data with interactive graphics). Details a range of difficulties found in visual selection that, at times, gave rise to inaccurate selections, invalid conclusions, and misguided decisions. Argues that support for visual selection must be built…

Outlines the cognitive theories influencing the Science Library Catalog's (SLC) design; describes the catalog itself; explains research based on the SLC; and discusses research results, emphasizing findings that are most relevant to school library media specialists developing children's information skills. An annotated bibliography of 14 related…

This paper proposes a new model for developing information access skills in an academic environment. In order to meet the increasing demand for "research competence" among students and faculty, it is necessary to move beyond traditional lecture formats and develop interactive multimedia instructional units which exploit ongoing advances…

Educators are finding new and interesting ways to use computers as tools to educate and learn. For students to compete in the global community, it is imperative that educators embrace and use the World Wide Web in their curriculum. Hillside Elementary School in Minnesota uses the Internet, in a project called Web66, as a medium for student…