The purpose of these guidelines is to assist librarians in providing students and faculty with appropriate information about computerized sources of information, particularly national online and compact disc (CD-ROM) databases. The guidelines offer ideas for brief, medium-length, and long presentations on the use of online searches, including…

This document defines and describes electronic databases and provides guidance for organizing a useful database and for selecting hardware and software. Alternatives such as using larger machines are discussed, as are the computer skills necessary to use an electronic database and the use of the computer in the classroom. Files, records, and…

Two articles provide: (1) instructions for gaining telecommunications access to CHILDES, a child language database; and (2) the conventions guiding transcript coding in the database. The first article provides access instructions for telecommunications systems, the commands a user would need to know, and brief notes on searching and other aspects…

This booklet describes online searching using Materials Information, a metallurgy and metals science information service of the Institute of Metals in London and ASM International in Cleveland, Ohio, which is available through the major online vendors. Described in detail are online searching, online databases, costs, online hosts or vendors,…

This handbook is designed as an introduction to the process of library research in the field of education. To illustrate the process, a sample topic is developed from a broad concept through a well-developed topic for a research paper. Following an overview of a successful research strategy, the chapters are organized in the order of a typical…

This document is the newest revision of the third manual documenting the National Agricultural Library database. Since it began in 1970, the AGRICOLA database has continued to grow and to change steadily; new subfiles have been added, database record formats have been expanded, and subject category code schemes have been modified several times.…

WISE is an on-line interactive information retrieval system designed to operate on keyword oriented data bases. The system was designed particularly with bibliographic data bases in mind, but it is potentially useful for any keyword oriented data base. The WISE user searches a data base by entering and combining keywords that are appropriate to…

This policy manual explains computer search services at the University of Massachusetts/Amherst, University Library. The service is available to anyone willing to assume the cost of the services and able to schedule time for both the search strategy interview and the search itself. Requests for computer services are not accepted over the phone or…

Surveys the literature of the field. Includes a 152-item bibliography. (PF)

This technical report describes a proposed subject retrieval function for the OCLC Online Union Catalog and examines the inadequacies of Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) for the provision of subject access. The function described uses a non-Boolean search approach over data elements present in the MARC record format. Centered around the…

This report details the various search methods applicable to the ERIC database through the use of manual indexes available in paper and microfiche form. It provides examples of searches for both documents and journal articles, illustrating the use of ERIC thesaurus terms, subject descriptor/identifier indexes on microfiche, paper indexes, the…

This handbook examines sources of information useful to educators and educational consultants who wish to learn about innovative practices and/or solutions to educational problems in other schools. A discussion of information storage describes the access to information in reports, periodicals, unpublished reports, and other materials through such…

These quarterly reports for June and September 1979 are two in a series concerned with describing a research project to design, test, and evaluate a machine intermediary which teaches and assists users of the DIALOG system. Report No. 5 explains in detail the instructional aspect of the Individualized Instruction for Data Access (IIDA) project and…

This paper reports an industrial information specialist's experience in performing online searches for engineers and surveys the databases used. Engineers seeking assistance fall into three categories: (1) those who recognize the value of online retrieval; (2) referrals by colleagues; and (3) those who do not seek help. As more successful searches…

This program introduces undergraduate and graduate university students to the ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) system. The document includes an outline of objectives, a list of materials, description of procedures, the script for the taped program, and an evaluation form. This program was developed as a point-of-use library…