The issue of free-text versus controlled vocabulary is examined. The history of the issue, which is seen as beginning with the debate over title term indexing in the nineteenth century, is reviewed and questions not satisfactorily addressed by previous research are raised. (Author/EM)

This timely book provides a foundation in library and electronic research in the fields of nursing and allied health. It explains essential sources and techniques that can be used by nursing students, healthcare researchers, and nurse practitioners who need to gather information independently. Pathways to Nursing covers both physical libraries and…

Designed to determine to what extent the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) products and services are utilized by certified school personnel, this study found that, on the average, 25.1% of the teachers, librarians, counselors, and administrators in three educational service regions in west central Illinois have used Resources in…

This review of the literature on the effect of information overload on users' information-seeking behavior focuses on librarians' opinions about the number of references that constitute too many, and users' preferences for maximum numbers of references from online searches, online public access catalog postings, and manual indexes. (35 references)…

Case study on acid rain illustrates procedures for systematized tracking of issues: using bibliometric methods to list journals to be scanned; using current awareness searches of online databases to supplement journal scanning; using literature monitoring to create significant terms file; and tracking terms through online database index. (10…

The author uses the concept of a technology-science cycle to review early research in coordinate indexing and online searching and to predict the future directions of information technology. (CLB)

Designed to acquaint persons conducting library research in Chicano Studies with the reference materials found in the University Library at the University of California-Santa Barbara, the manual provides information on the Coleccion Tloque Nahuaque, relevant subject headings, and a useful search strategy. Resources, staff, assigned reading…

The library's role in helping the social or behavioral scientist find bibliographic material is explained, and methods for the retrieval of bibliographic information are given. A table giving titles of relevant abstracts and indexes also provides time spans covered, frequencies of publication, disciplines for which each is useful. (Author/MLW)

Evaluates the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) database. Summarizes ERIC's history and organization, and discusses criticisms concerning access, currency, and database content. Reviews role of component clearinghouses, indexing practices, thesaurus structure, international coverage, and comparative studies. Finds ERIC a valuable…

Presents a classification scheme for generations of online catalogs; discusses current online technologies and identifies deficiencies; and discusses enhancements that will take online catalogs into the next generation. Such enhancements will include increased access to information through user-system dialogue, automatic search aids, subject…