This manual for computer searchers describes the software package--IBM's STAIRS (Storage And Information Retrieval System)--used for searching databases in AUSINET (AUStralian Information NETwork). Whereas the first edition explained STAIRS in the context of the National Library's Online ERIC Project and the ERIC data base, this second edition…

Designed for use in the reading room of the ERIC Clearinghouse on Information Resources, this set of three self-instructional guides provides step-by-step instructions for locating information in the ERIC system. The first instruction sheet explains how to use the Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors to identify appropriate subject headings, or…

The Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) is a national information system sponsored by the Department of Education. Traditionally, access to ERIC materials has been through the printed indexes "Resources in Education" (RIE), a guide to documents and research reports, and "Current Index to Journals in Education"…

This operating manual was constructed for the first version of the experimental database system SOUCIT, a qualified citation index for educational technology designed by the Computer Services Unit of Robert Gordon's Institute of Technology (RGIT) in association with the Scottish Education Department. The database comprises 45 references generated…

This text is intended as a guide for searching ERIC using the SilverPlatter CD-ROM database. The text describes the content and function of the ERIC database and demonstrates fundamental search techniques by following an example of a successful ERIC computer search. The search begins with the choice of a topic, the formulation of a search…

This workbook is the third in a series of three that has been integrated into the chemistry curriculum for majors at the University of Vermont. The workbook consists of readings and exercises designed to provide undergraduate students with foundation skills in the use of professional literature. The major emphasis is on searching the literature…

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…

Revised to reflect changes in both DIALOG and ERIC, this second edition of a self-improvement manual for online searchers who wish to refine their skills presents three basic approaches to searching and provides illustrations from DIALOG's ERIC ONTAP database. The manual is divided into two parts: an 8-step model of the total search process which…

This manual, intended for the librarian or information specialist beginning with online systems, introduces the National Agricultural Library's (NAL) Cataloging and Indexing System (CAIN) and presents the search techniques required for retrieving information on agriculture and its many related fields. The manual, which concentrates on the online…

Intended to assist library educators, vendor representatives, end-user trainers, and experienced searchers, this article examines typical problems encountered by students in learning online searching. Problems with database selection, search tactics, and using the search system are highlighted, and a sample online exercise and search request form…

This guide introduces the reader to the basics of online database searching using a microcomputer. Following definitions of the terms online, database, and searching, the guide presents information on the online environment, hardware needed, software needed, and configuring the software. A tutorial on online searching covers how to decide when to…

Discusses SOUCIT, a suite of programs designed by the Computer Unit of Robert Gordon's Institute of Technology in association with the Scottish Education Department Qualified Indexing Project to create a database of references to educational technological literature and link them in a meaningful way through qualified citation. The structure of the…

This manual has been prepared as a means of introducing students to online computer searching using DIATOM, a simulation of the ERIC file as it is searchable on the DIALOG Retrieval Service. The objectives and contents of the DIATOM system are described in the preface to the manual. The overall process of bibliographic searching and the procedures…

Using the ERIC/ONTAP file, student searchers may improve their online skills by employing an 8-step search strategy technique. ERIC/ONTAP, now available through LRS/DIALOG, uses a subset of the ERIC file with built-in answer sets and a special evaluation command. The training procedure guides the student from the initial search interview to the…

Developed to orient the information seeker to the computerized literature search process, this guide provides background information that will help the user facilitate the search interview and the formation of a search topic, enabling him or her to focus on personal search needs and not on the fundamentals of online searching. Major purposes for…