For nearly a decade now, librarians have discussed and deliberated ways, for the sake of convenience, to integrate internet-like searching into their own catalogs to mimic what academic library patrons have been using outside the library. Discovery tools and web-scale discovery services (WSDS) attempt to provide users with a similar one-stop shop…

This article presents a reading of the user interface in one public library system. Its aim is to find out the frames and competences required and used in the communication between the computer and the patron. The authors see the computer as a text that is to be read by the user who wants to search for information from the library. The transition…

To do solid academic research, college students need to look beyond the computer search engine. This short, practical book introduces students to the important components of the information-seeking process. "The Elements of Library Research" provides a foundation for success in any research assignment, from a freshman paper to a senior thesis.…

Treasures await students and researchers on the shelves of libraries and archives across the country, but unfortunately they often remain unknown to the "modern" researcher who limits his/her research to using the Internet. The process of physically going to the library stacks and browsing the shelves in a subject area is on the decline…

Seven articles discuss aspects of transaction log analysis, including introduction and definitions; history and development; components of an ideal logging facility; research methodologies; applications to a variety of library functions; practical and logical limits of the methodology; and future developments needed to enhance successful use of…

Discusses the need to reevaluate bibliographic instruction in academic libraries for an expanded online environment based on experiences at Moorhead State University (Minnesota). Topics addressed include the addition of databases to local online catalogs; student searching; search patterns; database characteristics; student search skills; library…

As networked digital information proliferates and modern society's need to have access to information irrespective of location rises, the education needed for the digerati, defined loosely as the digital intelligentsia, the whole class of "expert" digital information professionals, becomes an important area about which all information…

These proceedings contain 38 papers--23 in French and 15 in English--that were presented in 15 sessions entitled: (1) Theory and Practice in Library and Information Science: The Context (Plenary Session 1); (2) Teaching Archives; (3) The Development of Library and Information Science Education in Developing Countries; (4) Research and Teaching in…

Describes two studies conducted in the DeKalb County (GA) School System's secondary school libraries, one on DIALOG, the other on the use of the Internet and media specialists' perceptions of that tool. Discussion includes the application of experience from the DeKalb library to other new school library Internet projects. (16 references) (KRN)

Discusses written instructional materials created by librarians for end users searching database systems. Highlights include novice user studies; the importance of print instruction in digital information environments; a paradigm shift from system-centered to user-centered focuses in technical writing and user documentation for software; and…

Seven articles on library reference services highlight reference obsolescence in academic libraries, major studies of unobtrusive reference tests, methods for evaluating reference desk performance, reference interview evaluation, problems of reference desk control, online searching by end users, and reference collection development in…

Considers the increase in the variety of electronic reference options in academic libraries based on surveys of ARL (Association of Research Libraries) members. Discusses online catalogs; CD-ROM databases; World Wide Web access; and changes in library instruction, including formal instruction, point-of-use instruction, and Internet instruction.…