This article presents a consideration of how students' existing information-seeking behaviors affect traditional methods of teaching library research in first-year writing courses and offers an alternative method that uses both library and popular Internet search tools. It addresses one aspect of the ongoing pedagogical struggle with new…

The digital age has freed information from the restrictive hierarchies of traditional cataloging methods, notably Dewey. Although libraries still deal with the challenge of physical books, online content is a different matter. Thanks to the unregulated, grassroots cataloging effort known as tagging, the Web presents a glorious chaos of…

Teens are impatient and unsophisticated online researchers who are often limited by their poor reading skills. Because they are attracted to clean and simple Web interfaces, they often turn to Google--and now Wikipedia--to help meet their research needs. The Google Game, co-authored by this author, teaches kids that there is a well-thought-out…

Describes online catalog research being conducted in Europe in the areas of interaction and interface design, subject access, functional improvement through the application of information retrieval techniques, and library networks. Three operational online catalogs, not available outside Europe, are discussed. (30 references) (CLB)

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…

Librarians use subject guides to introduce students to library materials. Surveys, usability tests, and usage statistics demonstrate that students do not relate well to subject guides. We suggest that library resources organized or delivered at a course level are more in line with how undergraduate students approach library research. (Contains 26…

This paper proposes a rationale and a plan for using on-line data base retrieval services to provide bibliographies tailored to the information needs of college students enrolled in academic courses. It examines the possible applications of such a service, estimates costs per class and per user, and outlines the objectives, evaluation procedures,…

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…

The holy grail for many research librarians is one-stop searching: seamless access to all the library's resources on a topic, regardless of the source. Miriam Blake, Library Without Walls Project Leader at Los Alamos National laboratory (LANL), is making this vision a reality. Blake is part of a growing cadre of experts: a techie who is becoming a…

Academic libraries customize, support, and provide access to myriad information systems, each with complex graphical user interfaces. The number of possible information entry points on an academic library Web site is both daunting to the end-user and consistently challenging to library Web site designers. Faced with the challenges inherent in…

The dilemma is one that most public librarians know well. The interlibrary loan (ILL) service over the past seven years had increased by almost 72 percent--with no end to the upward spiral in sight. Borrowing had increased 23 percent, but lending to other libraries had seen the largest growth: 106 percent. ILL staffing hadn't increased and…

Describes online databases available through the Research Libraries Information Network (RLIN) that focus on research in the humanities. A survey of five databases (AVERY, ESTC, RIPD, SCIPIO, and AMC) is presented that includes contents, search capabilities, and record formats; and future plans are discussed. (12 references) (LRW)

This guide was developed to support Internet access to library catalogs at the University of Georgia (UGA). Since the UGA Libraries can only connect to the Internet using TELNET 3270 emulation, this guide is restricted to library systems which support that protocol. Section 1 of the guide presents the commands that are needed to gain access to the…

Outlines a database constructed at Philip Morris Research Center Library which encompasses holdings and circulation and acquisitions records for all items in the library. Host computer (DECSYSTEM-2060), software (BASIC), database design, search methodology, cataloging, and accessibility are noted; sample search, circ-in profile, end user profiles,…

Designed to evaluate the usefulness of the BIOSIS PREVIEWS database when searching the psychiatric literature, this study compared the effectiveness of this online database with the effectiveness of two other computerized databases, MEDLINE and PsycINFO (Psychological Abstracts), which psychiatric researchers and clinicians usually rely on when…