Examines 11 electronic research journals for accessibility to users with visual or mobility impairments and suggests that librarians need to consider accessibility issues. Discusses the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act (1998); usability and universal design; accessibility errors; following links; browser compatibility;…

Examined the accessibility of two Web-based abstracting and indexing services by blind users using screen-reading programs based on guidelines from the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines by the WWW Consortium. Suggests Web developers need to conduct usability testing and librarians need to be aware of accessibility…

Summarizes results from a study of problems blind people using screen readers and Web browsers experienced when reading tables on the World Wide Web. Explains accessibility factors including complexity of layout, use of HTML programming, features of screen-reading software, and user variables; and makes recommendations for Web-based tables,…

Presents results of survey of personnel allocation practices for online search services in 10 Canadian university libraries noting implications for remedies to problems at University of Ottawa. Assignment of searches on basis of subject specialization, training library technicians to run online searches, and end user searching are discussed. (EJS)

Describes the process of developing and revising a brochure to guide library patrons in conducting an author search on an online public access catalog in order to demonstrate the application of four steps in production of a functional document--analysis; planning; development; evaluation, testing, and revision. Three sources are given. (EJS)

Search Helper, a microcomputer software package marketed by Information Access Company to serve as a gateway to several of their databases, was selected as a system for introducing the Carnegie-Mellon University community to do-it-yourself database searching. Preliminary results of user survey indicate service to be extremely popular with library…

Describes a survey dealing with academic library provision of electronic journals and other electronic resources that compared ARL (Association of Research Libraries) members to non-ARL members. Highlights include full-text electronic journals; computers in libraries; online public access catalogs; interlibrary loan and electronic reserves; access…