This article presents the results of a study of academic e-books that compared the metadata and search results from major academic e-book platforms. The authors collected data and performed a series of test searches designed to produce the same result regardless of platform. Testing, however, revealed metadata-related errors and significant…

Offers 20 multiple choice questions to test the reader's knowledge of characteristics of the ERIC online database. The levels of expertise indicated by scores obtained on the quiz are given and suggested further readings are provided. (CLB)

Describes a study that examined patron response to and success in using bibliographic databases on CD-ROM. Perceived needs for training and satisfaction with the system were measured by asking patrons about ease of use, search success, their need for assistance, and preferences for CD-ROM or print research tools. The questionnaire used is…

This study investigated online searching behavior manifested by 39 experienced professional searchers performing their regular, job-related searches in order to uncover the rules they use for the selection of search keys, and to represent these rules in a formal model that could be used in the construction of intermediary expert systems. The case…

This study examines the Online Computer Library Center's (OCLC's) CJK350 system with which one is able to input and retrieve Chinese, Japanese, and Korean bibliographic records containing both alphabetical and vernacular characters. In order to study the effectiveness of the system from the Chinese language users' point of view, a field test was…

Describes a study that sought to identify successful and unsuccessful search patterns for known-item serial literature. The results indicate that multiple factors contribute to an unsuccessful outcome. Information gathered through in-depth interviews is used to suggest further evaluation and development of public access to serials holdings and…

One hundred sixty-one MEDLINE searches conducted by third year medical students were analyzed and evaluated to determine which search behaviors were used, whether those individual moves are effective, and whether there is a relationship between specific search behaviors and the effectiveness of the search strategy as a whole. The typical search…

Integrating comments from the literature about CD-ROMs, online searching, and information retrieval, this report describes the initial experience of using InfoTrac at Winona State University (WSU). After finding that students did not tend to order fee-based online searches, the WSU library provided access on a trial basis to bibliographic…

This purpose of this study was to determine which periodical index--InfoTrac or EBSCO Magazine Article Summaries--is the most appropriate for use by middle school students preparing required research projects. The study population consisted of randomly selected sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students (N=50) in a Cobb County (Georgia) middle…