Introduction: This study explores blind users' unique help-seeking situations in interacting with digital libraries. In particular, help-seeking situations were investigated at both the physical and cognitive levels. Method: Fifteen blind participants performed three search tasks, including known- item search, specific information search, and…

We studied the effects of menu type, navigation path complexity and spatial ability on information retrieval performance and web disorientation or lostness. Two innovative aspects were included: (a) navigation path relevance and (b) information gathering tasks. As expected we found that, when measuring aspects directly related to navigation…

This article reports the findings of a demonstrator project to evaluate how effectively Immersive Virtual Worlds (IVWs) could support problem-based learning. The project designed, created and evaluated eight scenarios within "Second Life" (SL) for undergraduate courses in health care management and paramedic training. Evaluation was…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate users' knowledge and use of social networking sites and folksonomies to discover if social tagging and folksonomies, within the area of independent music, aid in its information retrieval and discovery. The sites examined in this project are MySpace, Lastfm, Pandora and Allmusic. In addition,…

This article explores how Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) manages knowledge retrieval by employees when they need to access documents written by colleagues in geographically distant units. CSC's establishment of virtual communities of practice facilitates the coordination of knowledge, and minimises contextual gaps between senders and…

An investigation was conducted to determine whether proposed changes would improve end-user understanding of subdivided Library of Congress Subject Headings. Demographics, library use, and searching knowledge were considered from 63 end-users and 6 professional catalogers who answered questionnaires. Tables and figures display results. (Contains…

Applies theories about organizational information processing to better understand the influences on method of access and on effects of using online information. Explores the extent to which organizational differences also influence these variables, what the positive and negative outcomes from using online commercial databases are, and how those…

Discusses results of a survey of music technical services librarians that investigated retrieval problems with the symbols for sharp and flat in music notation in online catalogs. Comparisons are made with an earlier study of online catalog vendors, and a list of institutions surveyed and the questionnaire used are appended. (LRW)

The project documented in this report identified barriers researchers encounter in gaining access to--i.e., identifying, acquiring, handling, and using--published information and measured the seriousness of the more significant barriers. Fifty-one barriers were identified, and a method of measuring their seriousness was developed. Thirty of the…

After receiving training in searching INSPEC or ERIC on DIALOG using either the SciMate menu or native commands, 40 doctoral students performed free searches on research topics of their choice. In comparison with 20 control subjects (doctoral students for whom a free search was performed by a skilled librarian), the experimental subjects were…

The Online Reference and Document Delivery Service Library Network developed at Eastern Oregon State College and operated in Eastern Oregon provides rural east Oregonians improved access to information sources via computers, telefacsimile, and telecommunications. Microcomputers have been placed in public, school, community college, and hospital…

This study continues the research reported in "Federal Information Inventory/Locator Systems: From Burden to Benefit: Final Report" (McClure, et al., 1990). Begun May 1, 1991, and completed in August 1992, this exploratory and descriptive research was intended to improve access to and use of U.S. Government information. Its methodology…

A study investigated the attitudes of African students of business English at a British university (University of Brighton, England) toward use of the Internet as an educational resource. Students were given an introduction to Internet use for research on individual projects, surveyed concerning their attitudes toward and initial experiences with…

To determine if cooperative planning between the library media specialist (LMS) and the classroom teacher affects the integration of information access skills into the curriculum, classroom teachers in grades 1 through 5 were surveyed in 10 randomly selected schools in Cobb County (Georgia). Of the 183 teachers surveyed, 131 returned…

This study surveyed the membership of the Ohio Prospect Research Network to ascertain where prospect researchers get most of the information necessary to perform their jobs. It was hypothesized that prospect researchers do not utilize the library, even when the same services or information may be found for free at the library. A questionnaire was…