A study was conducted of the users of the Indiana University PROBE computer retrieval program using the Resources in Education ERIC data base. The critical incident survey identified the PROBE user characteristics, needs, and satisfaction. (Author)

PROBE, a batch-mode information retrieval program used to search the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) data base, was developed by Indiana University. To evaluate the effectiveness of the program, questionnaires were given to the users of 200 consecutive searches during February 1973. Relevance ratios were computed by comparing the…

In order to identify and explain the reasons for differences in average on-line search rates among terminal installations, the operations and performance of several facilities using the Lockheed DIALOG system for on-line searching of the ERIC data base were studied. Detailed examinations were made of such aspects as the DIALOG system response time…

Study of online searching experience in Martin P. Catherwood Library, New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University, presents results of five years of collecting data on bibliographic files accessed. A ranking of 10 most frequently searched files and commentary on pattern that emerges are provided. (EJS)

Discusses methodological issues in empirical studies of information-related behavior in six specific research areas: information needs and uses; information seeking; relevance judgment; online searching (including online public access catalog, online database, and the Web); human-system interactions; and reference transactions. (Contains 191…

Locations of ERIC collections, extent of use, and factors affecting use are surveyed. Methods of computer searching and the effects of online searching on Canadiana and Canadian Education Index are also discussed, and a list of organizations providing ERIC data base search services in Canada is provided. (JAB)

A study was conducted of the International Information Service in Physics, Electrotechnology, Computers, and Control (INSPEC) selective dissemination of information (SDI) user profile generation. Five degrees of user involvement in the generation of profiles were investigated ranging from having the user provide only a statement of subject…

An experimental SDI service based on the Index Chemicus Registry System (ICRS) machine-readable data base is evaluated. (10 references) (Author)

A survey of 88 users of SISMAKOM, a computerized selective dissemination of information (SDI) and document delivery service provided by the Universiti Sains Malaysia and four other Malaysian universities, was conducted in August 1982 in order to collect data about SISMAKOM and to assess the value of a computerized SDI service in a developing…

Statistics gathered over five years of operation by the IIT Research Institute's Computer Search Center are summarized for profile terms and lists, use of truncation modes, use of logic operators, some characteristics of CA Condensates, etc. (Author/JB)

The performance of CA Condensates" (CC) and Chemical Titles" (CT) based on analysis of precision and relative recall CT/CC" for 46 search profiles was studied for one year. The results are discussed in terms of the value of the systems as seen from the users' and the documentalist's point of view. (13 references) (Author/NH)

This is the first update of the bibliography on online information retrieval that was published as a supplement to Vol. 1 of this journal. Entries are divided into seven sections; within each section, they are listed alphabetically by author. Permuted titled (KWIC) and author indexes are included. (Author/JPF)

Describes and illustrates a distributed approach to usability (envisioning usability across the genres, practices, uses, and goals of a given activity) using a four-decade examination of a traffic accident location and analysis system. Uses the theoretical framework of "genre ecologies" to show how communities of users interact with…

This discussion of the major issues concerning online public access library catalogs highlights types of systems, user behavior, structure of systems and user-friendly information retrieval methods (menus, fuzzy matches, prompters), and additional search strategy features (limits, browsing, truncation). Three references are listed. (EJS)

A comparison of costs for computer-based searching of Psychological Abstracts and Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) systems by the New York State Library at Albany was produced by combining data available from search request forms and from bills from the contract subscription service, the State University of New…