A usability study was undertaken at Penn State University to explore how students search the library's online catalog after they have received library instruction. In 2004, eight first-year students received library instruction and were subsequently recruited for the study. Participants were recorded using the online catalog, and a think-aloud…

As libraries automate their collections and mount online public access catalogs (OPACs), they face special challenges in educating patrons to use these electronic systems effectively and efficiently. Because users are less familiar with the concept and arrangement of an OPAC than with a card catalog, less successful searches commonly occur.…

Many problems encountered by students when using online catalogs arise from an unfamiliarity with record structure and its impact on electronic searching. A MARC-based presentation delivered during freshman orientation at Saint Olaf College is described, and a sample MARC record and script are provided. (Author/AEF)

A factor analysis of affective data gathered from searchers of an online library catalog, and a card catalog allowed researchers to isolate factors leading to success or failure in information retrieval. Factor patterns serve to identify how searches are evaluated by users. Further research is suggested as are features to facilitate successful…

A computerized presentation explaining how to use the library online catalog (NOTIS) was produced at Texas A&M University. A study using students in first-year composition courses verified that students who viewed the presentation were able to use the online catalog more effectively than those who did not, especially for subject searching. (12…

This document was developed primarily in response to a bibliographic lecture in an upper-division Afro-American survey course that covers the American colonial period to the present. In addition to representative examples of reference works, bibliographies, bibliographic sources, and periodical indexes, a section is devoted to the proper use of…

Addresses the importance of effective screen and menu design for online public access catalogs, and the responsibility of the instruction librarian to learn required technological information, such as MARC format, in order to influence design. Other concerns for those involved in screen design include screens for gateways, system modules, local…

This report presents the results of a study which explored how patron perceptions and demographics related to keyword/Boolean searching on Indiana State University's (ISU) Library User Information System (LUIS), the online public access catalog (OPAC). Two general theses guide the study: (1) whether the use or non-use of keyword searching on LUIS…

This book is a user-friendly guide explaining the fundamental principles of academic library research. It guides students through the specifics of finding, using and evaluating information in print, electronic and multimedia formats, and is geared towards helping students judge information sources for what they convey. The focus is on teaching…

Describes study of seven local education authorities in the United Kingdom which was conducted to discover how models of microcomputer use were being adopted by school libraries. Highlights include database information retrieval; computerized catalogs; improving students' information-handling skills; curriculum-centered plans; integrated systems;…

Fifth graders were taught to use an electronic card catalog to retrieve information and materials for class assignments and leisure reading materials. Groups of 10 or 12 students were seen twice a week for periods lasting up to 30 minutes. At these sessions they were introduced to computer components, proper handling, how to log into a network…

Recent technological advances and administrative planning have significantly improved the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's (UNL) ability to provide continuing education courses to students at a distance. The UNL Libraries deliver services in partnership with the Division of Continuing Studies and several departments on campus. This paper focuses…