Intended as a self-help tool for University of Kentucky students to use in familiarizing themselves with the M.I. King Library, the guide presents basic aspects of library usage that could be beneficial to others. This unit (the first of three) explains the divided catalog system, identifies and defines the role of the various parts of the catalog…

The second of three library skills modules for college students, this unit explains the card catalog, call numbers, filing rules, types of catalog cards and the information they relate, and Dewey and Library of Congress classification systems. The library location charts and how they are to be used are also discussed. Included with the unit are…

This essay suggests that until online public access catalogs can be truly user-friendly by encouraging searchers to learn and control and relearn, making systems too easy is not in the users' or systems' best interests. Experiences at Library of Congress and examples of search strategies and menu systems are noted. (EJS)

Prepared for students who participate in the California State University Long Beach (CSULB) Library Instruction Program (LIP), this document is both a working syllabus for classroom use and an outline of the lecture presentations given by librarian instructors, though it can also be used as a reference guide to review library research methods,…

Traces the development of cooperation between reference librarians and catalogers, highlighting cooperative goals, role of the library catalog in meeting informational requirements of patrons, involvement of catalog librarians in library instruction, and patterns of library organization. Future trends are discussed. Twenty sources are given. (EJS)

This collection of library documents which provide instructions for users of online public access catalogs in member libraries of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) contains: (1) a set of enhanced instructions for library users of Geac, a commercial online circulation system at the University of Arizona; (2) sets of materials of…

Discusses the integration of subject pathfinders into online public access catalogs (OPAC) through following features: within the OPAC, offline user guide manuals, remotely printed upon user request, or online as saved searches displayed in help screen format. Excerpts of a pathfinder display for biotechnology are presented. Four sources are…

Describes the strategies used by the Catalog Instruction Group at the university library which, in less than two months, managed to reverse negative staff attitudes and reach large numbers of library users with information about the combined card and microfiche catalog system. (RAA)

Discusses the needs of remote users of online public access catalogs (OPACs). User expectations are discussed; problems encountered by remote-access users are examined, including technical problems and searching problems; support services are described, including instruction, print guides, and online help; and differences from the needs of…

Discussion of keyword and Boolean searching techniques in online public access catalogs (OPACs) focuses on a study conducted at Indiana State University that examined users' attitudes toward searching on NOTIS (Northwestern Online Total Integrated System). Relevant literature is reviewed, and implications for library instruction are suggested. (17…

Directed toward students in freshman English courses, this guide to the basic skills in using the library is composed of three broad units: (1) orientation to the library, including computer-output microfilm, card catalogs, and location of materials; (2) reference books, including use of the dictionary, encyclopedias, and the vertical file; and…

This discussion of online public access catalog (OPAC) user assistance includes results of focused-group interviews of 70 OPAC users at six libraries. Importance of printed materials, library staff assistance, users' problems relearning OPAC searching, computer-assisted instruction, multiple-dialog modes, informative system error messages, and…

Discussion of college students' dependency on the library card catalog as a problem in bibliographic instruction covers student attitudes toward card catalog; catalog shortcomings (portions of books are not indicated, subject headings don't always match user's terms, availability not indicated); a positive teaching approach; and online…

Discusses characteristics of typical online public access catalogs (OPACs) and examines patron use via printouts of transaction logs for three separate systems. Desirable features of OPACs (mnemonic search commands, boolean operators, forgiveness or automatic truncation, browsing a subject heading index, suggestive prompts) and need for…

This guide to Rutgers University Libraries (RUL) is intended as an introduction to the library system for foreign students studying at the University. The guide consists of the following: welcoming remarks; a brief discussion of the American academic library systems; a list of the locations and abbreviations of the 25 libraries, collections and…