The purpose of this study is to investigate effects of WebOPAC Self Training Tool with Guided Exploration (WSTTG), WebOPAC Self Training Tool with non-guided exploration (WSTT) and Traditional (T) groups as the learning strategies on information literacy (IL) skills standards among first year degree students in Malaysian public university. The…

Qualitative analysis of reflective essays by first-year students in an academic skills course documented outcomes related to the Association of College and Research Libraries Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. Student narratives showed how novices encounter the clusters of concepts described in the Framework as…

Since the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) unveiled its WorldCat Local library catalog discovery layer in 2008, library instructors have debated how to incorporate this tool into their teaching. WorldCat Local's faceted searching brings both educational benefits and unexpected challenges to the classroom. Instructors frequently hold formal…

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…

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…

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.…

This handbook is a guide to doing business research in a university library. Following library location and orientation information, the first section discusses the research paper, i.e., thinking about the topic and planning a research strategy, the flow of information over time, and evaluating sources. Finding and using books, journal articles,…

Discusses the idea of including information about the MARC format in library online catalog instruction. Difficulties that users encounter when using different online catalogs with different formats are discussed, and a presentation developed at the University of California at Berkeley to explain the MARC format to users is described. (three…

Describes an activity that librarians can use to acquaint teachers with keyword searching and Boolean operators to more successfully use the library's online catalog. Uses food ingredients to represent various possible combinations. (LRW)

Describes a study that electronically monitored 11 public access terminals at the University of Colorado libraries to produce transaction logs that were used to gather statistics and analyze users' behavior when searching online catalogs. Implications for search instruction and systems design are suggested. (Contains 13 references.) (LRW)

Describes how the development of a women's studies component for the Gateway to Information (a front-end interface to Ohio State University's online library catalog and other reference sources) minimized the special challenges facing students conducting research on women and changes the focus of bibliographic instruction. (Author/LRW)

A study of users' keyword searching success and knowledge using the NOTIS online catalog at Indiana State University revealed a low rate of knowledge about keyword searching. Frequency of catalog use, previous online database searching or computer coursework, and library instruction were found to correlate well with search success and keyword…

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)

This article reports the findings of a study which compared three methods for teaching freshmen at Indiana State University how to use the library's online catalog. The methods were: (1) video projection, which used a large screen video projection system and an IBM-PC to present a "live" search; (2) dual television monitors, which substituted two…