A meta-analytical literature review was performed on the literature in which computerized and paper based information retrieval systems were compared. Specifically, online catalogs were compared with card catalogs, and online bibliographic retrieval was compared with searching printed indexes. Studies which included information on relevance,…

This workbook is designed to familiarize students with the layout of Whittemore Library (Framingham State College, Massachusetts) and the types of information sources available for them to use in solving their research problems. It also provides guidance in developing a logical, systematic plan for formulating a search strategy and gathering…

This document is a library instruction manual for an introductory course on library research at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The assignments provided are intended for independent study; a syllabus is included for the 7-week course. The manual is divided into seven sections. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the library system, services, and…

This timely book provides a foundation in library and electronic research in the fields of nursing and allied health. It explains essential sources and techniques that can be used by nursing students, healthcare researchers, and nurse practitioners who need to gather information independently. Pathways to Nursing covers both physical libraries and…

This catalog of resources entails, by definition, an incomplete listing of available materials in the Rutgers University Department of Economics, Alexander Library at Rutgers, data centers throughout Rutgers, and the Internet. Because of the changing nature of the field, this scrapbook is constantly being revised. This scrapbook contains seven…

Defines metadata, noting that standard bibliographic information, summaries, indexing terms, and abstracts are all surrogates for original material, hence metadata. Discusses the need for metadata; creating metadata; search engines and how metadata affects searching; abstracts; and future possibilities. (AEF)

The library at Phoenix College developed the Controversial Issues Files (CIF), a "home made" card file containing references pertinent to specific ongoing assignments. Although the CIF had proven itself to be an excellent resource tool for beginning researchers, it was cumbersome to maintain in the card format, and was limited to very…

Examines access problems that occur when the citations from indexes for articles in series differ from the way the items are cataloged. A search was conducted in the online catalogs of various libraries and a comparison made between the bibliographic entries found to citations both in electronic indexes and in authors' references. (AEF)

This study investigated the use patterns of four CD-ROM systems--Newsbank Electronic Index, SilverPlatter's ERIC and PsycLIT, and Dissertation Abstracts Ondisc--and their print index counterparts in the University of Georgia (UGA) Main Library, which houses collections and provides library services for the humanities, the social sciences, and…

This review of the literature on the effect of information overload on users' information-seeking behavior focuses on librarians' opinions about the number of references that constitute too many, and users' preferences for maximum numbers of references from online searches, online public access catalog postings, and manual indexes. (35 references)…

A laserdisc periodical index (InfoTrac) that offers relatively sophisticated search capabilities without librarian assistance or user training is now popular college library research tool. The index database consists of more than half million references to articles and reviews published since 1982 in 1,000 general interest, business, and technical…

Created by the College of Business Administration (COBA) and the libraries of the University of Northern Colorado, this 1988-89 handbook was part of a strategic plan to achieve initial accreditation by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Constructed by the reference librarian who works directly with COBA, the handbook…

This detailed description of a fully integrated, turnkey library system includes a complete profile of the system (functions, operational characteristics, hardware, operating system, minimum memory and pricing); history of the technologies involved; and descriptions of customer services and availability. (CLB)

Explores to what extent the germ theory, when it was still a relatively new idea, is evident in the bibliographic records in the "Index-Catalogue of the Library of the Surgeon-General's Office of the United States Army" (Index Cat), the largest medical bibliographical tool ever published. Data suggest that scientists are quick to apply the new…

Describes the implementation of a new set of indexes in the NOTIS/LUIS system that provide author, title, and subject access to bibliographic and authority records in the NOTIS/MARC format. The discussion covers index record structure and content, the design philosophy and process, and functions supported by the system. (Author/CLB)