A number of free Web-based tools are available for distance librarians to create presentations and online assignments. The relative merits of presentation tools like Dabbleboard, Jing, Prezi, Tildee, 280 Slides, and Glogster, and classroom tools like Make Beliefs Comix, Picviewer, Photopeach, and Wordle are assessed for ease of use by distance…

This paper will look at the services presently offered to distance students by libraries within the categories of professional staff, access to resources, reference assistance, and library user instruction. It will then offer the argument that these services could be improved by developing embedded librarians within online academic courses as a…

Discussion of issues concerned with providing library reference services to machine readable data files focuses on numeric databases. The team approach used at the University of Florida, which incorporates reference librarians, programers and data managers, database producers and vendors, and professional associations, is described. A bibliography…

This paper discusses vehicles for education and training, tools and techniques for promotion, and details the information requirements of the processors, service managers, searchers, and end users of on-line data bases. (Author/KP)

Examines the probability and impact of an increase in end-user searching of online databases on librarians and library education. The problems of end-user searching are discussed, new developments in online access are reviewed, and recommendations for the education of the end-user are made. Included are 25 references. (JL)

The Company (abbreviated COMPNY) Library in the LEXIS/NEXIS database provides comprehensive information on corporations. The COMPNY Library contains more than 170 files of business and financial information, with an emphasis on publicly-owned companies. This guide is designed to walk users of the LEXIS/NEXIS system through the steps needed to…

Reports on a two-phase study of academic libraries to identify patterns of database use and the factors that might influence this use. Online data was used as well as results from a survey that investigated factors that may influence online use, including level of instruction and availability of remote access. (LRW)

Describes program at Pennsylvania State University Libraries designed to inform faculty and graduate students about activities of library's fee-based search service and to explain individual subscription alternatives available to microcomputer owners for running searches. Registration form, results of pre-session and post-session questionnaires,…

Examines what occurred when the mental models of library media specialists teaching electronic information literacy database access interconnected in the complex changing environment of a lesson. Discusses changes to the mental models the library media specialists held with respect to the electronic database, role of the library media specialist,…

A library instruction computer game created at Newberry College, South Carolina challenges players' skill at using the "Readers' Guide," and by noting elapsed time needed to create a bibliography of citations on a given topic, encourages an increase in skill. Computer equipment used, illustrative examples, and five references are noted.…

Demonstrations to graduate education students on the use of the ERIC database for research of children's literature materials involved using the thesaurus and subject indexes. Electronic searches served as follow-up to the classroom instruction, and the advantages of online searching were illustrated through various approaches used to retrieve…

Describes how four classes of high school students were introduced to concepts and terminology of online bibliographic searching, were instructed to formulate their own search strategies, and received opportunity to observe their execution. Purpose, course description, course evaluation responses, and postcourse examination results are noted.…

Traditional methods of studying and evaluating use of online public access catalogs (OPACs) are discussed and compared to verbal protocol method (spoken records of people describing their work that uncover detailed data about thinking during problem solving). Results of Carnegie-Mellon University protocol study of OPAC users are discussed. (22…

User-friendly computer terminals with touch sensitive screens are used in new instruction and information dissemination system operating at Providence Public Library and Rockefeller Library at Brown University. This microcomputer-based turnkey system offers databases built by librarians providing information such as use of library, book reviews,…

Discusses the need to reevaluate bibliographic instruction in academic libraries for an expanded online environment based on experiences at Moorhead State University (Minnesota). Topics addressed include the addition of databases to local online catalogs; student searching; search patterns; database characteristics; student search skills; library…