When talking about collection development, few school librarians think about databases. Databases provide learners with a one-stop shop for cross-curricular, up-to-date, vetted information in a structured and easy-to-manipulate format for class projects. To be successful learners, students need to know how to use a database to find the information…

Discovery layers provide a simplified interface for searching library resources. Libraries with limited finances make decisions about retaining indexing and abstracting databases when similar information is available in discovery layers. These decisions should be informed by student success at finding quality information as well as satisfaction…

Boolean logic can be a difficult concept for first-year, introductory students to grasp. This paper compares the results of Boolean and natural language searching across several databases with searches created from student research questions. Performance differences between databases varied. Overall, natural search language is at least as good as…

As the international student population continues to grow, librarians must adjust their instruction to meet the needs of students who are adapting to a new country, culture, and language. This study assesses first-year international students as they engage in the research process through the completion of concept maps that precede database…

The staff at University of Connecticut are participating in Elsevier's Student Ambassador Program (SAmP) in which graduate students train their peers on "citation searching" research using Scopus and Web of Science, two tremendous citation databases. They are in the fourth semester of these training programs, and they are wildly successful: They…

This article reports on a study of first-year applied science students at the University of New England in 2007 to determine whether the addition of structured library assistance to an online unit improved the use of journal articles in student assignments. It was found that students using the search strategies provided were more likely to cite…

In this article, the author describes five lessons which focus on skills that students will need in any library. The following lessons should be taught during first semester to first-year middle school students: (1) Locating books at the library; (2) Locating databases at the library; (3) Locating encyclopedias at the library; (4) Locating…

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…

Highlights the changes that have occurred from 1987-93 in database access systems. Topics addressed include types of databases, including CD-ROMs; enduser interface; database selection; database access management, including library instruction and use of primary literature; economic issues; database users; the search process; and improving…

This text is intended as a guide for searching ERIC using the SilverPlatter CD-ROM database. The text describes the content and function of the ERIC database and demonstrates fundamental search techniques by following an example of a successful ERIC computer search. The search begins with the choice of a topic, the formulation of a search…

The purpose of these guidelines is to assist librarians in providing students and faculty with appropriate information about computerized sources of information, particularly national online and compact disc (CD-ROM) databases. The guidelines offer ideas for brief, medium-length, and long presentations on the use of online searches, including…

When helping undergraduates assess materials, academic librarians balance the reference interview with instruction in electronic databases. This article describes a method connecting these tasks with a search strategy dependent on the user's information needs. The connection is made by labeling the user's need with a diagnostic tool based on…

Twenty-three scholarly papers and eleven abstracts reflect the content of the seventh "Brick and Click Libraries Symposium," held annually at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri. The proceedings, authored by academic librarians and presented at the symposium, portray the contemporary and future face of…

A concise explanation is provided of the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) and its major components: Resources in Education (RIE) and Current Index to Journals in Education (CIJE). ERIC's publications are explained, and instructions are given for conducting a topic search through the ERIC system, from locating the correct terms in…

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…