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…

This study sought to (1) Determine how international students conduct research. (2) Determine whether international students conduct research in the way they perceive that they do. (3) Determine whether international students are efficient in conducting research. This study collected data from 67 international students who attend the University of…

In 2011, researchers at Bucknell University and Illinois Wesleyan University compared the search efficacy of Serial Solutions Summon, EBSCO Discovery Service, Google Scholar, and conventional library databases. Using a mixed-methods approach, qualitative and quantitative data were gathered on students' usage of these tools. Regardless of the…

The absence of a well-defined space for library resources within course-management systems has been well documented in library literature. Academic libraries have sought to remedy this deficiency in numerous ways. This article describes how a "library nugget," or module, was added to the Buffalo State College course-management system,…

Content-enriched metadata in bibliographic records is considered helpful to library users in identifying and selecting library materials for their needs. The paper presents a study, using circulation data from a medium-sized academic library, of the effect of content-enriched records on library materials usage. The study also examines OPAC search…

The purpose of this paper is to report the results of a quantitative analysis exploring the interaction and relationship between the online database and electronic journal collections at the J. N. Desmarais Library of Laurentian University. A very strong relationship exists between the number of searches and the size of the online database…

Discusses the goals of library catalogs, how and to what extent these goals are achieved, and differences which exist among online, card, book, and microform catalogs. Access and display of information are noted, highlighting form of entries (main entries, corporate authorship, subject description) and search strategies. Seven references are…

This paper analyzes proposals for augmenting library bibliographic records for improved subject searching in online catalogs by providing access to parts of books. Arguments for and against adding book content indexing, possible fields for enrichment, and feasibility of 11 alternatives for providing such information are presented. Twenty-two…

This first article in a three-part series on environmental databases focuses on sources for general multidisciplinary environmental information. Databases that provide access to periodical literature, news information, press releases, magazines, books, and environmental education literature are examined; and a suggested list of environmental terms…

This eighth part in a series of articles on Web-based reference providers focuses on subscription databases. Topics include training needs; keeping teachers informed about new databases; costs; information retrieval techniques; free information from the Internet versus paying for use; information vendors; and the need for printed reference…

Discussion of information on tests needed by social science researchers focuses on reference sources and a search strategy to assist reference librarians in locating pertinent material. Highlights include a review of related research, databases, print sources, test bibliographies and reviews, and sources of information on unpublished tests. (LRW)

Describes Web-based reference products that are available to K-12 media specialists through the Gale Group. Highlights include the Student Resource Center (SRC), a collection of databases; searching in the SRC; the Junior Reference Collection; separate databases; and American Journey Online, containing primary sources related to American history.…

Designed to introduce education students to the basic library resources in the field, this self-paced workbook assumes a basic knowledge of the library and its resources. Each section in the eight-chapter workbook discusses a particular type of reference material and sample entries are provided when appropriate. Eleven assignments (two multiple…

This report assesses the impact of instruction in online bibliographic database searching on high school students' use of library materials and facilities in three Delaware secondary schools (one public, one parochial, and one private) during the spring of 1984. Most students involved in the analysis were given a brief explanation of online…

The Eighteenth Century Short Title Catalogue (ESTC) on compact disc provides access to nearly 300,000 printed materials from Britain and the British colonies from 1701 to 1800. The file contains a wide variety of materials (laws, almanacs, posters, catalogs, directories, verses, monographs, advertisements, and flyers) in all languages, and covers…