EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS) has been heavily used by UMUC students since its implementation in fall 2011, but experience has shown that it is not always the most appropriate source for satisfying students' information needs and that they often need assistance in understanding how the tool works and how to use it effectively. UMUC librarians have…

This guide is designed to introduce students to the California State University at Long Beach Library. The first chapter discusses how to start searching for information--types of information sources, search strategy, choosing a topic and finding preliminary information, encyclopedias, and dictionaries. Topics related to catalogs and computers are…

Discusses overuse and abuse of the online search in academic libraries, citing cases where patrons are not well served by it. Suggestions include helping students define and refine research goals and use of print indexes and abstracts which display citations in context of related literature. (15 references) (EJS)

THis annotated bibliography is designed to help students beginning educational research at Pattee Library of Pennsylvania State University Libraries. Grouped in sections A through H in the body of the guide by the type of information they contain, items listed include: bibliographies, guides to theses and dissertations; indexes and abstracts;…

Ohio State University Library studied abilities of undergraduates to identify correct sources for answering reference questions when using the online catalog and the Sourcefinder database with its new Question Unit feature. Users located subjects and instructions at a greater percentage with Sourcefinder than with the online catalog. Topics…

This workbook is designed to introduce the Harvey A. Andruss Library at Bloomsburg University (Pennsylvania) to a novice user. It is one component in a self-paced unit in library instruction which also includes an exercise book and a computerized tour of the library. Chapter 1 is concerned with the orientation of the library and covers its…

This workbook introduces students at the State University of New York at Stony Brook to the main campus library system and teaches basic research skills. The workbook is divided into 10 sections: (1) introduction to the Stony Brook library; (2) how to find books by title or author using the Stony Brook Automated Retrieval System (STARS); (3) how…

A team of library and computing staff was used to develop an Internet training program at the University of Limerick (Ireland). Its objectives were to present the Internet as both an information source and publishing medium, and to train faculty and staff in the effective use of these applications. The team adopted an iterative approach to the…

This 16-item questionnaire was sent to 142 selected college and university libraries in February 1987 to determine which library skills academic librarians consider desirable for undergraduate students. Questionnaires were returned by 89 respondents (62.7%). The number of respondents for each question and the titles of the resources cited in their…

An instructional module designed to help librarians learn to identify and negotiate reference questions is presented and discussed. The instructional module consists of an essay on performance of negotiation as a decision-making step in the reference process, and exercises for identification of queries that should be negotiated. A videotape which…

After a summary of background knowledge useful in searching for information, the authors cover extensively the sources available to the researcher interested in locating educational data or conducting a search of bibliographic materials. They list reference books, dictionaries, almanacs, yearbooks, subject matter summaries; and sources for…

With help from the Council on Library Resources and the National Endowment for the Humanities, a five-year Library Outreach Orientation Program was instituted at Eastern Michigan University. Through intensive contacts between the orientation librarian and faculty members in the humanities and social sciences, library sessions were set up during…

Includes 10 articles that address issues involved in teaching library skills in middle schools and junior and senior high schools. Topics discussed include computer-based technology; blending print and electronic sources; search strategies for online systems; expert systems for reference questions; information skills and thinking skills; and…

Describes the goals, planning, implementation, and assessment of a term paper clinic for undergraduates conducted by Master of Library Science students and provides recommendations for similar undertakings. The results of a participant survey, including how students heard of the course and their impressions of it, are presented. A copy of the…

Reports on studies conducted to provide an in-depth picture of online catalog use in three aspects of library research: (1) as part of the reference process; (2) as used by unassisted users; (3) as a step in obtaining documents. The research methodology is offered as a model for surveying other library services or products. (14 references) (KRN)