Introduction: The Internet is a dynamic environment which is continuously being updated. Search engines have been, currently are and in all probability will continue to be the most popular systems in this information cosmos. Method: In this work, special attention has been paid to the series of changes made to search engines up to this point,…

Search theory, originally developed for antisubmarine search, is applied to the scanning of library shelves for books of interest, or of a computerized abstract catalog for items of immediate application. Procedures optimizing the information to be found are discussed, as well as methods whereby the operational parameters can be measured. The…

Examines the efficacy and utility of the National Geographic Society's Mammals Multimedia Encyclopedia, an interactive multimedia CD-ROM, used by 12-year-old elementary students as the principal source for a summary paper. Existing research, project methodology, student information seeking and recording strategies, form of information accessed,…

Describes a theoretically and empirically based framework for how users formulate and employ information-seeking strategies in open-ended information systems (OEISs). Discusses challenges related to OEISs. Describes OEIS theoretical and users' perspectives. Presents an example based on a recent study to illustrate use of the OEIS…

This review takes a critical approach in summarizing and evaluating the methodology and scope of catalog use studies, with emphasis on the subject approach to card catalog searching. Subject access is defined in this report; however, the process of subject searching, described repeatedly in library literature, has been based upon common sense…

This study was undertaken at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to ascertain if a relationship exists between the kind and amount of information given for a specific item and the access point selected by the searcher to determine its availability. Data, study questions, and four references are included. (Author/CHC)

Designed to evaluate the usefulness of the BIOSIS PREVIEWS database when searching the psychiatric literature, this study compared the effectiveness of this online database with the effectiveness of two other computerized databases, MEDLINE and PsycINFO (Psychological Abstracts), which psychiatric researchers and clinicians usually rely on when…

Presents results of survey of academic economists and political scientists concerning actual and potential use of microformatted government publications. Research design and survey results are discussed, noting response rate, use of publications, purposes for using documents, means of locating documents, and role of microforms in information…

A user study to determine the ratio of citation-bound queries to data-bound queries originated by university faculty and processed through reference department personnel or by independent use of reference materials in the university library revealed a majority (75%) of the queries are citation-bound. Important implications are suggested for the…

The library instruction program conducted at the University of Colorado consisted of classroom contact with students in the history and economics departments, and production of a slide tape. Evaluation instruments were developed for discovering present student and faculty library use and faculty attitudes toward the library, with the idea of…

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…

Conducts a scenario-based usability test with 10 data analysts using visual querying (visually analyzing data with interactive graphics). Details a range of difficulties found in visual selection that, at times, gave rise to inaccurate selections, invalid conclusions, and misguided decisions. Argues that support for visual selection must be built…

THE TWELFTH IN A SERIES COVERING RESEARCH IN AUTOMATIC STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL, THIS REPORT IS DIVIDED INTO THREE PARTS TITLED EVALUATION, CLUSTER SEARCHING, AND USER FEEDBACK METHODS, RESPECTIVELY. THE FIRST PART, EVALUATION, CONTAINS A COMPLETE SUMMARY OF THE RETRIEVAL RESULTS DERIVED FROM SOME SIXTY DIFFERENT TEXT ANALYSIS EXPERIMENTS. IN EACH…

To test the concept of linkage as a means of improving educational practice by more effective utilization of research-based knowledge and resources, the operations of the Merrimack Education Center were compared with the Havelock linkage model. On-site interviews were conducted with Center personnel and written materials were reviewed; school…

Five papers examine the adoption of resource based learning at Charles Sturt University (Australia). "Literature Searches and Distance Education: Whose Problem?" (Stephen Parnell) discusses the question of who should accept responsibility for the intellectual content of literature searches; the library is at the center of a resource…