A student information system, repository of most essential customer information and registration data, is especially vulnerable to data corruption because of its many different users. A hypothetical case illustrates how service to a college applicant can be compromised by inattention in system use. Specific areas of system vulnerability are noted,…

Discussion of the information needs and information-seeking behavior of interdisciplinary scholars and students focuses on kinds of research needed at both basic and applied levels. Topics include prior research; the organization, description, and indexing of information in libraries for successful information retrieval; and research techniques in…

World Wide Web "meta sites," or collections of subject-specific hyperlinks, can expedite Internet searching. One can find meta sites by consulting: search engines that offer site ratings or selective retrieval; library-constructed Web sites; Internet-related journals; and subject experts. A compilation of meta sites, with descriptions…

Examines the topic of networked information. Discusses the possibility of a global stock exchange, the utility of environmental information on the Internet, the Internet in India, and Internet user types and habits according to a survey conducted in Denmark. (AEF)

Reports on a project that proposes and tests a comprehensive and systematic model of user evaluation of Web search engines. This article describes the model, including a set of criteria and measures and a method for implementation. A literature review portrays settings for developing the model and places applications of the model in contemporary…

Reviews studies of student usage of the Internet to determine how they use the Web for research. Preliminary data suggest the majority of students begin a research assignment with the Internet, most often with a commercial search engine. Undetermined is whether students have adequate information literacy skills to find authoritative information…

The online searching behavior of 170 nonacademic end users (journalists and politicians) was evaluated and compared to the searching behavior of information professionals. Findings discuss ways in which end user behavior does and does not conform information professionals' preconceptions and how searching behavior is related to levels of…

Describes the Okapi projects and the work of the Centre for Interactive Systems Research at the City University of London (England). Okapi, an experimental text retrieval system, has been used as the basis for a series of projects addressing aspects of user information-seeking behavior and user-system interaction, as well as system design.…

Discusses the use of transaction logging in Okapi-related projects to allow search algorithms and user interfaces to be investigated, evaluated, and compared. A series of examples is presented, illustrating logging software for character-based and graphical user interface systems, and demonstrating the usefulness of relational database management…

Discusses cataloging and indexing for the retrieval of digital items as part of the British Library's Initiatives for Access program. Highlights include standards, digital catalogs, Novel access software that includes fuzzy matching, software choice and development, and future possibilities. (LRW)

Reports on a study that examines the experiences of six teachers at three schools in learning about and beginning to implement or enhance project-based learning in their middle school science classrooms using a variety of resources available on the Internet. Contains 25 references. (DDR)

Presents the third part of a research project that investigated information-seeking behavior and success of seventh-grade science children in using the Yahooligans! Web search engine/directory. Children were more successful on a fully self-generated task than one two fully assigned tasks and were more successful when they browsed than when they…

Examines how people find information online in the context of their other media use and general Internet use patterns, and uses information about demographic background and social support networks. Describes the methodology, and suggests a mix of survey instruments and in-person observations can yield the type of data necessary to understand the…

Presents a matrix that can serve as a tool for designing the information architecture of a Web portal in a logical and systematic manner. Highlights include interfaces; metaphors; navigation; interaction; information retrieval; and an example of a children's Web portal to provide access to museum information. (Author/LRW)

The first of three articles reports the effectiveness of a feature-matching approach to computer retrieval of graphic information. The second discusses the use of multivariate techniques to measure perceived complexity of database searching by users. The third explores the limitations of user consultation in database design. (Author/CLB)