Forty-six panels address topics including women in information science; users and usability; information studies; reference services; information policies; standards; interface design; information retrieval; information networks; metadata; shared access; e-commerce in libraries; knowledge organization; information science theories; digitization;…

Presents an application of a model of user evaluation of four major Web search engines (Alta Vista, Excite, Infoseek, and Lycos) by undergraduates. Evaluation was based on 16 performance measures representing five evaluation criteria-relevance, efficiency, utility, user satisfaction, and connectivity. Content analysis of verbal data identified a…

Discusses how to find statistical data on the Internet, particularly with awareness of lag times associated with posted data and of the large quantity of university sources. Lists World Wide Web sites under the headings of metasites, agriculture, banking, business, crime, economics, education, energy, government, health, international, local…

Addresses the drudgery of entering long datasets at the keyboard before being able to begin each chapter of a book. Suggests that the publishers of statistics books make the datasets available for people to download onto their computers over the World Wide Web. (AIM)

Three studies examined public library reference services use by patrons in Anglo, Hispanic, and Vietnamese communities in California. Interview questions concerned search topics, use of staff help, perceived usefulness of search result, successful search strategies, reasons for not seeking help, foreknowledge of sources, reasons for using the…

Discusses data warehousing, which provides information more fully responsive to local, state, and federal data needs. Such a system allows educators to generate reports and analyses that supply information, provide accountability, explore relationships among different kinds of data, and inform decision-makers. (Contains one figure and eight…

This study made three comparisons: (1) online searching on a native command language vs. searching with a commercial front end system; (2) end user searching vs. mediated searching; and (3) searching an education database vs. an engineering database. The results show end user searching to be as satisfactory as mediated searching. (93 references)…

Describes an experiment that examined the relationship between successful searching of CD-ROM databases by undergraduate students and various types of instruction provided by the library staff. The findings indicate that the only level of instruction that resulted in a significant difference was a live demonstration of searches. (six references)…

Describes a prototype current awareness service for college faculty and staff which is based on online bibliographic databases and tables of contents from selected periodical holdings for the selective dissemination of information. The discussion reports patterns of use, types of documents selected, delivery patterns, and the overall effectiveness…

Discusses a variety of ways that teachers at all levels are using databases in their classrooms, how students respond to working with databases, the relationship of databases to inquiry learning, and how databases can be integrated into the curriculum. (RS)

Discussion of electronic libraries and networks as foundations for the delivery of information services highlights Project Mercury at Carnegie-Mellon University. Topics discussed include ease of use; standards for documentation representation and exchange, information retrieval, communication and networking, and computer display interfaces;…

Examines applications of microcomputers and television to global education. Provides suggestions for developing an understanding of basic formats of data collection and analysis, and for using databases to understand the organization of information. Recommends the use of interactive television to develop a global perspective. (LS)

Discussion of the use of new technologies in science instruction focuses on the medium of CD ROM. Topics discussed include database retrieval; simulations and laboratory experiments; videodisks; hypertext; and software and interfaces for laboratory experiments. A list of math and science resources is provided. (LRW)

Discusses the need to develop more efficient information retrieval skills by the use of new technology. Lists four stages used in automating the media center. Describes North Carolina's pilot programs. Proposes benefits and looks at the media center's future. (MVL)

Reports on a use study of citations from college freshman composition papers at Western Illinois University (Illinois) that indicated the need for library instruction and library collection building. Tables and graphs indicate the number of citations per bibliography; the number and types of format sources; publication dates; and distribution of…