Discusses various types of information that can be retrieved from the Web via search engines. Highlights include Web pages; time frames, including historical coverage and currentness; text pages in formats other than HTML; directory sites; news articles; discussion groups; images; and audio and video. (LRW)

Most Web site rating systems overemphasize technological "bells and whistles." The University of Georgia's information quality criteria address site access and usability; resource identification and documentation; author identification; authority of author; information structure and design; relevance and scope, validity, and accuracy and…

Describes principles underlying the development of guides for electronic indexes such as the Catholic Periodical and Literature Index (CPLI): begin with basic steps, keep it simple, answer questions most frequently asked, be consistent, emphasize search techniques that use the strengths of the index. Includes a copy of the guide for the CPLI on…

Describes push technology as a new type of selective dissemination via the Internet and discusses filtering, channels of information, Web browser interfaces, data transfer, the role of databases, and database technology. A list of companies that provide push technology is included. (LRW)

Tested hypotheses linking global/analytic cognitive styles and aspects of researchers' problem-solving and related information-seeking behavior, based on a longitudinal study conducted in the United Sates and the United Kingdom that investigated the processes of mediated information retrieval searching during human information-seeking processes.…

Describes studies conducted at the University of Sheffield that explored the variables during mediated online search interaction. Discuses aspects of the mediated search process, including user satisfaction; relevant information sources; and interaction measures derived from search logs and tape transcripts, and related interaction measures.…

Uses an information processing approach to analyze the pausal behavior of end-users and identifies reasons for pausing, location of pauses, hesitation rate and pausal behavior changes over time. Confirms that searchers pause less frequently and for shorter periods as they progressed through searches over time. (Author/AEF)

Describes a Web usability study conducted at Western Michigan University to investigate students' success in locating journal articles. Participants' search paths and comments revealed widespread confusion about the article-finding process and revealed weaknesses in the library's Web site which led to improvements in page layout and library…

Includes four articles that discuss multimedia educational database systems and the use of metadata, including repurposing; the evaluation of digital library use that analyzes the retrieval habits of users; the Kentucky Virtual Library (KYVL) and digital collection project; and the collection of the Division of Parasitic Diseases, Centers for…

Shares how middle school students easily learned to use the CD-ROM for their writing and research activities. (MG)

Discusses how electronic encyclopedias on compact disk provide children with a way to meet their data management needs and to develop their literacy capabilities. Discusses how information is stored and retrieved. Discusses how children actually use the electronic encyclopedia and the future of electronic information retrieval. (MG)

Describes a low cost study of the transaction logs of an online catalog at an academic library that examined failure rates, usage patterns, and probable causes of patron problems. The implications of the findings for bibliographic instruction and collection development are discussed and the benefits of analyzing transaction logs are identified.…

Describes characteristics of hypertext, how it is currently being used, and discusses possible uses of hypertext in conjunction with online databases. An online medical textbook developed by BRS and Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center is described, links between databases are discussed, and future systems are suggested. (10 references) (LRW)

Evaluates TRADEMARKSCAN image retrieval using DIALOGLINK communications software. Factors discussed include TRADEMARKSCAN's composition, retrieval methods, file size, downloading and printing time and costs, and database applications. Software requirements and functions relevant to image retrieval are also discussed, and suggestions for…

This introduction to the characteristics of software for CD-ROM describes programs used to format and create data stored on the disk, as well as retrieval programs. Criteria that need to be considered when evaluating CD-ROM software are discussed, including retrieval strategies (browsing vs. keyword searching), interfaces, index and file…