Reports on design and rationale of Online Access to Knowledge, a computer intermediary developed by Online Access to Knowledge Project to enable users with little or no training or experience in bibliographic searching to conduct their own searches. Topics covered include software design, tutorials and assistance programs, and conclusions based on…

Presents literature review of concept-based search theory and its relationship to end user instruction for online bibliographic information systems. Existing search models and search curriculums from the library and information science literature are surveyed, scholarly patterns of information access are discussed, and commercial sources of…

Focuses on the CAS ONLINE database, the Registry File which consists of substance names, Registry numbers and characteristics, and actual structural representations. Presents several examples covering most typical problems a chemist faces daily. (Author/MVL)

Describes a survey of accredited schools of library and information science in the United States and Canada that examined the database searching education that students are currently receiving and changes in this area over the past five years. Topics examined include courses; search time; amount of exposure; coursework; products, hardware and…

Institutional researchers and student financial aid officers can collaborate to construct the longitudinal data files needed to study students persistence and recommend persistence policy. (Author/MSE)

Discussion of the use of databases as a teaching/learning tool focuses on their use in a classroom setting with one computer. Topics discussed include instructional strategies, small group and large group activities, and the teachers' role. Exercises and games are suggested and examples of worksheets are provided. (7 references) (LRW)

This study investigated the usefulness of end user systems to library and information science students. Seventeen volunteers were offered free searching on BRS/After Dark and DIALOG's Knowledge Index. The search itself, postsearch questionnaire, and completed research papers were analyzed for databases used, cost and time online, and precision.…

Discussion of research in the humanities focuses on the "MLA International Bibliography," the primary database for literary research. Highlights include comparisons to research in the sciences; humanities vocabulary; database search techniques; contextual indexing; examples of searches; thesauri; and software. (43 references) (LRW)

Describes a project conducted at the University of Texas libraries that tested the feasibility of providing reference assistance by means of direct intervention by trained reference librarians to remote users of networked CD-ROM workstations. The use of federal depository CD-ROM databases is discussed. (Contains six references.) (LRW)

Discusses three electronic information formats: CD-ROM, tape loads, and online hosts; reviews some of the hardware platforms used for accessing information in these formats; and discusses some of the issues involved in interconnecting computer systems to increase access to electronic collections. (Author)

Presents a taxonomy of 11 sources of information used during library and database searching based on observations of 49 searches in a variety of libraries and search situations. Three categories of sources are identified: those internal to the searcher, those created by the searcher, and those external to the searcher. (Contains 54 references.)…

The Internet provides a resource accessible to students for solving problems and satisfying information needs. Describes how students can use e-mail and the NASA Spacelink, Geographic Name Server, and Weather Underground databases. Appendices provide internet addresses and selected state telecommunications networks. Sample student inquiries are…

Describes a graduate research methods course in which students were taught electronic communications skills. Lists three course requirements involving electronic mail, subscriptions to electronic journals, and participation in electronic academic lists. Discusses six problems that emerged and the student evaluations. (CFR)

Discusses information development in Portugal since the early 1980s. Topics include public libraries; the national bibliographic database; training; software; access to online databases; CD-ROMs; and Portuguese participation in information projects of the European Community. (AEF)

Cognitive tools, computer-based applications normally used as productivity software, can also function as knowledge representation formalisms that require learners to think critically. Databases, spreadsheets, semantic networks, expert systems, and multimedia/hypermedia construction can function as computer-based cognitive tools to expand student…