Interactive electronic tutorials offer flexibility in delivering library instruction; however, questions linger regarding their effectiveness compared to traditional librarian-led classroom lectures. This study examines a tutorial introducing health science students to the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature database. Half the…

Environmental allergens are major triggers for pediatric asthma. While children's greatest exposure to indoor allergens is in the home, other public places where children spend a large amount of time, such as school and day care centers, may also be sources of significant allergen encounters. The purpose of this article is to describe schoolroom…

Purpose: Examines a project to integrate digital libraries and virtual learning environments (VLE) focusing on requirements for online reading list systems. Design/methodology/approach: Conducted a user needs analysis using interviews and focus groups and evaluated three reading or resource list management systems. Findings: Provides a technical…

Purpose: To help to clarify the role of XML tools and standards in supporting transition and migration towards a fully XML-based environment for managing access to information. Design/methodology/approach: The Ching Digital Image Library, built on a three-tier architecture, is used as a source of examples to illustrate a number of methods of data…

The Drumchapel Project was a joint exploratory project between Glasgow Caledonian University, a 1992 university, and Drumchapel High School, a secondary school in a deprived area of Glasgow. The initial aim was to explore ICT skill levels among the school pupils but an information literacy agenda emerged in the course of the Project. Focus groups…

Although many studies devoted to the information behaviour of young people have drawn attention to youngsters' tendency to rely heavily on information sources within the home on account of their ready accessibility, work addressing in detail the exploitation of non-fiction books in these domestic settings is rare. This article draws on the…

In 2002, the National Center for Educational Statistics reported that 99% of public schools had Internet access and 86% of those schools had a web site or web page (Kleiner & Lewis, 2003). This study examined accessibility issues on elementary school homepages. Using a random sample of elementary school web sites, the researchers documented…

Accelerated Reader (AR) is a computerized reading reward program by Renaissance Learning Inc. (RLI) that offers schools management software with computer quizzes of books identified by reading level (RL) and assigned points in order for children to read books, take quizzes, and earn points. Schools or teachers decide whether to offer prizes in…

The nature of technology-based collaboration is affected by the changing goals and priorities, budgetary considerations, staff expertise, and leadership of each of the organizations involved in the partnership. In the context of a national research library, this article will describe Southern Illinois University Carbondale Library Affairs'…

The need for an engaged, informed citizenry is central to the dream of democracy by Thomas Jefferson. The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) places citizenship education "at the heart of social studies" and suggests that social studies teachers must prepare students to develop a "reasoned commitment to fundamental values, such as life,…

Faculty status and tenure for academic librarians are topics of continuous discussion. The rationales for having a tenure system have relevance for librarians but affect librarians differently than they do other faculty. A well-conceived tenure system can enhance a library's vitality and effectiveness, but maintaining the system requires…

Using salary data from the "ARL Annual Salary Survey," this paper analyzes 2003-2004 salary data for evidence of salary compression. It reviews the concept of salary compression to explain its relationship to market salary rates and salary dispersion within an organization. The analysis utilizes comparison ratios between salaries and years of…

Adult learners have unique developmental and social characteristics as compared to their traditional counterparts in higher education. Library instruction models used for traditional learners are not always effective when teaching adults. The author examines adult learner characteristics and adult learning theory and also uses personal…

A five-question survey randomly presented to users at Ohio State University (OSU) as they viewed articles in OhioLINK's Electronic Journal Center (EJC) in fall 2002 probed the user's status, academic unit, reason for viewing, path to the article, and frequency of EJC use. Usage by faculty and graduate students, by frequent users, and by those in…

This paper reports a study of the developing skills profile of information professionals, exploring the similarities and differences between library and information-based work in the light of the merger of the UK Library Association and the Institute of Information Scientists in April 2002. It examines areas of convergence such as the growing…