Blended learning (BL) provides an efficient and effective instructional experience. However, adopting a BL approach poses some challenges to faculty; the most important obstacle found in this research is faculty's lack of knowledge regarding the use of technology in their teaching. This challenge prompted the research project focused on improving…

Introduction: To provide valuable services in the future, libraries will need to create better information systems and set up an infrastructure more in line with the current technologies. The "Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records" conceptual model provides a basis for this transformation, but there are still a number of…

The purpose of this study was to determine factors that influenced student satisfaction with a new learning management system and to identify which of these factors were most important. The data was collected using an an online survey tool that was administered to students enrolled in courses designed and taught by faculty who participated in a…

A small, private academic library took the risk of moving from a traditional integrated library system to adopting a system "in the cloud." This case study presents the setting, history, and local needs of the library, including staffing challenges, and explains the decision-making rationale and process. A description of the library's transition…

In the past eLearning has been introduced by many public universities however a concise IT-strategy was not followed during implementation. Different learning platforms were acquired by different departments and no systematic approach was set up to give support for course development, eTutoring or upgrading and archiving of electronic files.…

The Interlibrary Loan department at the University of Mississippi wished to examine interlibrary loan borrowing data dating back to the implementation of the ILLiad system in August 2001 in order to determine why the number of cancellations due to local availability continues to increase. The patron information was extracted in an attempt to…

Outlines the process involved in selecting or developing software for building a machine-readable database and the special librarian's role in that process. The following steps are identified: (1) needs assessment; (2) project cost and justification; (3) software selection; (4) implementation; and (5) startup and maintenance. Twelve references are…

Instructional design (ID) in its short life has been dominated by behaviourist approaches despite critique focusing on issues of practice as well as theory. Nonetheless, little research has addressed two fundamental questions: "What constitutes good instructional design?" and "How do instructional designers create good design?"…

Presents a model for the evaluation of database management systems software from the viewpoint of librarians and information specialists. The properties of data management systems, database management systems, and text retrieval systems are outlined and compared. (10 references) (CLB)

Describes the categories of available information management software, and provides guidelines for needs assessment, software selection, testing, and evaluation. The annotated bibliography cites general discussions and program reviews for the following types of software: file management, general database management, bibliographic management,…

Discusses resources and strategies that libraries can use to evaluate competing database management software for purchase. Needs assessments, types of software available, features of good software, evaluation aids, shareware, and marketing and product trends are covered. (KRN)

Designing, developing, and implementing an electronic document management system involves preparation. Areas to consider when facilitating technological change include staff input and business and customer needs and wants. Further discussion addresses value assessment of document type, providing a pilot system for staff experiment and practice,…

Discusses reference management software that is used for the storage and retrieval of bibliographic and text files on personal computers. Uses in health sciences are reviewed, selection criteria are discussed, needs assessment is described, guidelines for selecting appropriate software are presented, and a list of software products is included.…

Institutions of higher education are embracing the role of the Internet as a medium to promote on-demand communication between faculty and students. As such, online course management systems have become an efficient and effective means of facilitating learning outside the classroom. To ensure that a course management system meets the needs and…

Searches conducted at the library of King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals Library (Saudi Arabia) were analyzed as to online versus CD-ROM, costs, academic department, user status, subject, databases accessed, and search strategy. A database management system was used to compile results, and statistics will aid in material selection and…