Any librarian who has managed electronic resources has experienced the--for want of words--"joy" of gathering and analyzing usage statistics. Such statistics are important for evaluating the effectiveness of resources and for making important budgeting decisions. Unfortunately, the data are usually tedious to collect, inconsistently organized, of…

Presents the results of a comparative evaluation of four CD-ROM retrieval software packages using the Revised Richards-Brown CD-ROM Software Evaluation Model. CD Answer, SPIRS, KAware2, and ROMware are evaluated, and results indicate that SPIRS and CD Answer are the favored packages. (LRW)

Circulation for CD-ROMs rose from 56 per month in 1993 to 493 per month in 1996 at the City of York Public Library in Toronto, Canada. Discusses the need for technical expertise; quantity and quality of CD-ROMs; assessing the costs; product durability, damage, and losses; and legal issues under the North American Free Trade Agreement. Lists the…

This user ratings survey focuses on bibliographic citation management software; its value to manage citation databases; and its ability to provide reports that adhere to standard bibliographic styles for publications. Service and support, reliability, ease of use, vendor integrity, and user satisfaction are discussed for each of seven software…

Presents highlights of research that used industrywide surveys, focus groups, personal interviews, and industry-published data to explore the future of electronic information delivery in libraries. Topics discussed include CD-ROMs; prices; full-text products; magnetic tape leasing; engineering and technical literature; connections between online…

Provides a brief history of the Internet, highlighting its academic roots, and describes a survey conducted to determine how and why academics use the Internet. Information gathered, presented in seven tables, shows frequency of use; types of resources accessed; levels of computer experience; use of nagivational aids; and reaction to the survey.…

Presents the results of a study of CD-ROM database use by 100 university students. The students' age, level of study, course of study, and reasons for nonuse are reported. Implications of the study, and suggestions for promoting CD-ROM use and involving faculty in raising awareness are presented. (eight references) (KRN)

Describes an undergraduate course that was developed at Salem State College to provide students with an overview of information technologies, including online databases, online catalogs, CD-ROM, hypertext, interactive video, electronic bulletin boards, and computer networks. Student reactions are discussed, including changed perceptions, and…

Describes a HyperCard-based simulation/tutorial for the Macintosh that is designed to teach users to search the Medline CD-ROM database on an IBM microcomputer. Results of a user survey are reported, and the potential of HyperCard for bibliographic instruction, including the use of the tutorial to develop transparencies, is discussed. (MES)

Describes the Adonis project, a CD-ROM database of biomedical journal articles that was designed to investigate ways in which publishers could maintain the income they received from publishing scientific journals. User studies are described that were conducted at University College London to evaluate user satisfaction with Adonis searches. (five…