A research training module was designed to help graduate students locate, read and comprehend art abstracts and full-text articles that they need for their assignments, term papers and theses. At the end of the training module, the students were posttested. They were given individual research projects for which they had to select the search terms,…

As libraries automate their collections and mount online public access catalogs (OPACs), they face special challenges in educating patrons to use these electronic systems effectively and efficiently. Because users are less familiar with the concept and arrangement of an OPAC than with a card catalog, less successful searches commonly occur.…

Library research skills are included in a required graduate level research methods course offered at Bowling Green State University (Ohio). The course--Biological Documentation Techniques--is broadly involved with biological literature retrieval, bibliographic techniques, and data storage. It is taught cooperatively by the Department of Biological…

Examines the objectives and structure of two-part end-user training program (classroom instruction, individualized hands-on training), which introduces scientists to fundamentals of literature searching, including both printed and online sources of scientific information. Brief history and future directions of the program are noted. Sample Amoco…

Provides practical information for librarians beginning to use online searching for reference services at the high school level. Selection of equipment, software, and database vendors are discussed, as well as financing, involvement of the school administration, and working with users to determine their information needs. (CDD)

College faculty who learned to do online bibliographic searching were surveyed immediately following and one year after training workshops. Information was gathered about user characteristics, their motivation for learning to search, and type of training needed, and conclusions were drawn about need for academic libraries to provide end user…

The Internet and its features such as e-mail; listservs; FTP and Telnet; navigators such as Archie, gophers, and the World Wide Web; and Web search engines have had a profound effect on the nature of online systems. This paper discusses the effect the Internet might have in the way online searching should be taught. The paper provides background…

In 1989 a two year collaborative project, CAI (Computer Assisted Instruction) & Humanities, was initiated between the Faculty of Arts and IBM Netherlands during which General Information Retrieval All Faculties For Bibliographic Education (GIRAFFE), a program for the retrieval of information on general bibliographies, was developed. The…

This study conducted at Texas A&M University compares two types of training approaches using ERIC SilverPlatter (ERIC SP). Education students received either: (1) a one hour training session on basic search commands and strategies, or (2) a four page instructional handout that described basic search commands, Boolean logic, and special…

This paper discusses the development since late 1993 of a program of Internet workshops and seminars offered to the Texas Tech University community. The discussion includes the program's history; the evolving process of planning, organizing, advertising, and managing; the politics involved; the effort to motivate colleagues to participate; the…

A close examination of nine popular speech textbooks was conducted to determine how adequately and accurately they covered researching in the library and its importance in the speechmaking process for the student. Results indicated that the texts did not emphasize critical thinking skills; they also contained an inappropriate emphasis on online…

Geared toward librarians who frequently work with faculty and graduate students, this paper summarizes the experience of the library at the University of Southern California in organizing and conducting several subject specific workshops on using the Internet as a research medium. It examines the practical issues on how to approach the task of…

This paper describes how librarians can teach patrons the basics of hypertext markup language (HTML) so that patrons can publish their own homepages on the World Wide Web. With proper use of handouts and practice time afterwards, the three basics of HTML can be conveyed in only 60 seconds. The three basics are: the basic template of Web tags, used…

Advanced level keyword and subject searching of library catalogs and CD-ROMs is a skill that requires an effective strategic approach. In this project developed at the University of Southern Queensland (Australia), video and computer assisted learning (CAL) materials were developed that would model the search process, provide experience to the…

Traditional reference service at the Creighton University Health Sciences Library/Learning Resources Center has been transformed into a vibrant, information dissemination system. Maintaining routine reference skills and developing new ones is standard practice. The furious pace of demand for information, and the growing "technicalness"…