The object of this study was to assess the value of teaching online searching techniques to undergraduate students for the completion of a specific assignment in a human biology course, both as a research tool and as a means of supplementing the limited holdings of primary medical literature in a small college library. Students were divided into two groups, with one group using the online version of Index Medicus to obtain citations for the assigned paper, while the other group used the paper version of the index. For a second paper, the groups' use of online or paper versions was reversed. Responses to a questionnaire completed by the students indicated that they were satisfied with the results of their online searches, that online searching permitted them to find citations that were highly focused on their topics, and that they were able to find the citations faster than by hand. Faculty found no difference in the quality of the papers based on the use of online or printed versions of the Index Medicus, but found that, as usual, the second research paper was better than the first one for students in both groups. Although students believed that online searching should be taught, they also strongly supported the teaching of the print versions of the online resources. A further evaluation of the use of online searching is now underway, using a CD-ROM version of Index Medicus, in order to determine whether such an online version can provide students with more opportunities to undertake online searching at no additional cost, and without the need for as much assistance from the reference librarian. (EW)