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LIBRES 3.5 Feature Article

LIBRES:  Library and Information Science Research
(ISSN: 1058-6768 published monthly)
May 20, 1993

Table of Contents

Research Report:  Bibliographic Instruction on Electronic Resources for
                  the Humanities (898 lines) by Martha Fleming
=======================================================================

Bibliographic Instruction on Electronic Resources for the Humanities
                        by Martha Fleming
(comments and discussion welcome)

I. INTRODUCTION

   Electronic sources of information are becoming
increasingly vital to humanistic research despite the overall
reluctance of scholars to use these resources (Batt and
Martell 1991, 7).  Due to this lack of interest, the role of
the academic librarian becomes vital.  With online technology
expanding at an increasingly rapid rate, librarians will take
on most of the responsibility for introducing undergraduate
students studying humanistic disciplines to the vast wealth
of information available to them through electronic
resources.  The policies adopted by academic libraries toward
the use of computerized information could well determine the
amount of success a future scholar will have in his or her
field (Behar 1987, 57-8).
   Historically databases containing humanistic research
have lagged behind databases in other academic disciplines.
Ambiguous or "soft" vocabulary  used in the description of
ideas and theories surrounding humanistic research can make
retrieval difficult and therefore less effective (Stern 1988,
162).  However the benefits of computerized technology are
now beginning to outweigh the disadvantages.  For instance,
while browsing bibliographic databases the searcher can print
citations immediately, thus reducing the possibility of
miscopying a reference.   A literature search performed
online takes a fraction of the time required to search for
citations manually.
In addition, it provides a researcher with a quick overview
of literature available on his or her topic of interest
(Kirkham 1989, 53-54).
   Despite the numerous advantages provided by online
searching, many humanistic scholars and faculty are reluctant
to integrate bibliographic databases into their research.
When bibliographic databases first became readily available
in the 1970s and 1980s, they were not particularly useful to
humanistic scholars due to the lack of retrospective data
(Stern 1988, 163). Humanists also require many primary
sources in their research and most of the earlier databases
provided only secondary sources (Pankake 1991, 9-10).
   In the nineties, humanistic databases are becoming more
comprehensive in scope.  Retrospective conversion of old data
on to databases has increased recall and thoroughness. For
instance, the Smithsonian Institution Bibliographic
Information Systems database provides online access to vast
archival collections. Other sources such as JANET, located at
the University of London, can access old books throughout
Europe which may not be available to American scholars
through any other means.  On a more practical level, OCLC
locates monographs at any member library and provides
bibliographic information.  Online ready reference sources
Such as Books in Print and National Faculty Directory could
save hours of time in the library (Pankake 1991, 11-12). With
increasing pressure placed on scholars to publish frequently
in the academic world, these online tools could prove to be
indispensable in the future. In short they could mean the
difference between success and failure as competition for
faculty positions becomes more intense.
   Since so many traditional scholars tend to ignore
computerized information retrieval, the role of the academic
library becomes increasingly important.  However two major
obstacles to providing access to electronic databases are the
issues of funding and cooperation between librarians and
faculty (Farrell 1991, 70).  Online information retrieval can
be costly and many institutions find that they must
considerably redistribute their resources in order to offer
the service.  This redistribution often necessitates  cuts in
some areas of the budget.  Online searching offers the
greatest benefits to students in scientific and medical
disciplines.  For this reason, colleges and universities
which focus on a liberal arts curriculum must make difficult
decisions regarding what and how much to sacrifice to provide
online access to their students (Farrell 1991, 71).
   The second issue concerns the involvement of faculty
with bibliographic instruction.  Cooperation between faculty
and librarians can help insure that the new technologies will
not continue to be ignored. Ideally, librarians should be
fully aware of the resources available to students in the
humanities. However they must also justify the time, energy,
resources and money invested by optimizing the availability
of these resources (Farrell 1991, 70-1).  Undergraduate
curricula in humanistic disciplines must address the new
technologies so that future scholars will not be limited
because they are unaware of the potential usefulness of
bibliographic databases.


Purpose of the Study

   The availability of electronic reference tools both
online and ondisc to undergraduates majoring in a humanistic
discipline serves as the basis for this study.  Colleges
which offer a predominantly humanistic curriculum need to
make their students aware of the electronic resources
available.  Knowledge of these resources could play an
important role in the student's future success in his or her
field.  The role of the Academic librarian as well as that of
the teaching faculty also affects the availability of these
new technologies to the students.  The librarian has the
opportunity to introduce these new more sophisticated
reference materials to the students through bibliographic
instruction as well as personal or one-on-one sessions with
the students.  Finally cooperation between the teaching
faculty and the academic library can motivate students to
learn more about electronic resources available through the
library.  If research skills, including those which involve
electronic formats, are integrated into the curriculum from
the first introductory course, students will be more likely
to use the library to meet their informational needs (Allen
1989, 105).

Definition of Terms

   For the purposes of this study an academic library is
defined as the library of a four-year, liberal arts college.
Students at these institutions are ideal subjects for
studying how effectively faculty and academic librarians are
integrating electronic bibliographic resources into
humanistic disciplines on the undergraduate level.

Limitations of the Study

   This study surveys only academic librarians working in
four-year, liberal arts colleges in three states.  Due to
this limited sample, the results of the survey do not
necessarily represent the use of electronic bibliographic
resources by humanities students in all academic
institutions.


II. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

   The demand for more electronic instruction in humanistic
disciplines was the focus of an entire issue of Library Hi
Tech in 1991. In this volume, various authors discuss the
research needs and expectations of scholars in these fields
and how libraries can most effectively accommodate them.  The
quality and quantity of electronic databases both ondisc and
online have improved radically in the past several years.
However, many who do research in the humanities still prefer
manual methods of research (Batt and Martell 1991, 7)
Scholars' reluctance to adapt electronic resources into their
research methodology  is discussed in several of the
articles.  According to Stephan Wiberly Jr., scholars in the
humanities tend to rely upon influential peers and
concentrate on highly specialized areas of study.  He also
notes a reluctance among faculty to ask questions of
reference librarians because they do not want to reveal their
lack of technological knowledge (Wiberley 1991, 17).
   Since those teaching humanities courses are, overall,
unfamiliar with many of the electronic resources, both Marcia
Pankake and David Farrell assert in their respective articles
that academic librarians must take the initiative to educate
both faculty and students to the potential usefulness of
electronic resources.  Marcia Pankake suggests that libraries
deduce scholar's needs through the use of citation studies
to provide optimum access to relevant information (Pankake
1991, 10).
   David Farrell agrees that humanistic teaching and
research are changing radically; however he questions the
library's ability to meet the needs of future scholars in the
humanities. He emphasizes the importance of having well-
trained librarians working with faculty to educate
undergraduates to the electronic resources available to them
through the library (Farrell 1991, 71).  Geraldine Walker and
Steven D. Atkinson reflect this opinion in their article also
appearing in this 1991 issue of _Library Hi Tech_.  In
addition to library and faculty cooperation, they  stress the
importance of these electronic research tools to the
potential success or failure of a student who wishes to
pursue a career in a humanistic discipline (Walker and
Atkinson 1991, 23).
   Several studies published in the last several years
confirm the correlation between library instruction and
improved research skills among undergraduates.  In 1992, A.
Emmeli Adler published a summary of a bibliographic lecture
he presents to undergraduates at Saint Martin's College
library.  During this presentation, he shows the first ten
minutes of a forty-minute DIALOG video to illustrate the
advantages of computerized searching, thus encouraging
students to look into electronic searching as an alternative
to manual research (Adler 1992, 23).
   Mary Beth Allen also focuses on one-hour bibliographic
instruction sessions in her article suitably entitled,
"Focusing the One-Shot Lecture." However, she contends that a
series of shorter instructional sessions integrated into an
English writing course proved more effective than one
lecture.  In the article, she stresses  that cooperation from
instructors is of the utmost importance to making the
lectures successful.  She asserts that if the library is
meeting an immediate information need for the students they
will not resist instruction and will be more likely to use
the library later (Allen 1989, 105).
   A study performed by Eugene A. Engeldinger, Paul Stuart,
and Leonard E. Gibbs, discusses the possibility of
integrating progressively more advanced  bibliographic
instruction into a social work curriculum.  The authors of
this article assert that each individual department within a
college has a responsibility to teach the student how to do
effective research within his or her discipline.  They go on
to argue that such instruction would build a solid base which
students could advance upon through-out their careers
(Engeldinger, Stuart, and Gibbs 1988, 119-122). Eugene A.
Engeldinger also stresses the importance of encouraging
critical thinking on the part of the student.  Like Allen, he
believes that the students must be meeting a practical
information need to effectively learn library skills. However
he also suggests that students be taught to analyze the
quality of the information they locate.  Engeldinger suggests
that an assignment should follow each BI session in which the
students practice what they have learned.  This assignment
should involve analyzing and criticizing a particular
article.  The class discussion should be focused on the
opinions of the students who should be encouraged to question
the author's point  of view. The object of this exercise is
to enable the student to arrive at an informed opinion based
on factual evidence.  Engeldinger believes that this type of
classroom discussion will make students more critical of
information they locate in the library (Engeldinger 1988,
201).
   Forest Hansen, professor of philosophy, and Joann H.
Lee, college librarian at Lake Forest College, took
bibliographic instruction one step further by completely
integrating ancient Greek history with library instruction.
The librarian attended all the classes, participated in class
lectures, and supervised library research exercises (Hansen
and Lee 1985, 66).  Although students had initial difficulty
adjusting to the large amount of research required, they soon
discovered that thorough research helped them focus their
topics. Both Hansen and Lee found this course format to be
extremely relevant to the larger goals of the university.  In
teaching students comprehensive library skills, the professor
and the librarian enabled students to collect and evaluate
information without guidance.  They were encouraging the
students to become independent learners (Hansen and Lee 1985,
73).
   Although there is much evidence to support the fact that
bibliographic instruction integrated into a course is more
effective than simply one lecture, the usefulness of
computerized sources is not so well documented.  Linda G.
Ackerson, Jeanne G. Howard, and Virginia E. Young (1991, 140-
141) discuss an experiment they carried out involving
technical writing classes at the University of Alabama.  In a
study carried out over several years, they divided the
classes into  experimental and control groups.  The library
presented both groups with a standard bibliographic
instruction session.  However only the students in the
experimental group used specialized computerized electronic
resources available in the SEL Scientific Communications
Laboratory.  Although the librarians noted a gradual
improvement of the experimental group over the control group
in bibliographic quality, they can not as yet drawn any
definite conclusions as to the value of computerized library
instruction.
   Kathryn Sullivan takes a more definite stance in her
article discussing the use of Infotrac at Winona State
University.  She contends that although computerized
searching is of great value to undergraduates, it should not
be viewed as a replacement for all print sources.  She cites
the increasing popularity of CD-ROM products as a potential
stumbling block to teaching undergraduates effective
research.  Since CD-ROMs are extremely user friendly, once
undergraduates begin using these products they could ignore
the alternative resources (Sullivan 1989, 63). However the
ondisc databases do offer many advantages and  should not be
ignored by college libraries.
   When Winona State University subscribed to DIALOG, the
librarians found that for budgeting reasons they had to deny
this service to a large portion of the student body. The
library faculty at the college, believing it unfair to deny
students access to online databases, acquired the CD-ROM
product, Infotrac, so that all students could perform
electronic literature searches. Although the author clarifies
that a CD-ROM should not be considered a replacement for an
online database, the ondisc product can still serve as an
effective link to print sources.  Ideally undergraduate
students would benefit most from integrating both ondisc and
online database searches into their research.  However since
the financial constraints on colleges often prevent this,
ondisc products can provide a comparatively economical
alternative (Sullivan 1989, 13).
   Joseph Behar's article "Access to Electronic
Information: Problems in Resource Allocation and Policy
Formation," also focuses on issues surrounding electronic
access to information and library policy.  A questionnaire
attached as an appendix poses questions concerning resource
availability, faculty involvement, and funding (Behar 1987,
59-60)
   Although CD-ROM technology is still rather uncertain,
these products promise to improve access to information while
saving the institution money.  However, external factors such
as budget and available supporting technology could effect
the potential usefulness of these products in the near future
(Halsey 1989, 56).
   Teaching students to effectively use computerized
resources as a means of strengthening their research skills
is still a relatively new challenge to academic librarians.
However, the importance of these more sophisticated formats
to success in virtually any area of scholarly research is
becoming more evident in the nineties.  The literature
indicates that the most effective bibliographic instruction
encompasses information which will be of immediate use to a
student.  Therefore all undergraduate students, even those
majoring in a humanistic discipline, should at least have a
passing familiarity with the
electronic resources which could enhance the quality of
their
research.


III. METHODOLOGY

 In order to gain an overview of what sort of
bibliographic instruction is typical of predominantly
undergraduate institutions, a questionnaire and a letter
explaining the survey was sent to a random sample of
approximately 100 four-year colleges in the states of
Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Michigan (see Appendix A and
Appendix B).  Although the number of institutions surveyed is
limited due to time and cost, the schools were selected from
the list of colleges provided in The College Blue Books.  The
colleges selected for the sample all support four-year
programs leading to Bachelor degrees.
   Overall the questionnaire is designed to determine
whether academic librarians view electronic searching as a
valuable asset to their libraries and effectively integrate
these resources into the humanities curriculum.  The items on
the questionnaire determine whether electronic resources are
available through the library and which departments utilize
these resources the most. The questionnaire also focuses on
how much "hands on" involvement individual students have with
searching the databases.  In addition, the presence of ondisc
databases is also taken into consideration.  The disc
products a college chooses to purchase may provide a strong
indication of which departments emphasize electronic research
in their curricula.  Another factor
considered is the
amount of library/ faculty cooperation existing in various
institutions.
   The issues dealt with in this questionnaire are based on
the studies by Behar (1987, 59-60) and Engeldinger, Stuart
and Gibbs (1988, 199-122) both of which are discussed in
chapter II.


IV. FINDINGS


   Sixty institutions responded to the Questionnaire used
for this study. The survey questionnaires were sent to 100
colleges and 60 were returned.  Therefore, there was as
response rate of 60%
   Although the availability of computerized resources for
humanities students is increasing rapidly, use of computers
in these disciplines is still significantly less than those
in more scientifically oriented fields.  Academic departments
in the sciences and social sciences use online databases most
frequently (see Table 1). Despite the fact that the
literature clearly indicates that online databases are of
most value to students in the sciences, those studying the
social sciences appear to be using electronic resources just
as frequently as science majors (Farrell 1991, 71).  Students
in the  arts and humanities use these databases significantly
less (see Table 1).  Databases can provide quick access to
bibliographic references.  However, only 18% of those
institutions responding to question 1 on the questionnaire
had undergraduates majoring in a humanistic discipline take
advantage of these resources.
   A total of 36 (60%) of the responding colleges offer
students and faculty access to online databases while 55 or
92%
make CD-ROM products available to the library's patrons (see
Table 2).  These results indicate that four-year college
libraries are responding to the demand for more electronic
instruction for their undergraduates.  However, as Table 1

indicates humanistic departments only account for 18% of
online searches.  This result indicates that humanistic
departments are still not taking significant advantage of
these resources.
   Academic librarians can have a great influence over the
amount of interest students have in electronic resources.
Bibliographic instruction as well as general reference
service provide librarians in academic institutions numerous
opportunities to educate students as to the availability and
use of electronic resources.  One way to interest students
would be to allow them to observe an online search.  However,
most libraries responding to the survey (57%) perform online
searches without the student present. Only 42% allow the
students to observe the search being done, while 37% actually
allow the student to search online databases themselves (see
Table 3). Seeing the search being performed or actually
searching databases such as OCLC's Firstsearch themselves
helps undergraduates to become more aware of the resources
available to them through commercial online databases and
also pique their curiosity about other electronic resources.
   Another excellent opportunity for academic librarians to
educate undergraduate humanities majors on the potential

usefulness of electronic resources is through bibliographic
instruction sessions, both formal and informal.  A majority
(78%) of colleges responding to the survey conduct formal BI
sessions to those expressing interest while 20% of the
institutions offer  informal BI (see Table 4). During these
sessions, the  academic librarian has the opportunity not
only to demonstrate the electronic resources but he or she
can also show the students how these resources can meet their
informational needs.
   According to the literature, the most successful
bibliographic instruction sessions not only assist students
in meeting their information needs but also encourage
critical analysis of the materials acquired (Engeldinger
1988, 201). Based upon these assumptions bibliographic
instruction integrated into course work would be the most
effective method for teaching undergraduates library skills.
Seventy percent of the institutions responding to the survey
do indeed offer BI as a part of course curriculum, while 29%
offer BI as a one-time lecture given during freshman
orientation (see Table 5). However, professors in the
sciences and social sciences request bibliographic
instruction to be integrated into course work more often than
instructors in the humanities (see Table 6).  In fact 47% of
the departments in the social science offer course-integrated
BI.  Forty-three percent of the colleges have professors in
the sciences request course-integrated BI for science-
oriented subjects while 37% of the humanities departments

request this type of instruction.  The larger percentage
(47%) in the social sciences can perhaps account for the
increasing interest students in the social sciences are
displaying in electronic bibliographic resources.
   These results are also reflected in the survey findings.
Two of the most popular ondisc products, according
to the results of the survey, are ERIC and PsycLit both of
which are oriented towards disciplines in the social sciences
(see Table 7). MLA, one of the most important indexes for
literature scholars, is only owned by 30% of the responding
institutions. The amount of CD-ROM products owned by the
respondents to the survey varies radically.
   Another issue which can effect a student's interest in
online databases is cost.  A large percentage (56%) of the
colleges responding to the survey would pay for at least part
of the search (see Table 8).  Some schools (33%) even offer
online services to students free of charge, thereby providing
the students with an excellent opportunity to become familiar
with the resources available through online bibliographic
databases. However, 38% of the institutions participating in
the survey are unable to offer online access to students
without charge. Although searching online databases can
become extremely expensive, the majority (60%) of the
colleges reported that no cutbacks are necessary to provide
this service to the campus community (see Table 9). However
some institutions did report

having to cut back in either their serials or monographs
budget in order to provide online access.
   The issue of cooperation between academic faculty and
the library can also affect the availability of these
resources to students.  Most of the schools leave the
responsibility of policy making for electronic resources to
the librarian (see Table 10). Only 15% of the responding
institutions indicated that academic
faculty are involved with policy making for the use and
maintenance of electronic resources.  This lack of
involvement of the faculty coupled with an overall
disinterest on the part of humanities faculty indicated in
the survey could account for humanities undergraduates not
taking full advantage of the electronic resources available
to them.


V. CONCLUSION




 As the twentieth century ends, library resources are
rapidly evolving from  print formats to electronic formats.
Evidence of this shift can be found in virtually any academic
library.  Card catalogs are being replaced by OPACs and
CD-ROMs and online databases are beginning to replace print
indexes.  In short, the modern academic library is no longer
simply an archive for information but a place to facilitate
access to materials.
   As discussed in chapter IV, most of the institutions
responding to this survey provide access to either online or
ondisc databases containing bibliographic references for
those studying humanistic disciplines.  The problem appears
to be that humanities undergraduates simply receive less
thorough instruction about electronic bibliographic resources
than their counterparts in the "hard" sciences and social
sciences.  Electronic resources in the humanities are
expanding at an increasingly rapid rate in the nineties and
humanities scholars should follow the lead of faculty in the
social sciences and begin integrating these resources into
their courses more frequently.  This type of integrated
instruction will enable future humanistic scholars to perform
research effectively and efficiently in electronic
environments.
   There are numerous electronic bibliographic resources
available to students in four-year liberal arts colleges for

humanities research.  Based upon the results of the survey
performed for this study,  four-year college libraries are
indeed offering students access to electronic resources at
minimal cost. In addition, virtually all the institutions
responding offer some form of bibliographic instruction to
the academic communities they serve.  Academic librarians
have the
unique opportunity to provide instruction in these new
technologies to future scholars.
   Academic librarians must take the initiative to educate
future and present scholars as to the electronic resources
available.  As discussed earlier, cooperation between the
teaching faculty and the library is of the utmost importance
to successfully educating undergraduates about library
resources. Based on the results of this study there is less
cooperation between humanities faculty and the library than
between the library and sciences and social sciences.
   As electronic resources which serve humanities scholars
increase in scope and include more retrospective data their
importance to humanities research will increase dramatically.
Knowledge of electronic sources of information will become
vital to future scholars. The ability to utilize these new
technologies will play a significant role in the future
success of humanities scholars. The future will bring even
more electronic technologies to the library and reference
librarians will become more important than ever.




APPENDIX A


COMPUTERIZED BIBLIOGRAPHIC INSTRUCTION FOR THE HUMANITIES
STUDENT

Survey



1. If your institution provides access to online electronic
databases, which academic departments most frequently use the
systems?

   A.Science and technologies   C. Arts and
humanities
   B.Social sciences   D. Other

2.  What databases or other electronic sources of
information may be accessed by students? Circle any that
apply.

   A.Online commercial databases (ie Dialog, BRS, Lexis)
   B.Ondisc databases
   C.Other, please explain.

3. Are online database searches performed by library
personnel or are students able to access services
individually?

   A.Student performs searches
   B.Librarian performs searches with student present
   C.Librarian performs searches without student present
   D.Other, please explain.
4. Is there any formal bibliographic instruction in either
online or ondisc database searching for students?

   A.yes      B.no

5. If instruction is offered, when is it offered and how
does it fit into the student's curriculum?

   A. BI takes place as simply an orientation process
   B. BI is a part of the curriculum for certain courses
   C. Both

6. Which  departments at your institution require subject
related bibliographic instruction in electronic formats?
Circle any that apply.

   A. Science and technology   D. Education
   B. Medical      E. Humanities
   C. Social Sciences    F. None



7. What types of ondisc products does your institution own?
Circle any that apply.

   A. ABI Inform      D. ERIC
   B. PAIS      E. Psych lit.
   C. MLA      F. Medline
   D. ERIC      G. Other

8. If your answer was G for question #7, what CD-ROM
products does your institution own?



9. Who pays for the costs involved with searching online
commercial databases?

   A. Students
   B. Subsidized by the college
   C. Library will preform ready reference searches free of
   charge

10. How has providing access to electronic databases
affected your budget? In what areas have if any have there
been cut backs in order to provide this service?

   A. Personnel
   B. Selections of monographs
   C. Selections of serials
   D. Providing information in an electronic format has not
   required cut backs in other areas of the budget.
   E. Other, please explain.

12.  How is general policy making handled in relation to the
development of online bibliographic retrieval services? Is
the faculty involved with the process?

   A. Library committee involving both library staff and
   faculty members
   B. Library staff shares responsibility
   C. Responsibility is allocated to one department of the
   library such as reference
   D. One person on the staff is responsible for all online
   searches
   E. Other, please explain.

 Thank you for your cooperation.  You can return this survey
in the self-addressed, stamped envelope to me at this
address.

Martha K. Fleming
4992 S. Medina Line Rd.
Doylestown, OH 44230


APPENDIX B


December 27, 1992

Dear Librarian:

Re: Computerized Bibliographic Instruction for the
Humanities Student

My name is Martha Fleming and I am presently a graduate
student in the School of Library and Information Science at
Kent State University.  I am writing to request your
assistance with my research project entitled Computerized
Bibliographic Instruction for the Humanities Student.  My
interest centers around the methods by which various liberal
arts colleges that support a strong humanities curriculum
instruct students about electronic resources such as online
databases and ondisc products.

Your response to the questionnaire will be kept completely
anonymous.  You are not required to sign your name to
individual questionnaires and only the investigator has
access to the survey data.  Although your participation is
vital to the successful completion of this study, all
responses are completely voluntary and you may withdraw from
participation at any time without penalty.  If you are
interested, a copy of the results of this study will be
available upon request.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at
216-336-8268 or my research advisor, Dr. Lois Buttlar, at
216-672-2782. If you have any further questions regarding
research at Kent State University you may contact Dr. Eugene
Wenninger, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs at 216-
672-2070.

Thank you very much for taking the time to look over this
questionnaire.  Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.
Your may return the questionnaire in the enclosed self-
addressed stamped envelope to me at the following address:

Martha Fleming
4992 S. Medina Line Rd.
Doylestown, OH 44230

Sincerely,

Martha K. Fleming
Graduate Student


Table 1
Frequency of Use of Online Databases by Academic Department.
____________________________________________________________

Department       f   %
____________________________________________________________
Science/technology    33   55
Social sciences       33   55
Arts and humanities      11   18
Other         5    8
____________________________________________________________

Table 2
Bibliographic Electronic Resources That Students can Access
____________________________________________________________
Type         f   %
____________________________________________________________
Online commercial databases   36   60
Ondisc or CD-ROM products     55   92
Other          12   20
____________________________________________________________

Table 3
Who Performs Online Database Searches.
____________________________________________________________
Searcher                          f    %
____________________________________________________________
Student                          22   37
Librarian                        34   57
Librarian with student present   25   42
Other                             7   12
____________________________________________________________

Table 4
Availability of Bibliographic Instruction
____________________________________________________________
Type of Bibliographic Instruction Available   f      %
____________________________________________________________
Formal                                       47      78
Informal                                     12      20
____________________________________________________________

Table 5
BI in the Curriculum
____________________________________________________________
Bibliographic Instruction in the Curriculum   f      %
____________________________________________________________
BI given during orientation                  29      48
BI is a part of course curriculum            42      70
____________________________________________________________

Table 6
Departments requiring subject related BI
____________________________________________________________
Departments                 f   %
____________________________________________________________
Science/Technology         26   43
Medical                    11   18
Social Sciences            28   47
Education                  19   31
Humanities                 22   37
Other                      17   28
____________________________________________________________

Table 7
Types of CD-ROM products owned
____________________________________________________________
Product          f      %
____________________________________________________________
ABI Inform      10     17
PAIS             9     15
MLA             18     30
ERIC            33     56
PSYCH LIT       28     46
MEDLINE         12     20
Other           53     88
____________________________________________________________

Table 8
Financing for Online Searching
____________________________________________________________
Who pays the cost of online searching   f      %
____________________________________________________________
Students                               23      38
Subsidized by college                  33      56
Free of charge                         20      33
____________________________________________________________

Table 9
Areas in which cut backs were made to support Electronic
Resources
____________________________________________________________
Impacts of electronic resources on library budget   f   %
____________________________________________________________
Personnel            0    0
Selections of monographs         6   10
Selections of serials         9   15
No cut backs necessary       36   60
Other             8   13
____________________________________________________________


Table 10
Policy Makers for Electronic Resources
____________________________________________________________
Policy makers for electronic resources     f   %
____________________________________________________________
Both staff and faculty members       9  15
Library staff shares responsibility    26  43
One department in the library       10  16
One librarian           14  23
Other              9  15
____________________________________________________________

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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The Editorial Group:
=====================================================================
Diane K. Kovacs - Chief     dkovacs@kentvm  dkovacs@kentvm.kent.edu
Julie Gedeon                jgedeon@kentvm  jgedeon@kentvm.kent.edu
Leslie Haas                 lhaas@kentvm    lhaas@kentvm.kent.edu
Tona Henderson              tah6@psuvm      tah6@psuvm.psu.edu
Don Kraft                                   kraft@bit.csc.lsu.edu
Elizabeth Lane                              elane3@ua1vm.ua.edu
Amey Park                   apark@kentvm    apark@kentvm.kent.edu
Kara Robinson               krobinso@kentvm krobinso@kentvm.kent.edu
Barbara Schloman            bschloma@kentvm bschloma@kentvm.kent.edu
====================================================================
Barbara Berger
Tom Froehlich               tfroehli@kentvm   tfroehli@kentvm.kent.edu
Ellen Detlefsen             ellen@pittvms     ellen@idis.lis.pitt.edu
Rosemary Dumont             rdumont@kentvm    rdumont@kentvm.kent.edu
Stevan Harnad                                 harnad@princeton.edu
Ann Okerson                                   ann@cni.org
=====================================================================