Information seeking behavior and user education in academic libraries: Research, theory, and practice. A selected list of information sources

Abstract

The sources in this list are useful for academic reference and instruction librarians who are concerned with assisting and leaching novice or non-professional end-user searchers. The sources apply to many types of access to information and methods of information retrieval, such as online public access catalogs (OPACs), online databases, CD-ROM databases, bibliographic databases, factual-information databases, full-text databases, and remote access. Manual searching of print sources including periodical indexes, card catalogs, books and government documents is also considered. The topics covered include information needs, the research process, search stages, search vocabulary, search strategy, search outcome, evaluating and selecting relevant information sources, affective and cognitive aspects of information seeking behavior, user-intermediary interaction, human-computer interaction, individual differences, and characteristics of searchers. Topics concerning user education include implications of information technology for user education, the educational role of academic librarians, learning theories, cognitive models, instructional objectives, teaching methods, and the issues of critical thinking and information literacy as they apply to user education in the information seeking and retrieval process. The types of information sources listed include journal articles, books, conference proceedings, doctoral dissertations, and ERIC documents. Bibliographies, literature reviews, project descriptions, research reports, and explanations of theories and models are all included. Authors include professionals from the fields of computer science, education, information science, library science, and psychology. Most of the information sources were published from 1986 to 1993, although some significant items published before 1986 have been included. The main list of "COMPLETE BIBLIOGRAPHIC CITATIONS" is arranged alphabetically by the names of the authors or editors of the publications. Subject headings which describe the information sources are listed in the "TOPICAL OUTLINE." In the "SUBJECT LISTING OF REFERENCES" brief citations which contain the authors' names, publication dates, and titles are listed for each subject heading from the "TOPICAL OUTLINE." More information for each of the brief references can be found in the list of "COMPLETE BIBLIOGRAPHIC CITATIONS." Abstracts of many of the sources in the list can be found by searching the ERIC database.