ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 53 Bibliographic Instruction Online Searching and Chemistry Students at Knox Most teachers and librarians still assume that any student who performs a literature search by wading through volume after volume of a printed re fe re n c e w ork (like C h em ica l A b s tr a c ts , for example) comes away from the experience with at least a practical understanding of that tool and of one way of using it in research. An increasing n u m b e r of us today, how ever, are discovering that not only equal but, indeed, additional b e n ­ efits can be obtained w hen the student has the opportunity to perform a literature search online. W hen the Knox College Library, Galesburg, Il­ linois, added online searching of the Lockheed D ialog and System D e v e lo p m e n t C o rp o ratio n O rb it d a ta b a ses to its se rv ice s, we w e re a p ­ prehensive about the possibility of easy access to online services impairing a stu d en t’s ability and willingness to use printed bibliographies, indexes, and abstracts. Consequently, we devised policies aimed at preventing students from using online services to obtain “instant bibliographies.’’ After a few years of searching experience, however, we m ust now concede that our fears and restrictive policies were unnecessary. Few students consid­ ered sophisticated online searching essential for their course-related research. On the other hand, we discovered that the use of online searching in courses after exposure to p rin ted research materials enhanced instruction. Indeed, when introduced in a course as a feature of bibliographic instruction, online searching gen­ erally afforded us a much greater opportunity for effective instruction in specialized and general b ib lio g ra p h ic and rese a rc h m eth o d s th an was available when we lim ited ourselves to instruction in the use of p rin ted reference works alone. W e have b een particularly successful in in te­ grating online searching in courses in the chem is­ try curriculum . (Online searching is essential in geology courses, and we are constantly encourag­ ing m em bers of all of th e college’s departm ents to attend system training at the library’s expense.) D atabase searching is in tro d u ced to chem istry students in th e first term of their junior year in the laboratory section of Physical Chem istry 321, which is re q u ire d of all chem istry majors. The aim of the instruction is not to teach the search language, b u t rath er to acquaint the stu d en t with the concept of database searching and th e con­ struction of search concept tables. E arlier in the course the students have used the p rin ted Chem­ ical A bstracts as well as its Index Guide and the standard chem istry reference works to com plete a graded assignment. Instruction begins in the classroom with an in­ tr o d u c tio n to s e a rc h in g D ia lo g ’s CA S e a rch databases. Its stru c tu re is com pared to th at of C hem ical A b s tra c ts an d th e c o n stru c tio n o f a se a rc h s tr a te g y u s in g th e B o o lean lo g ical operators is explained. Each stu d e n t receives a h a n d o u t d e s c r ib in g th e d a ta b a s e an d se a rc h strategy with a n u m b er of examples. At the end of the introduction each student is given a list of search topics from which one m ust be chosen to construct a search strategy which will be run in the Dialog O ntap CA Search practice database. (Good sample topics can be found as problem s and examples in CA Search fo r Beginners: A n In ­ troduction to On-line Access to CA Search via the Lockheed Dialog Inform ation Retrieval Service, C olum bus, Ohio: C hem ical A bstracts Service, 1980.) In the next few days, the students m eet indi­ vidually with the instructor to discuss th e p ro ­ posed search strategy. Changes are suggested if it appears that the search will not work at all; how­ ever, at this tim e m inor faults are overlooked so that they can be worked out interactively at the term inal by the student with the help of the li­ brarian. Each stu d e n t th e n makes an a p p o in t­ m ent with a librarian at a date when both have enough tim e to run the search and discuss the re ­ sults. The students frequently make appointm ents in groups of th ree or four in order to observe and compare each other’s work. If the search fails, the stu d e n t can change it u n til it does work. The se a rc h e r may also su g g est changes. A fter th e search is com pleted the student submits the final search strategy and the resulting printout to the i n s tr u c to r to b e g ra d e d on a sa tis fa c to ry / unsatisfactory basis. Instruction in database searching continues in the second term in Physical Chem istry 322 (not required of majors). Students in this course m ust write a term paper on topics chosen by the in­ structor after a scanning of c u rre n t professional journals, like the Journal o f the American Chemi­ cal Society and the Journal o f Physical Chemis­ try, which are available in the Library. This is done to keep the n eed for interlibrary loan at a minimum. Each stud en t m ust construct a search strategy for literature in Dialog’s CA Search files which cover the last two years. The references r e tr ie v e d w ill form th e b ib lio g ra p h y for th e 54 paper. As in the first term, the student makes an appointment to run the search with the librarian who, after reviewing the strategy with the stu­ dent, initially acts as typist. Again, the student may make any changes until the strategy works. If the search fails, the librarian can offer sugges­ tions to improve the results; on the other hand, th e s tu d e n t may also be ad v ised to c o n su lt additional reference tools or m eet with the in­ structor for more general assistance. We have found that most students after com­ pleting a search usually take advantage of the time remaining in their appointments with the li­ brarian to inquire how they can obtain all of the materials listed in their printouts. We all gener­ ally agree that this moment is most appropriate for an orientation to the reference collection and an introduction to important library resources and services which may be new to the student. In many cases this introduction includes searching the OCLC online union catalog at the public ac­ cess terminal and the LCS online catalog of the University of Illinois and 16 cooperating libraries, as well as the myriad bibliographic verification tools. One technique that we have found useful is showing the student the list of the departm ent s journal subscriptions and evaluation tools such as Bill Katz’s Magazines fo r College Libraries. Then we suggest a limitation on any search which iden­ tifies a large num ber of titles which can be found in our library—plus two or three other standard titles which are available within the region (Jour­ nal o f Chemical Thermodynamics‚ Journal o f Col­ lo id a nd In te r fa c e S cience, and T h eo retica Chimica Acta, say, for physical chemistry). This quite properly focuses the student’s attention on our own resources, while at the same time mak­ ing it possible to initiate intelligent interlibrary loan requests. More basic instruction, however, has occasion­ ally been required, starting with an explanation of the card catalog and periodical files and how to use them to locate materials in the library. Re­ gardless of a student’s specific need, using online searching instead of the printed abstracts to in­ tro d u c e bib lio g rap h ic search in g m ethods has given us the opportunity to deal effectively with each student on an individual basis from the p re­ liminary research to final touches. We consider the total cost of online searching in the two courses slight when compared to the instructional results. Searching in Dialog’s Ontap CA Search (at $15/connect hour) for the first term of 1980/81 cost $80 for 24 searches. A particularly bad strategy was allowed to run up a high bill of $15; the average search cost under $3.50, how­ ever. Searching CA Search (at $70/connect hour) in the second term cost $321 for 37 searches; the average search cost about $8.50. This included a num ber of expensive searches, the highest being $33. Because of the importance of time for re ­ search in a 10-week term and the instructional value of being able to explain each reference as it appeared, all references w ere p rin te d online. Had we opted for offline printing, costs could have been reduced considerably. We have concluded that the benefits to stu­ d e n ts of this in stru c tio n in o n lin e lite r a tu r e searching are at least three: 1) each student re ­ ceives more timely and meaningful exposure to chemical bibliography than previously was possi­ ble with the printed Chemical Abstracts; 2) each receives an introduction to the library’s resources and services specifically related to im m ediate needs; and 3) each is exposed to the librarian and the library in a favorable situation allowing the li­ brarian to be identified both as a resource and as an individual personally concerned with the stu­ dent’s success in the library. In this last benefit we have found the greatest satisfaction.—James Bracken, John Calhoun, and Robert Kooser. Editor s Note: James Bracken is readers services librarian, John Calhoun is technical services li­ brarian, and Robert Kooser is associate profes­ sor o f chemistry at Knox College, Galesburg, Illi­ nois. ■■ 55 STILL AVAILABLE EXCELLENT RECORDINGS OF ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES 1981 National Conference Now, through the medium of MINUTE-TAPES, you can have a front ro center seat for many of these presentations and share the excitement those people who were in attendance. Our company was officially autho ized to make recordings on cassettes and we offer you excellent soun quality. 30 DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE — YOU MUST BE SATISFIE WITH THE QUALITY OF ALL MINUTE-TAPES! U.S. Residents: Please add $3.50 for postage/handling fee to the tot amount of your order. Foreign Residents: Please inquire as to the prop amount of this fee to be added. 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Gauri. □ (7) O C C U P A T IO N A L C H A R A C T E R IS T IC S O F U N IV E R ­ S IT Y L IB R A R IA N S H IP : A S T U D Y O F T H E V A L U E S , B E H A V IO R S T Y L E S AN D W O R K P R E F E R E N C E S O F U N IV E R S IT Y C A T A L O G & R E F E R E N C E L IB R A R IA N S , Suzanne O. Frankie; E D U C A T IO N A L R E Q U IR E M E N T S FOR A C A D E M IC L IB R A R IA N S IN N O N -D IR E C T O R P O ­ S IT IO N S , John N. Olsgaard and Jane Kinch Olsgaard. □ (8) C O P Y R IG H T AN D T H E USE O F N O N P R IN T M ED IA IN A C A D E M IC LIB R A R IE S , David B. W alch; T H E T A X REFO RM A C T O F 1969: ITS IM P A C T ON G IF T S T O L IB R A R IE S , Norman E. Tanis. □ (9) O F M APS AN D C H A R T S A N D L IB R A R IE S : C A R T O ­ G R A P H IC M A T E R IA L S IN T H E 80’s, Jean M. Ray; D E V E L O P IN G T H E A C A D E M IC L IB R A R Y M AP C O L L E C ­ T IO N , Charles A . 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Panofsky; R E T R O S P E C T IV E IN D E X IN G : T O M B ­ S T O N E OR T O U C H S T O N E … T O W A R D C O M P U T E R - A S S IS T E D B IB L IO G R A P H IC C O N T R O L O F T H E P A S T, Louis C. W illard. □ (23) T H E R O LE O F F A C U L T Y P A R T IC IP A T IO N IN A W E E D IN G PR O G R AM B A S E D UPO N C O L L E C T IO N U SE D A T A , Linda M. O lson; IN C R E A S IN G T H E E F F E C T IV E ­ NESS O F A U N IV E R S IT Y L IB R A R Y : E V A L U A T IO N O F AN A D D E D C O P Y P R O JE C T , Elliot S. Palais. □ (24) A C O M P A R IS O N O F P A T R O N S U C C E S S IN AN O N L IN E C A T A L O G AN D A L A R G E UN IO N C A R D C A T A L O G , Sue Pease and Mary Gouke; M A N K A TO S T A T E U N IV E R S IT Y ’S O N L IN E C A T A L O G : T H E B E­ G IN N IN G O F T H E M IN N E S O T A S T A T E U N IV E R S IT Y S Y S T E M ’S L IB R A R Y A U T O M A T IO N , Barbara N. Moore. □ (25) F U L L -T IM E T H IN K IN G A B O U T P A R T -T IM E S T U ­ D ENTS, Marilyn Lutzker; IN F O R M A T IO N PRO BLEM S O L V IN G : A D E V E L O P M E N T A L A P P R O A C H T O L I­ B R A R Y IN S T R U C T IO N , Constance A. Mellon. □ (26) M A R K E TIN G A C A D E M IC L IB R A R Y S E R V IC E S , Patricia Senn Breivik; U N IV E R S IT Y R E S E A R C H AN D A C A D E M IC L IB R A R IE S , Martha J. Bailey. □ (27) P LA N N IN G FO R S M A LL C O L L E G E L IB R A R IE S : T H E USE O F G O A L S AN D O B J E C T IV E S , G eorge C. Newman; T H E USE AN D E F F E C T IV E N E S S O F T H E 1975 ‘S T A N D A R D S FO R C O L L E G E L IB R A R IE S ’ : A S U R V E Y O F C O L L E G E L IB R A R Y D IR E C T O R S , Larry Hardesty and Stella Bentley. □ (28) T H E E F F IC A C Y O F IN T E R L IB R A R Y L O A N : A S T U D Y O F R E S P O N S E TIM E FOR ILL R E Q U E S T S S U B M IT T E D B Y M AIL, T W X AN D AN A U T O M A T E D S Y S T E M , S hirley K. Baker; N E TW O R K D ESIG N PRIN ­ C IP L E S FOR A N A T IO N A L P E R IO D IC A L S YS TEM , Robert W. Burns, Jr.