Slovak Search Engines

ABSTRACT

This article describes some of the most popular Slovak search engines, discusses their merits, and assesses their performance on some sample search queries.     

Report from Buenos Aires: The IFLA 2004 Conference

ABSTRACT

The 70th World Library and Information Congress, popularly known as the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) Conference, was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from 22–27 August 2004. This report provides an overview of the conference.     

An evaluation study of the navigation and search systems on two academic websites and Google

Organizing information on a Website is vital to retrieve information from Websites and the Internet. This study investigates the establishing of navigation and search systems needed to organize information on academic Websites, and addresses key questions in relation to information access and to the use of these systems. This is achieved through the evaluation of two Websites (Dhofar in Oman and Monash in Australia) and their comparison with Google, using standard criteria identified in the literature. The outcomes will support designers of academic Websites and will support students in accessing and retrieving information. The main findings of this research is that Google and Monash University Websites have established search and navigation systems that support Website accessibility, which enhance site usability while Dhofar University Website uses navigation systems only because of content reasons.     

Instructional Support for an Online Catalog

No abstract available for this article.     

Managing an Academic Reference Department

Abstract

To be an effective academic head of reference in the 21st century will require many of the same characteristics and skills necessary in the 20th century. While the traditional ways of providing reference services are changing, the fundamental need to provide access to information remains, and effective utilization of staff and other resources is paramount. Balancing the increasing pressures from shrinking budgets, growing costs, proliferation of expensive electronic resources, and high expectations from faculty and students creates a greater need for strong management expertise. The head of reference must be both an exceptional manager and an exceptional librarian.     

Accessing the Old and the New

Summary

The University of Arizona Library's tradition of outreach to the surrounding community is reflected in two examples of projects detailed here. The first project is a series of Web exhibits created by librarians and individuals from the community that explore the history of Tucson and southern Arizona. Some of the Web exhibits detail the experiences of immigrant and Native American cultures in the area while other Web exhibits deal more generally with the history of the area. The second project involves a Federal grant that will make certain parts of library's Special Collections more accessible to the community by building new facilities that are open longer hours, digitizing some of the materials and adding computer workstations for users.     

“Contact Us”: Archivists and Remote Users in the Digital Age

SUMMARY

Archive repository web pages have become more sophisticated in the past several years, and information about repository holdings is often readily available online. However, so long as full archival records are not available electronically, archivists will have to contend with the increase in reference requests from remote users. The author surveyed one hundred university archives web pages to examine the current availability of archival records on the Web and to explore the possible effects of this presence on archivists' efforts to provide remote users with access to repository holdings through “ask an archivist” forms, electronic mail, and other modes of communication.     

The Impact of the Internet

Summary

The Internet has brought great changes to reference services in academic libraries. One significant impact has been the growth and evolution of the reference librarian's role as teacher. This article reviews the literature on the librarian's increased teaching role with the emergence of the Internet, discusses the changing student populations who require a librarian's instruction and the skills that students need to achieve information literacy, and reviews how the Internet has affected current teaching strategies including classroom instruction, Web-based instruction, and efforts to integrate information literacy instruction into the curriculum. In addition, it also introduces emerging Internet technologies with their potential impact on teaching and instruction. The authors conclude that the reference librarian's teaching role will further increase with the development of information technologies.     

Delphi Method in Web Site Selection: Using the Experts

Summary

The development of Web sites is proceeding at an ever-quickening pace. Adult learners can benefit from the wealth of information accessible in both new sites and changing older sites. However, that excitement is tempered by frustration in following blind leads or encountering questionable quality. One approach is to stay abreast of the latest material by attempting to look at and read every new and modified site. However, time is finite, and many of our students have lives filled with conflicting needs. The Delphi method, a sociological research technique first developed in defense research, is used to elicit expert opinion as a short cut to evaluating Web sites. A specific example with business-related sites is presented as a test case in developing and applying the methodology. The use of Delphi, an oracle-based technique, seems quite appropriate as we assist our adult students to allocate their time wisely.     

Reference Librarianship

Abstract

Changes in the practice of Reference Librarianship as well as some practical and philosophical traits for success in this field in the 21st Century are discussed. There are brief summaries of specific elements of technological change that quite likely will have major impacts on library service delivery and some discussion of historical trends that have or have not prepared the field of librarianship to meet the demands of service in the coming decade.