Teaching online and CD-ROM resources : Lis educators' views and practices

The proliferation of electronic information resources and the intense user interest in searching them have made it essential for librarians to possess the knowledge and skills to access electronic resources. To understand how educators have prepared students to deal with these resources, a survey was conducted of teachers specializing in reference services, advanced reference services, or online retrieval The study, which asked the teachers how they covered online and CD-ROM resources, found that most educators appreciate these resources and favor integrating them into the library and information science curriculum. Electronic resources have been integrated into the basic and advanced reference courses in which educators emphasize the contents of resources rather than searching skills. Online and CD-ROM resources have been covered in depth, the amount of hands-on practice has increased, and educators showed considerable agreement in their coverage of subtopics related to these resources.