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Designing Effective Instructional Brochures for Online Catalogs
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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/1248
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| File | Description | Format |
|---|---|---|
Arends.pdf
(560KB)
|
| Title: | Designing Effective Instructional Brochures for Online Catalogs |
| Author(s): | Arends, Mark |
| Subject(s): |
Libraries --Automation
Library personnel management Online library catalogs Library catalogs and users |
| Abstract: | Computerized catalogs are becoming a standard feature in libraries today. The question of how extensively computers will, should, or can economically be used will not be answered for a long time, however. Currently online catalogs, material management, billing, interlibrary loans, and, in some places, electronic information services are being installed across the country and, as with all new systems, computerization is creating some problems for users particularly in how to use the computer to locate materials. The immediate solution to this problem is to provide printed instructional materials for the user. I have looked at a good sampling of instructional folders for using library computer systems. By and large the content is good and the systems they describe are user friendly. However, there is a common problem with the visual presentation and readability of the information. I would like to show some examples, discuss where problems occur, and then suggest some guidelines for producing more effective literature. Probably the best solution to the problem of user instruction is to have the computer do the work by displaying step-by-step instructions along with a menu on a touch-sensitive screen. This will not eliminate the need for printed instructions but those that are needed will not be so vital to the system and, therefore, the design demands will be less critical. |
| Issue Date: | 1985 |
| Publisher: | Graduate School of Library and Information Science. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. |
| Citation Info: | In D. Shaw, ed. 1985. Human aspects of library automation : helping staff and patrons cope: Papers presented at the 1985 Clinic on Library Applications of Data Processing. Urbana, Il: Graduate School of Library and Information Science: 108-116 |
| Series/Report: | Clinic on Library Applications of Data Processing (22nd : 1985) |
| Genre: | Conference Paper / Presentation |
| Type: | Text |
| Language: | English |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/2142/1248 |
| ISBN: | 0-87845-072-6 |
| ISSN: | 0069-4789 |
| Publication Status: | published or submitted for publication |
| Rights Information: | Copyright owned by Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 1985. |
| Date Available in IDEALS: | 2007-07-10 |
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1985: Human aspects of library automation : helping staff and patrons cope
22nd Clinic on Library Applications of Data Processing (1985). Edited by Debora Shaw.
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