Here are a few of the fruits of my labors as a grad student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Z39.50 Information Retrieval Protocol: Do You Really Get What You Ask For?
Originally, the standard was conceived as a means by which a user could reference more than one bibliographic database, such as the Library of Congress, or OCLC. If the original intention for the creation of Z39.50 is used as a ruler, then the explosion of online gateways to various databases found on the Internet today can measure the success of its implementation. However, do end-users really benefit from the standards as they are utilized?Where the Grass is Always Greener: An Analysis of the Biotechnology Industry
An annotated bibliography and industry analysis of the Biotechnology Industry as of the Spring of 2003.Subject Searching: A Literature Review
A review of books and articles chosen from the perspective of increasing reference librarians' understanding of how information is organized from a cataloging perspective may also help them retrieve that information more quickly and efficiently. This review examines the principles of subject retrieval, system design issues, and information seeking behaviors.Remote Sensing: A Bibliography
The materials found in this bibliography represents both a solid introduction to remote sensing and the means by which users may find more information if they choose to use these resources as a starting point.Online Searching for Students: A Pathfinder:
Even experienced users of the Web find it difficult to sort through the thousands of pages of useless information a simple search for any item can produce. The good news is that there are ways to narrow and direct an Internet search using guides and techniques which professionals in the field have refined. The purpose of this pathfinder is to provide a list of resources which any beginning user of the Internet will find helpful in composing a search request. Students especially need to learn how to perform effective searches, therefore the materials included in this pathfinder will contain as much academic context as possible.Digital Libraries: The Challenges Presented in Fully Implementing Their Use:
The question as to why there has not been a more complete diffusion of the functions of libraries to the Internet may be partially answered by examining a number of factors as they apply to Rogers’ theory of diffusion of innovations.A Comparison of Online Resources in Legal Resarch:
A brief evaluation of several portals and databases relating to legal research.Playing the Game by the Rules:
An assessment of how the playing processes of children influence the effectiveness of several CD-ROM games.Evaluation of Websites for Children:
An evaluation of the websites published by Nick Jr., The Disney Channel, and PBS Kids!