Research notes: Database selection by patrons using CD-ROM

A variety of bibliographic databases on CD-ROM are now available. This study examined the appropriateness (as determined by three in-dependent judges) of database selection by pa-trons, when a choice of databases was provided. It was found that one patron in five used the most appropriate database available, while one patron in five used an entirely inappropriate database. Patrons followed the same search procedure if they were using an appropriate database or not. Experience in searching also had no effect on database selection. Patrons us-ing appropriate or inappropriate databases had similar opinions about their need for training and about how successful their searches were. Academic libraries are increasingly adopting bibliographic databases on CD-ROM. While libraries at one time acquired one system, some libraries are now pur-chasing a number of different CD-ROM systems: Previous research has shown that patrons like to use CD-ROM and be-lieve that they reguire little training to use these databases. 1 To a great extent, these studies of CD-ROM involved surveys of patrons using Info Trac. 2 But little research has been done to date in libraries which of-fer patrons a choice of bibliographic data-bases on CD-ROM. There has been no published study on the appropriateness of the databases selected by patrons when a variety of databases is provided. The pur-pose of this study was to examine the database selection by patrons at the Un-dergraduate Library of the University of il-linois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), and to determine the appropriateness of that database selection in searching specific topics. BACKGROUND Few of the studies of CD-ROM have compared the use of a variety of CD-ROM databases. Jane Kleiner compared the use of Info Trac, Legal Trac and Government Pub-lications Index on CD-ROM.3 In that study, 77 percent of the patrons searched the Info Trac database, although the majority of us-ers realized that other databases were available. Eighty-six percent of those sur-veyed considered that they had retrieve