title: User attitudes toward end-user literature searching.
abstract: A survey to determine attitudes toward end-user searching was made at Loyola University's Medical Center Library using MEDIS, an online full-text and bibliographic medical retrieval system. One hundred forty-one completed questionnaires were analyzed for this report. Information was collected on user familiarity with computers, end-user training, system use, mechanics of searching, and attitudes toward future use. Computer familiarity was highest among the faculty users. Ninety percent of the respondents saw librarians as a crucial agent in training and in providing end-user assistance. Respondents identified five major reasons for using the system: helpfulness, convenience, time savings, rapid feedback, and presentation of needed information. Searching the MEDLINE database rather than the full-text database was the search method of choice. Continued use of both mediated and end-user searching was intended by most of the respondents. Survey results support a perceived need for end-user searching and confirmed recommendations of the Association of American Medical Colleges on medical information science skills.
authors.affiliation: Medical Center Library, Loyola University of Chicago, Maywood, Illinois 60153.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ludwig
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Mixter
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Emanuele
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001292:Attitude to Computers; D003200:Computer User Training; D006281:Health Occupations; D006801:Humans; D008523:MEDLARS; D009862:Online Systems / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States