Development of Web-based tutorials for online databases

The explosion of electronic resources available in academic libraries is causing librarians to reflect on and evaluate the ways in which instruction in the use of these resources is provided. Remote access to electronic resources allows users to utilize these resources without physically coming to the library. While this is a great convenience, remote access leaves users on their own, without the benefit of a librarian's assistance or printed instructions. These remote users may be accessing resources from elsewhere on campus, and may come to the library if their need for assistance is great enough. Many who might benefit from instruction are reluctant to admit their need for assistance. Increasingly, however, these remote users may be far from the campus, as evidenced by the growth of distance education programs, and new methods of providing instruction to serve these needs are required. This project explores one possible solution to this need for new forms of bibliographic instruction: interactive Web-based tutorials, accessible to anyone via the Internet.