Teaching end users the CD Plus MEDLINE menu mode in thirty minutes.

Abstract

Guidance through the CD Plus menu mode is warranted and has proved worthwhile. The Stowe Library's Information Services Department offers instruction once per week; the session usually lasts thirty minutes but may run longer if the attendees are particularly astute or enthusiastic. Individuals or classes may also request instruction at times that are better suited to their schedules. Librarians who search CD Plus on a daily basis will undoubtedly become facile with the direct searching mode. New end users will probably enjoy more success by using the menu mode. The menu mode does not provide documentation; therefore, a modified text of this article including the illustrations might be considered an adequate print manual for the menus. However, many of the system capabilities cannot be used unless they are taught by an experienced operator. Such a basic but necessary introduction requires approximately one-half hour. The pace will be brisk, and time for extraneous experimentation is unlikely. A successful instruction session is a result of preparation rather than improvisation. If the specific interests of the clientele in attendance are known in advance, a reworking of the examples would be appropriate. Although no formal evaluation of this instruction technique has been made, most attendees express an appreciation and understanding of the system's capabilities by the end of the session. Tangible feedback comes from seeing an end user who had participated in instruction return to the workstation on an ongoing basis to search the database successfully.