ERIC Number: ED245701
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1983-Mar
Pages: 11
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Training Information Consumers: Today's Challenge.
Gordon, Dena W.
The revolution in the information environment caused by new technology is making the training of information consumers a major challenge for publishers of business-targeted databases and vendors of online systems. Research conducted by Data Courier in 1981 and 1982 suggests that online searching by information consumers will continue to increase. Surveying the emerging discipline of information consumer training uncovers two clear challenges. First, relatively few online systems and only a handful of database publishers have tried training information consumers to tackle online searching. Second, no two organizations have tried exactly the same thing. Recent information consumer training projects have used (1) in-person training; (2) user manuals; (3) computer-assisted instruction; (4) transparent systems; and (5) simplified systems. The major impact of advanced software technology will be to make the communicating terminal a household concept, and one of the principal tasks for database publishers, timesharing companies, and information specialists will be dealing with the confusion that comes with rapid change. Helping information consumers develop a thorough understanding of online systems is the task of the future. (DMC)
Publication Type: Information Analyses; Opinion Papers; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A