These guidelines are intended to provide realistic and practical guidance about the options available to teachers and planners of education and training programs wholly or partly concerned with online information retrieval, particularly those in academic departments of library and information studies. Seven sections address: (1) the aims and scope of the guidelines; (2) possible reasons for teaching online information retrieval in both professional library and information studies education and user education; (3) the place of online information retrieval topics in the curriculum; (4) online information retrieval topics, including online services, databanks, full-text services, videotex, other electronic publishing, artificial intelligence and expert systems, in-house database development, marketing online services, online cataloging services and catalogs, policy and economic aspects, international issues and local problems, user education, and online information services as sources of information; (5) sample teaching programs for user education, continuing professional education, and basic professional education; (6) facilities for teaching online information retrieval; and (7) practical aspects of course planning and administration, including making teaching aids, planning practical sessions, setting up an online service for teaching, budget and administration, teaching methods, visits and visiting speakers, field work, and evaluation. Five appendixes include lists of English language journals, selected English language readings, and acronyms and abbreviations; resources for teaching information retrieval; and a glossary of terms used. (18 references) (CGD)