Mail surveys designed to determine the current status of end user online searching were sent to three populations: 473 faculty members in 12 departments at 20 universities, online search coordinators in 89 academic libraries, and 15 library school educators. Direct interviews with 10 university faculty members were also conducted. Faculty were surveyed with respect to access to computing resources, familiarity with online searching, and information sources supporting teaching and research needs. Online coordinators were surveyed to identify existing and proposed library-based programs for educating end users. Library science faculty were asked to assess the impact of end user searching on libraries and library school curricula. Direct interviews with faculty who were occasional online users dealt with an evaluation of online searching as an information support for teaching and research. Faculty results indicated a high level of familiarity with online searching but only a moderate level of end user searching. Low level of searching was attributed to lack of computing resources, familiarity with only limited systems, lack of funding, and lack of perceived need. The survey of online coordinators identified several existing or proposed library programs for educating users. The overall reaction of library educators was that library schools are attempting to prepare future librarians to work with a computer-literate end-user population interested in acquiring information directly. All of the faculty members interviewed endorsed the concept of end user searching, but most professed reluctance to do their own searching. It was concluded that a vacuum still exists between the potentially useful resources of academic libraries and the information needs of potential user groups. (Author/THC)