ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries July/August 1991 / 449 CD-ROM and user education by D ieter Schm idm aier Director-general Deutsche Staatsbibliothek, Berlin Translated by H annelore R ader Director o f Libraries Cleveland State University Remarks made to the 13th International Essen Symposium, Uniυersitäsbibliothek Essen. E ditor's note: While traveling in Germany, former C&RL News editor George Eber- hart met Dieter Schmidmaier, director-general o f the Deutsche Staatsbibliothek, Berlin. Mr. Eber- hart invited him to share his impressions o f western libraries with C&RL News readers. What follows is a summary o f his remarks to the Universitatsbibio- thek Essen, the 13th International Essen Sympo­ sium, held in October 1990, translated by former ACRL president Hannelore Rader. Foreword More than 300 years ago, early in the study year 1648 at the University o f Helmstedt, the librarian Melchour Schid held a lecture entitled “bibliothe- caria peritia” for students. This lecture founded an educational subject known in Germany as “ Nutzer­ schulung” or “ Benutzerschulung,” or user educa­ tion. The need for user education The focus o f this report is user education for C D - ROM resources. Many articles concerning the use o f C D -R O M in libraries conclude that in order to make the best use o f C D -R O M , user education will be necessary. For example, a survey o f students at Oakland University’s Kresge Library found that: 60% were satisfied with their C D -R O M search results; 62% found that their C D -R O M search pro­ duced useful references; 36% found C D -R O M dif­ ficult to use; 83% felt that using C D -R O M saved time.1 These findings make it clear that there must be a program o f user education for C D -R O M . A user education program should have the following goals: • familiarize users with C D -RO M systems; • help users utilize C D -R O M in an effective and efficient way; • help users understand the rationale behind selecting print, online, or C D -R O M versions o f information sources for any particular search; • assist users in coping with an abundance o f information; • increase and intensify users’ knowledge o f library use; • prepare users for the work place, where they will often find m odem technology, especially in business, the sciences, and other technical disci­ plines. Training library staff Before implementing C D -R O M , reference li­ brarians will need to assess the needs o f the end users o f C D -R O M and establish training programs for reference staff. The librarians who conducted the Oakland University survey found that a needs 450 / C &RL News assesment is necessary because: librarians need to know effective methods for teaching users how to use CD -R O M ; knowing how users search will help librarians decide which C D -R O M systems to o b ­ tain for the library; the more the librarian knows about the C D -R O M searching habits the more the librarian will know about users’ information needs.2 In any training course it will be necessary to teach basic skills to all new C D -R O M users, but staff in particular will need hardware and software skills. For example, they will need to know how to change compact discs, locations o f on /off switches on all equipment, how to add paper and clear jammed printers, and basic knowledge o f the computer keyboard. They will also need to know how to enter and exit programs, basic search strategies and use o f logical operators, field specific searching, how to download, and the procedures for training new users. Training library users The following general comments can be made based on reading numerous publications concern­ ing C D -R O M user education: • frequent use o f C D -R O M systems leads t better use, and some training is better than no training; o • C D -R O M allows for demonstrations o f elec­ tronic databases without online costs, permits a comparison o f different software for searching, and enables demonstration searching in classrooms lacking phone lines and telecommunications capa­ bilities; • C D -R O M user education encompasses dif­ ferent kinds o f user education programs, but must also take into account the experiences o f users with other information sources, information technol­ ogy, and libraries in general; • users prefer personal, on-demand instruc­ tion for C D -R O M systems to written instructions or group lectures; • the most common training method is the group lecture with demonstration searching, fol­ lowed by hands-on experience; • self-instruction programs such as computer- assisted instruction, user guides, and manuals sup­ plement group lectures and on-demand instruc­ tion. C D -R O M user education is a new form o f biblio­ graphic instruction and is most necessary when C D -R O M is first introduced into a library. ■ ■ 1K. Schultz and K. Salomon, “ End users respond to C D -R O M ,” Library Journal (February 1990): 56. 2Schultz, 56. PUB by L Ge I or C ge M A . E T berh I a O rt NS • African Music: A Bibliographical Guid to the Traditional, Popular, Art, and Liturgical Musics o f Sub-Saharan Africa, by John Gray (499 pages, March 1991), covers works from 1732 to the present and offers a comprehensive resource for students and scholars seeking to understand the increasingly popular musics o f Africa. The bibliog­ raphy is divided into six sections: works on cultural policy and the performing arts; ethnomusicology; village or rural music; country or regional studies o f African pop music and biographical and critical studies o f 275 popular musicians and groups; accul- turated or art music traditions; and African church music. Three appendices cover reference works on e African culture, archives and research centers, and a selected discography. Four indexes— ethnic group, subject, artist, and author— complete the work and provide a key to its 5,800 entries. A copy may be ordered for $55.00 from Greenwood Press, 88 Post Road West, Box 5007, Westport, CT 06881. ISBN 0-313-27769-9. • American Capitols: An Encyclopedia o the State, National and Territorial Capital Edifices o f the United States, by Eldon Hauck (310 pages, July 1991), describes the genesis, con­ struction, and use o f the 56 capital buildings. The author provides a history o f their construction and funding, detailed facts about the architects, notes f