‘six have one terminal, twelve have

‘six have one terminal, twelve have between 2 and 4 and only 4 libraries have more than 4 terminals.’ Wood concluded that ‘online services in Australian University and Institute of Technology Libraries are still fairly much in the developmental phase – particularly in relation to use , promotion and evaluation.’ Promotion of online information services is 1 of the effects achieved by orientation and education in computerized information retrieval. This is an area of library user education, where rapid expansion is to be expected during the next few years. Development of end user instruction for searching the computer library catalogues such as ABN – Australian Bibliographic Network and public online access catalogues, can also be expected.
Many of the existing reader education programmes are based on well formulated goals and objectivies . a wide variety of teaching methods and media are used. Many of the library guides, tape-slide, video programmes and other instructional materials are high standart . interchange of material and promotiaon of co-operationhasbeen facilitated by the development of the USER database at Caulfield Institute of Technology and the regional distribution centres.
Evaluation of reader education practically non-existent in 1974 according to White : “Very little known about the effectiveness of reader education programmes in tertiary institutions in Australia, and results of this survey show that the likehood of useful information becoming available in the near future is remote”.
In 1981 , an increasing number of institutions had begun to evaluate part or the whole of their reader eduvation programmes, but this area still appears to present some difficulties. Only 33 out of 82 perpustakaan with orientation courses replied that they had carried out any form of evaluation and in 20 of these cases this was carried out by means of informal discussion. A greater number of the courses in manual information retrieval had been evaluated (45 out of 76) with 23 by informal discussion. Hanay 4 dri 22 perpustakaan with courses in computerized information retrieval had carried out any form of evaluation. In view of this, the detailed evaluation of reader education programmes being carried out at the Western Australian Institute of technology is of particular interest.
The widespread emphasis on orientation on the use of the library has had the result that a relatively large number of students have been introduced to resources available in an academic library. Many of the orientation programmes are concerned , not only with providing factual information , but also with influencing students attitudes to the library and librarians. At many of the smaller CAEs, all or thr majority of new students took part in library couls be seen at many Australian academic libraries with clearly marked information signs ‘I’, for information ‘ask me’ , ‘ask here’ and so on.
Short courses manual information retrieval are widespread , but there appers to be a need for the development of longer ‘in-depth’ courses, particularly for post graduates students. Ther eis also a need for an increase in reader education in computerixed information retrieval. These , together with increase in evaluation, appear to be the primary needs within reader education in Australia in the immediate future. Development of reader education depends, in turn, upon the availablility of staff and adequate financial resources. It is also of great importance to base reader education on the students ‘needs and integrate library courses into the academic programmes . close co-operation between librarians and academic staff is necessary if this is to succeed.