[432] in ad-lib
TRAINING MINE FIELDS
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Suzanne T. Weiner)
Wed Apr 26 10:58:47 1995
To: opac-lib@MIT.EDU
Date: Wed, 26 Apr 1995 10:57:54 EDT
From: "Suzanne T. Weiner" <stweiner@MIT.EDU>
After have the first class yesterday Linda and I as well as the
observers made some observations.
1) We tried to have everyone login and follow along with us, and that
really did not work. Maybe it was because the room is really not set
up for it really well, or the system is too confusing...we don't know.
Anyway next time we are having no one log in. We will go through the
guide and demo up until we discuss the SEW search and have shown them
how to modify the search to hopefully get a numbered series item. We
will then give then a 10-15 minuite practice time. Then resume.
2) You might want to talk about the titles tested business while doing
the demo of the tw= search . A good search to use is tw=circuit--
and Modify by publication date 1994.
3) Remember to modify before selecting the items you want. We tripped
up on this and although it was a little disturbing for a minute we
all, trainer and trainees, felt a sense of accomplishment when we
figured it out.
This was a true baptism of fire, and if I didn't know it before, I
sure as hell know the system now. SO it this sense it was good to have
this group go live with us. BUT this group happened to be very
computer comfortable and thank god Ray S. was there because he was
very helpful in explaining why some things worked in the way they did.
At the begining of our session we said that this is not an intuitive system.
We felt that we had to let people know that sometimes things happen
in this system which seem to defy logic. You get good results so the
logic must be there, we just can't find it easily with our
non-programmer brains. This of course soon became apparent to our
really great group of trainees and so I think they appreciated
the fact that just simply looking the system over is not enough...but
that pratice is necessary in order to become an effective searcher.
SO after all that is said, Linda and I feel we will be more effective
with our new game plan, and will be happy to sit with anyone and go
over some of the examples etc.
Let me know and good luck!!
Yours "in training",
Suzanne
-------------------------
Suzanne T. Weiner
77 Massachusetts Ave. (617)253-9367
10-500
Cambridge, Ma 02139 e-mail: stweiner@mit.edu
