TY  - JOUR
AB  - Purpose– Looks at the pathfinder approach to library instruction, which was developed in the 1960s by Patricia Knapp. Knapp's system focused, not on the simple provision of answers to questions, but on the teaching of the effective use of the library and its resources– in other words, on the finding of one's “way” in the library.Design/methodology/approach– A traditional theoretical model for the creation and evaluation of pathfinders (subject research guides) can be identified through study of the literature. This model, expressed in the design criteria of consistency, selectivity, transparency and accessibility, sprang from an impulse to serve the inexperienced user by emulating or facilitating the user's search process.Findings– A gap in this model can be detected, in the form of a missing multi‐dimensional picture of the user and the user's experience of the information service via the pathfinder. In an attempt to fill the gap, literature examining information behavior, the search process, the design of user‐centered services, and the information retrieval interaction is discussed.Originality/value– An experience‐centered model for online research guide design and evaluation is derived from the findings.
VL  - 33
IS  - 1
SN  - 0090-7324
DO  - 10.1108/00907320510581397
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/00907320510581397
AU  - Hemmig William
ED  - Jean P. Shipman
ED  - Sarah Barbara Watstein
PY  - 2005
Y1  - 2005/01/01
TI  - Online pathfinders: Toward an experience‐centered model
T2  - Reference Services Review
PB  - Emerald Group Publishing Limited
SP  - 66
EP  - 87
Y2  - 2024/06/04
ER  -