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The purpose of this paper is to investigate the trained and untrained users’ mental models compatibility with search module icons in three Iranian digital library applications, namely, Nika, Azarakhsh, and Simorgh.

The population of this survey consisted of two groups including trained and untrained users. The trained user group consisted of 174 samples, all of which were included in the study due to scarcity of the samples. The untrained user group consisted of 8,210 samples, from which 267 cases were selected through stratified sampling.

Results showed that the trained users’ mental models were more compatible with the search module icons than those of the untrained users. The comparison of three software applications showed that the mental models of trained and untrained users had the highest compatibility with the search icons of Azarakhsh and the lowest compatibility with those of Nika. Concerning the untrained users’ status in terms of their fields of study, results showed that users majoring technical and engineering field and those in agriculture had, respectively, the highest and lowest mental models compatibility with the icons embedded in the user interface of the studied applications.

Since the mental models may be incomplete or inaccurate, the study of the trained and untrained users’ mental models compatibility with the search module icons of user interface embedded in various library applications may help in assessing the software’ status and the designers’ level of success in conveying the content. This also may assist information literacy specialists to estimate the required amount of training for trained and untrained users.

The study set out to determine: (1) what were the searching characteristics of end users in a non‐academic environment and explain this in the light of their information needs; (2) whether these characteristics were those that were ascribed to end users in the professional literature; (3) whether they differed materially from those of information professionals working in the same fields. Searching characteristics were interpreted in their widest sense to include: command utilisation/knowledge; search success and satisfaction; volume of searching; searching style/ approach; duration of searches; file selection; willingness to delegate and levels of training. These issues were explored in relation to two practitioner groups — journalists from The Guardian newspaper, and politicians from The House of Commons. Comparative data were also sought from information professionals in these two organisations. A mixture of social and statistical methods was used to monitor end‐user and professional searching, though transactional log analysis was strongly featured. Altogether the searching behaviour of 170 end users was evaluated in the light of the searching behaviour of seventy librarians. The principal findings were that: in some respects end users did conform to the picture that information professionals have of them: they did search with a limited range of commands; more of their searches produced no results, and search statements were simply constructed. But in other respects they confounded their image — they could be very quick and economical searchers, and they did not display metres of print‐out. However, there were variations between individual end users, and it was often possible to find an end‐user group that matched an information professional group on one aspect of online searching or another. The online behaviour of end users was very much related to their general information seeking behaviour; and to the fact that they were not trained.

Recently, several versions of Medline on CD‐ROM have become available — Bibliomed, BRS, Compact Cambridge, Dialog, Ebsco and SilverPlalter. They have been tested by the Biomedical Working Group of VOGIN (the Dutch Association of Users of Online Information Systems). An extensive list of items that have been tested is presented.

EasyNet is an American‐based, menu‐driven information retrieval system which links untrained users to over 800 databases from nearly twenty online service vendors. The system has recently become available in Europe. Following a discussion of the confusion surrounding such gateway and front end systems, the EasyNet system is briefly explained and the methodology of a trial set up in Denmark during June 1986 to test EasyNet is described. The results of the test and an evaluation of end‐users' comments on EasyNet are discussed in terms of user‐friendliness, user satisfaction, user problems and value for money aspects. A number of general observations are also made.

In this paper we present a corporate information system for untrained users to search gigabytes of unformatted data using quasi‐natural language and relevance feedback queries. The data can reside on distributed servers anywhere on a wide area network, giving the users access to personal, corporate, and published information from a single interface. Effective queries can be turned into profiles, allowing the system to automatically alert the user when new data are available. The system was tested by twenty executive users located in six cities. Our primary goal in building the system was to determine if the technology and infrastructure existed to make end‐user searching of unstructured information profitable. We found that effective search and user interface technologies for end‐users are available, but network technologies are still a limiting cost factor. As a result of the experiment, we are continuing the development of the system. This article will describe the overall system architecture, the implemented subset, and the lessons learned.

Collection, selection, analysis and dissemination of technical and commercial information are the basic functions of an information centre in a typical corporate scientific establishment. Information is sourced internally and from a variety of commercial information vendors world‐wide. The development of a prototype computer‐based system is described which provides these facilities to users on a distributed computer network. Although designed for scientists, the concept could be equally well applied throughout industry and commerce. The information management environment facilitates access to a wide range of bibliographic and textual databases, offers automated document ordering and provides comprehensive facilities for interactive handling of document surrogates. It preserves the investment made in data collection by promoting information sharing and re‐use via interpersonal transfer and personal database preparation.

A theoretical approach, describing the factors which may affect the service quality related to communication through intelligent interfaces. Considers service quality in general and points out quality factors and requirements in relation to the information search process with respect to the formulation of information need. Quality is judged by the user according to the agreement between his or her expectations and experience in the actual search situation, but influenced by: interactive service quality, physical quality, institutional quality and factors related to cognitive authority and technical user‐friendliness.

The purpose of this paper was to determine factors that could be used to create different authentication requirements for diverse online banking customers based on their risk profile. Online security remains a challenge to ensure safe transacting on the Internet. User authentication, a human-centric process, is regarded as the basis of computer security and hence secure access to online banking services. The increased use of technology to enforce additional actions has the ability to improve the quality of authentication and hence online security, but often at the expense of usability. The objective of this study was to determine factors that could be used to create different authentication requirements for diverse online banking customers based on their risk profile.

A web-based survey was designed to determine online consumers’ competence resecure online behaviour, and this was used to quantify the online behaviour as more or less secure. The browsers used by consumers as well as their demographical data were correlated with the security profile of respondents to test for any significant variance in practice that could inform differentiated authentication.

A statistical difference between behaviours based on some of the dependant variables was evident from the analysis. Based on the results, a case could be made to have different authentication methods for online banking customers based on both their browser selected (before individual identification) as well as demographical data (after identification) to ensure a safer online environment.

The research can be used by the financial services sector to improve online security, where required, without necessarily reducing usability for more “security inclined” customers.

CD‐ROM is an increasingly successful consumer product. The market is at present going through an experimental period with new openings being sought for specialised products, particularly in the business and financial sectors. The development of CD‐ROM products will undoubtedly be market led, becoming integrated into an end user's working environment rather than being set aside as a separate resource. Consideration of how to train end users to perform successful searches on CD‐ROM databases will become increasingly important as the market for such products grows.

Research in the area of human‐computer interfaces offers guidance for enhancing online catalogs to satisfy patrons' information needs in a “user‐friendly” environment. This article briefly describes human‐computer interfaces and the fundamentals of good human‐computer communication. These concepts are then used as the criteria for evaluating the benefits and shortcomings of San Diego State University Library's INNOPAC, the PAC. In the final analysis, the PAC is not perfect—no system is. It has, however, made strides to overcome some of the failings of second‐generation online public access catalogs.