Children's searching behavior on browsing and keyword online catalogs: The science library catalog project

In order to improve public school education in high technology areas through computer-based science programs and link libraries and classrooms on the information superhighway, education professionals need to understand more about children's information-seeking abilities. Children have a natural tendency to explore, and discovery learning approaches build on children's exploratory behavior. It follows that information retrieval systems for children similarly should encourage exploration, and should minimize the barriers of current systems. Studies of children's use of online catalogues and other types of automated information retrieval systems indicate that they are able to use such systems, but with varying degrees of difficulty due to system requirements for skills in typing, spelling, vocabulary, alphabetizing, and Boolean logic. The ideal information retrieval system for children may combine the browsing features of the Science Library Catalog with keyboard capabilities that do not require children to be adept at these skills.