Applications of CD-ROM technology for reference purposes: A survey of secondary school library media specialists in Pennsylvania and Maine

CD-ROM's entry into the secondary school library media center has been referred to as the silent revolution. CD-ROM is a 4.75 inch laser disk capable of holding 250,000 pages of information or 550 megabytes which translates into thirty 20 megabyte hard disk drives, 2,000 high resolution pictures, or 74 minutes of high fidelity sound in any combination. Information on a compact disk is in digital form and can be read and printed directly from the optical disk to the computer and its printer.;CD-ROM databases are rapidly appearing in traditionally print-oriented school library media centers requiring school library media specialists to reevaluate practices of information retrieval. There is no empirical research on the applications of CD-ROM as a reference tool within the environment of secondary school library media centers.;There is a knowledge void on how the introduction of CD-ROM based data alters reference services in secondary school library media centers. This study has implications for (a) the physical layout of the school library media center, (b) services that are provided by trained staff and (c) services that the library user can conduct on their own.;The purpose of this dissertation research is to establish a baseline of data relating to the use of CD-ROM databases for reference purposes in secondary school library media centers. This use will be examined with respect to the knowledge, experience, and attitudes of school library media specialists as well as selected demographic and financial data.;The information from this study will allow school library media specialists and administrators contemplating the use of CD-ROM technology: (a) to learn from the experiences of others; (b) to identify the most widely used CD-ROM laser disks; (c) to examine the implications of budget, and staffing on CD-ROM use; (d) to compare patterns of use within the curriculum; (e) to compare services offered by trained staff; (f) to provide data on security issues and (g) to compare methods of evaluation.