Online tutorials come in many forms and are widely available.  Many people prefer this format for e-learning because it is cost-effective (usually FREE) and convenient; all you need is a computer with an Internet connection, and you can take a tutorial anytime, pause and resume as needed, or repeat it as often as you like.   Online tutorials are great for the self-directed learner or as part of a blended learning program that includes other kinds of classes.

The following list includes some recommended tutorials, listed in alphabetical order by topic:

Ebsco Databases:

CINAHL tutorials from the University of Calgary:  Basic Search, Advanced Search, and how to use CINAHL headings.

Gale Technical And Training Resources - The training materials link on Thomson-Gale's support page (at upper right) provides links to guided tours (self-paced multimedia tutorials) for almost all the InfoTrac databases.

How to Find InfoTrac URL and Password - a quick tutorial designed by MSL staff that show Montana librarians how to find their unique URL and password.

Information Literacy - The Texas Information Literacy Tutorial (TILT) is an interactive tutorial from the University of Texas System Digital Library.  It will help you learn how to effectively search, select, and evaluate online information sources.

Introduction to MARC Tagging - From OCLC, this interactive tutorial introduces you to the basics of bibliographic records, specifically MARC (MAchine Readable Cataloging) format records—what they are, how and why they are used, and how to read them.

OCLC FirstSearch - A text-based tutorial for getting started with FirstSearch.

OCLC CatExpress - A multimedia tutorial covering the basics of CatExpress.

OCLC Resource Sharing - Several multimedia tutorials are available here, covering different aspects of the Interlibrary loan process, including searching, borrower and lender basics, account settings (constant data), and custom holdings.

Overdrive  - Tutorials and training sessions on the downloadable audio available through Montana Library2Go.