A computerized final exam for a library skills course

In the fall of 1997 and again in the fall of 1998, the Iowa State University Library administered a computer‐based final exam to a special section of the library’s mandatory library skills class. To this end an effective Windows‐based test was created in‐house using Authorware. That the project was a success says much about the current state of computers and authoring systems: what once had been the purview of computer programmers has become increasingly accessible to computer‐literate librarians with some programming skills. The exam involved work at many levels: test appearance, keeping track of test answers, creating special features, recording scores in files, and network security. The exam was one more important step in making the class almost entirely computer‐based. It set a milestone for the library that was at once as significant as it was achievable.