A procedure called "Services/Requirements Analysis" is proposed as a means of improving input to institutional management information systems. The procedure profiles the office's information needs and limitations and identifies benefit groups, all according to user perceptions and not the assumptions of the technological community. (MSE)

An office automation audit is a comprehensive review of the existing and planned office hardware, software, staffing, and management. Factors reviewed include: standards, physical setup, storage facilities, disaster recovery, equipment protection and utilization, software adequacy, and staff training and adequacy. (MLF)

Microcomputers are now affordable tools for managing schools and school districts--and fast becoming essential. This digest, designed to help school administrators begin computerizing their offices, depicts tomorrow's computerized office, introduces computer applications in management, and outlines procedures for computerizing an office. A…

Of the 64 libraries responding to a 1978 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) survey, 37 indicated that they used automated circulation systems; half of these were commercial systems, and most were batch-process or combination batch process and online. Nearly all libraries without automated systems cited lack of funding as the reason for not…

Six papers dealing with decision support and knowledge based systems are presented. Five of the papers are concerned in some way with the use of artificial intelligence techniques in individual or group decision support. The sixth paper presents empirical results from the use of a group decision support system. (CLB)

The Resource Cost Model (RCM) is a resource management system that combines the technical advantages of sophisticated computer simulation software with the practical benefits of group decision making to provide detailed information about educational program costs. The first section of this document introduces the conceptual framework underlying…