Discusses natural language retrieval systems, focusing on West Publishing Company's WIN (Westlaw Is Natural) system used with its case law database. Information retrieval models, the advantages and disadvantages of natural language retrieval, and the use of the approach by Congressional Quarterly's Washington Alert, Personal Librarian, and other…

Outlines the features and drawbacks of Wide Area Information Servers (WAIS). Praises the ease of use for end users and the variety of documents and other information available, but cautions users about searching problems resulting from the use of relevance ranking schemes. Calls for greater librarian involvement. (EA)

With more than 38,000 references to journal articles, books, book chapters, and reports on Mexican Americans, the Chicano database offers the most comprehensive access to information on one of the largest ethnic groups in the United States. It is a model for other ethnic CD-ROM projects. (SLD)

Describes the Kodak Picture Exchange that includes a database of over 200,000 photographic images collected from 28 stock photography companies in the United States that allows the user to search for images by topic. Highlights include installing the software, alternative search strategies, costs, manipulating images, and rules governing the use…

Identifies and describes online databases containing references to materials on artificial intelligence, robotics, and expert systems, and compares them in terms of scope and usage. Recommendations for conducting online searches on artificial intelligence and related fields are offered. (CLB)

This comprehensive review of databanks and CD-ROMs worldwide dealing with patents, trademarks, trade names, copyrights, and related legal opinions includes comments on database coverage and search features. Comparison tables of vendors' products are provided. (22 references) (EA)

Provides reviews of online bookstores and publisher sites on the World Wide Web that offer detailed databases of book information. Searching techniques, current awareness services, ordering, subject-specific stores, and other book-related sites are included. (LRW)

Evaluates the Library and Information Science Abstracts on optical data disk available through SilverPlatter Information Inc. The criteria discussed include installation instructions; ease of use; retrieval facilities; the results of a test search; the screen display; documentation; characteristics of the database; and cost and updating. (CLB)

Reviews changes in the ERIC database on compact disk that have been made in systems offered by the following vendors: Dialog, SilverPlatter, and OCLC. Highlights include system requirements, costs, search strategies, printing, help screens, tutorials, double posting, available formats, display of search results, and searchable fields. (LRW)

Evaluates TRADEMARKSCAN image retrieval using DIALOGLINK communications software. Factors discussed include TRADEMARKSCAN's composition, retrieval methods, file size, downloading and printing time and costs, and database applications. Software requirements and functions relevant to image retrieval are also discussed, and suggestions for…

Reviews six CD-ROM bibliographic databases: BRS/Colleague MEDLINE; Wilsondisc Cumulative Book Index and MLA International Bibliography; Dialog OnDisc ERIC; SilverPlatter Sociofile; CCOHS (Reteaco Findit) CCINFOdisc; and Knowledge Finder MEDLINE. Criteria used include browsing, using menus, refining a search, accessing an online version, and…

Presents description of the Generalized Automatic Text Organization and Retrieval system (GATOR), a database system that indexes and retrieves information from machine-readable texts such as interviews and case histories. Qualitative and quantitative analyses are discussed, and integrating GATOR with standard statistical packages is described.…

Describes an information retrieval system developed at Bell Laboratories to create and maintain a variety of different but interrelated databases, and to provide controlled access to these databases. The components discussed include the interfaces, indexing rules, display languages, response time, and updating procedures of the system. (6 notes…

When DIALOG introduced DIALMAIL, its electronic mail service, online searchers were encouraged to use it as an alternative delivery method for offline prints. The new method of retrieval was considered to be fast and described in documentation and reviews as being much less expensive than online types. Performed in June 1987, this study compares…

Discusses using a library database to aid students in book selection. Describes choosing a database program. Lists important database variables as desired grade level, difficulty level, length of book, and sex of the main character. Notes student critiques of the system. Summarizes five library database programs. (MVL)