Discussion of the quality of databases and database producers' responsibilities highlights a survey on current practices related to quality assurance that was completed by National Federation of Abstracting and Information Services (NFAIS) members. A checklist developed by the Southern California Online Users' Group (SCOUG) to help evaluate…

Current issues and the future of the database business are discussed in five papers. Topics covered include aspects relating to the quality of database production; international ownership in the U.S. information marketplace; an overview of pricing strategies in the electronic information industry; and pricing issues from the viewpoints of online…

Examines why the "paperless office" has failed to materialize despite the availability of appropriate information technology. Conceptual limits are discussed, including the continued reliance on relational database management systems; the use of free-text retrieval software is considered; and social limits are described, including access…

Traces the history of ways in which publishers of abstracts journals have provided readers with serial print products, the development of searchable products manipulated by the purchaser, and the economic impact of such products on the publisher. The discussion also covers major improvements needed in online searching systems. (CLB)

This issue presents selected papers from a World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe (WHO/EURO) consultation (Munich, West Germany, May 8-10, 1989) which explored the creation of a metadatabase for European environmental health information systems (EEHIS). Topics discussed include environmental monitoring programs, environmental…

Describes Microcosm, an open hypermedia system for browsing through large bodies of multimedia information via links in external linkbases; explains HyTime (Hypermedia/Time-Based Structuring Language), an international standard for representing relationships between document objects; and examines HyTime features which are relevant to Microcosm.…

Discusses the identification of copyright ownership where there may not be a formal notice of copyright in the traditional print sense. Compilations of information on CD-ROMs and other optical media are addressed, the formation of standards by the National Information Standards Organization (NISO) is described, and relevant legal decisions are…

Presents a historical overview of the concept of copyrights as background for a detailed analysis of the licensing elements used for the protection of databases. The ramifications for the introduction of gateway systems without appropriate controls are discussed. (One reference) (CLB)

Discusses the quality controls imposed on text and image data that is currently being converted from paper to digital images by the Patent and Trademark Office. The methods of inspection used on text and on images are described, and the quality of the data delivered thus far is discussed. (CLB)

Discusses the use of telecommunications in museums; reviews existing museum documentary databases, including those that are accessible from remote locations; describes the RAMA (Remote Access to Museum Archive) project, a computer network linking image documentary databases of seven European museums; and discusses the outlook for electronic…

Discusses the general characteristics and problems of handling Sino-Japanese characters for bibliographic purposes, and describes features of Japanese databases, including requirements for database production, storage, searching, and retrieval of information stored as kanji characters. (9 references) (Author/CLB)

The first paper discusses the factors involved in a decision to provide document delivery services, including user needs, competitive climate, business potential, fit with current business, and logistics of providing the service. The second reviews the kinds of additional products that can be developed as a byproduct of conventional database…

Examines the Commission of the European Communities' draft directive on database copyright. Components of the directive are discussed, including a definition of a database, databases protected as literary works under copyright law, piracy protection, fair use, and licensing requirements; and problems with the directive are described. (four…

Describes the development of a thesaurus for indexing the databases of Engineering Information, Inc., that improved the former precoordinate indexing vocabulary with postcoordinate descriptors and an appropriate set of thesaurus relationships. Problems of incompatibility with old indexing are addressed, and the use of an outside consultant versus…

Discussion of information retrieval from online databases focuses on sorting techniques to help the user analyze the increasing number of references that may result from a search. Link analysis and Datalink software are described, and examples using keyword factorial analysis and research pole analysis are presented. (16 references) (LRW)