This article discusses the accessibility of two content management systems, Berkeley Electronic Press's Digital Commons and OCLC's CONTENTdm, widely used in libraries to host institutional repository and digital collections content. Based on observations by a visually impaired student who used the JAWS screen reader to view the design and display…

The traveling salesman problem (TSP) is a combinatorial optimization problem that requires finding the shortest path through a set of points ("cities") that returns to the starting point. Because humans provide heuristic near-optimal solutions to Euclidean versions of the problem, it has sometimes been used to investigate human visual…

This case study examined the educational software evaluation processes of pre-service teachers who attended either expertise-based training (XBT) or traditional training in conjunction with a Software-Evaluation checklist. Forty-three mathematics teacher candidates and three experts participated in the study. All participants evaluated educational…

This paper presents a comparative evaluation of Google Scholar and 11 other bibliographic databases (Academic Search Elite, AgeLine, ArticleFirst, EconLit, GEOBASE, MEDLINE, PAIS International, POPLINE, Social Sciences Abstracts, Social Sciences Citation Index, and SocINDEX), focusing on search performance within the multidisciplinary field of…

Compares two multimedia platforms, HyperCard and CD-I (Compact Disc-Interactive), in terms of their development and delivery capabilities and costs. Examples of products developed on each platform are described and sample screen displays are included. Future prospects for the two products are considered. (MES)

The purpose of this study is to review 10 NCES databases that can be used for researching postsecondary issues and provide lesser-known facts to using the datasets that are important but may not be widely understood. Issues addressed include: (1) access; (2) statistical issues; (3) database nuances; and (4) database training opportunities. A…

Discusses the special characteristics of personal file management software and compares four microcomputer software packages: Notebook II with Bibliography and Convert, Pro-Cite with Biblio-Links, askSam, and Reference Manager. Each package is evaluated in terms of the user interface, file maintenance, retrieval capabilities, output, and…

A QuickBASIC program is described that can be used to conduct Dunnett-like comparisons on a set of independent proportions. The statistical method used, based on Levy's statistical method (1975), is an extension of the well-known Dunnett test for multiple comparisons on means. (Author/SLD)

Describes a study that assessed the availability and use of microcomputer database management interfaces to online public access catalogs. The software capabilities needed to effect such an interface are identified, and available software packages are evaluated by these criteria. A directory of software vendors is provided. (4 notes with…

This second in a series of articles on a software evaluation project conducted by the Netherlands Association of Users of Online Information Systems (VOGIN) lists and compares specifications, properties, and test results for nine microcomputer-based software programs that fall into the category of classical information retrieval systems. (26…

This discussion of library software packages includes guidelines for library automation with microcomputers; criteria to aid in software selection; comparison of some features of available acquisitions, circulation and overdues software; references for software reviews; additional information on microsoftware; and a directory of producers and…

Describes five online databases that focus on computer products, primarily software and microcomputing hardware, and compares the databases in terms of record content, product coverage, vertical market coverage, currency, availability, and price. Sample records and searches are provided, as well as a directory of product databases. (CLB)

Comparison of various evaluation forms and reviews used to evaluate instructional software focuses on the criteria used in their assessments, and the usefulness and appropriateness of these criteria for making instructional decisions. Highlights include forms developed by national organizations, and reviews and awards appearing in scholarly…

The fourth in a series of articles on the evaluation of microcomputer software for information storage and retrieval, conducted by the Netherlands Association of Users of Online Information Systems (VOGIN), presents test results for six indexing and full-text retrieval programs--Ask-It, KAware, Texplore, TextMaster, WordCruncher, and ZYindex. (13…

World Wide Web browsers are compared by speed, setup, hypertext transport protocol (HTTP) handling, management of file transfer protocol (FTP), telnet, gopher, and wide area information server (WAIS); bookmark options; and communication functions. Netscape has the most features, the fastest retrieval, sophisticated bookmark capabilities. (JMV)