Describes the design and development of an image database for photographs in the Ulster Museum (Northern Ireland) that used parallelism from a transputer network. Topics addressed include image processing techniques; documentation needed for the photographs, including indexing, classifying, and cataloging; problems; hardware and software aspects;…

Provides an overview of CD-ROM and describes features of CD-Recordable (CD-R) technology, including disc capacity, data transfer rate, mastering, and multiple-write session. CD-R applications, application development costs, and staffing requirements are considered. (EA)

Describes the Mercury Electronic Library, a project at Carnegie Mellon University that involved development of software for an electronic library, implementation of the software by the university libraries, and stimulation of the market for electronic publishing. The library information system interface and databases and the computing system…

Discusses cultural diversity in human-computer interactions and in the design of online systems. Topics addressed include cognitive psychology; North American and European ethnocentricity; online systems and their organizational setting; models for organization culture; corporate culture; international systems and country-specific cultures; and…

Describes the MenUSE (Menu-based User Search Engine) retrieval system for multilingual database searching and reviews the status of other similar projects funded by the European Communities Commission. A Japanese-English version of MenUSE is explained, including its use of HyperCard software. (LRW)

Reviews the use of computers to support distance learning in the multimedia teaching system of the British Open University from 1980-90. Topics addressed include hardware, courses using computers, software developments, the move to microcomputers, access, authoring tools, home-based computing, funding, and the outlook for the future. (15…

Providing quality personal assistance to interns and preserving faculty time for other activities is challenging for educators. Indiana University faculty developed a HyperCard software stack that allowed students to work independently, at their own pace, with selected tasks requiring faculty input during the internship preparation,…

Describes how a public library consortium jettisoned the Request for Proposal (RFP) process and used library staff, with some assistance from consultants, to evaluate new automation systems based on software demonstrations and Requests for Quotations (RFQ). The RFQ and RFP processes are compared. A sidebar article describes the financing plan.…

Describes virtual personal computing, a computer-based educational infrastructure for all students from kindergarten through college, as a step toward meeting national educational goals. New technologies that make this concept possible are described, including the Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL); and the theoretical basis of the virtual…

Describes the newly installed optical disk storage system at the Naval Research Laboratory's Research Library and Technical Information Center. Planning and design of the system, the conversion of 140,000 reports to optical disk, the information retrieval process, and future plans are covered. (Contains nine references.) (KRN)

Presents an authoring environment dedicated to the development of curriculum and course material that can be handled by an Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS). The adopted curriculum model is Curriculum Representation and Acquisition Model (CREAM) which represents subject-matter content from the domain, the pedagogical, and the didactic points of…

Describes a new scholarly review process for courseware and other interactive learning and information system products. The purpose is to provide a mechanism to support faculty in the creative scholarship of designing and developing interactive products, evaluating their quality, disseminating results, and providing opportunities for the…

Describes the development of a generic learning platform for online distance learning and explains RISE (Real-time Interactive Social Environments), a Web-based system. Reports results of trials at the University of Hull Language Institute in an English as a Foreign Language course that investigated system usability, teacher roles, and student…

Describes a study that investigated the effects of cognitive style (field dependent and field independent) and online database search experience (novice and experienced) on undergraduate World Wide Web search performance. Considers user factors to predict search efficiency and discusses implications for Web interface design and user training…

Libraries' dependence on computers can lead to frustrations for patrons and staff during downtime caused by computer system failures. Advice for reducing the number of crashes is provided, focusing on improved training for systems staff, better management of library systems, and the development of computer systems using quality components which…