This report describes and illustrates the Northwest Regional Laboratory's (NWREL) Database and School Profiling project. Uses and implications for future data assembly and database design activities are explained. Analysis of the database has impacted evaluation and policymaking activities regarding at-risk youth, rural education, early childhood…

The Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) is one of the major bibliographic databases in the world. The ERIC Clearinghouse on Tests, Measurement, and Evaluation (ERIC/TM) contributes to this database by acquiring, selecting, and processing documents pertaining to all aspects of testing, evaluation, and learning theory. The ERIC/TM has…

This study is the final report from the National Center for Education Statistics task force on redesign of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Following an executive summary outlining the need for changes and a series of recommendations, Section 1 details the reasons, goals, and processes involved in the IPEDS redesign.…

Discusses search and retrieval software for use with CD-ROM. Background trends, how data are made usable, supply and demand, data preparation services, and capabilities of search software are described. Vendors of significant information retrieval products are identified, and the characteristics of 12 packages are compared. (Author/EM)

Places the question of the relatively limited storage capacity of optical data disks when applied to very large databases into practical perspective, and considers some of the possibilities offered by the integration of different databases on a single CD-ROM. The advantages and disadvantages of three production options for integrated databases are…

Surveys some of the traditional and nontraditional electronic sources of information that can be of use in research and teaching. The discussion includes information about: 1) cost; 2) ease of use; 3) the earliest bibliographic entries; and 4) the frequency of updates. (Author/LMO)

Compares the available databases, retrieval techniques and costs of traditional online searching of remote databases and local online access, i.e., databases available at the point of use via CD-ROMs or site licenses. The options and risks of local online access, and the possible impact on the database industry, are discussed. (CLB)

Highlights the unique characteristics of NEXIS, a full-text database of newspaper, wire-service, magazine and newsletter stories, and discusses its structure, educational versus commercial rates, the old versus new price structure, and search tips. An addendum describes changes through October 1985 and detailed appendices are included. (Author/EM)

In this response to the issues and alternatives for the proposed privatization of the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) as presented in the "Federal Register" of April 28, 1986, the Special Libraries Association (SLA) rejects outright the proposal to privatize all of its functions, and expresses its preference for keeping…

This brief collection of excerpts includes an evaluation of EUDISED (the European Documentation and Information System for Education) by three members of the Council for Cultural Cooperation (CDCC) and proposes a five-step plan for action; outlines the merits of EUDISED, mentioning the expected rise in the number of contributions to the database…

Discusses licensing agreements and royalties to writers for the sale of articles from online databases. CARL Corporation is working with the National Writers' Union to devise a transaction-based method of paying royalty fees to authors whose articles are used through UnCover; this agreement could provide a model for use by all database services.…

The Centre for Information Quality Management (CIQM) was set up by the Library Association and UK (United Kingdom) Online User Group to act as a clearinghouse to which database users may report problems relating to the quality of any aspect of a database being used. CIQM acts as an intermediary between the user and information provider in…

Profiles 25 database distribution and production companies, all of which responded to a 1997 survey with information on 54 separate online, Web-based, or CD-ROM systems. Highlights increased competition, distribution formats, Web versions versus local area networks, full-text delivery, and pricing policies. Tables present a sampling of customers…

The first of four articles describes the move by the European Space Agency to eliminate connect time charges on its online retrieval system. The remaining articles describe the pricing structure of DIALOG, compare the two pricing schemes, and discuss online pricing from the user's point of view. (CLB)

A task of regional educational laboratories is to provide information to state and local education policy makers. The new focus on policy reflects a change in the labs' knowledge base and audience. The subsequent move into the political arena has created risks for the labs, which have responded to the new task in different ways. The nature of the…