This discussion of the nature of classification schemes and their functions focuses on the differing classification systems of North American and European-type libraries. The functions are bibliothecal, bibliographical, and cognitive. The bibliothecal function concerns the physical location of items within a library (e.g., the Dewey Decimal and…

Almost all work on music information retrieval to date has concentrated on music in the audio and event (normally MIDI) domains. However, music in the form of notation, especially Conventional Music Notation (CMN), is of much interest to musically trained persons, both amateurs and professionals, and searching CMN has great value for digital music…

Describes the development of a retrieval system which used an interactive computer and an intelligent videodisc system to locate materials in the art school slide library. A survey of faculty, staff, and students indicated that user reaction was favorable, although image quality did arouse major concern. (MER)

This SPSS crosstab analysis of client response to the microfiche card catalog at the University of Oregon, which utilizes a "basic" or "frozen" catalog and supplements, considers such variables as microfiche use, academic status, and distance from the card catalog. (CWM)

Discusses intangible and tangible benefits of scheduling technical services staff to assist at the reference desk: improved library service resulting from technical-services staff expertise, greater flexibility for reference desk staffing, enhanced bibliographic records for titles in the reference collection resulting in improved retrieval, and a…

This paper examines some of the finding aids (e.g., information that provides insight into a group of records in an archival collection) currently used or being developed by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). It explores their practicality and whether and how they can be improved. In addition, the paper analyzes the factors…

The Wisconsin Machine-Readable Records Project was conducted by the State Historical Society of Wisconsin between August 1981 and July 1983 as a follow-up to the Wisconsin Survey of Machine-Readable Public Records. Both projects assessed the impact of computer technology on record keeping by state government agencies and addressed the implications…

This document serves as the final report to the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) of the work of the Midwest State Archives Guide Project. The project involved the state archives in Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin, and was expected to contribute to a projected national guide project database, though when…

Describes and evaluates several fiction classification systems from the perspective of how well they answer likely reader queries regarding subjects of novels, and their utility for browsing. The usefulness of subject headings for card catalogs and print and online indexes to enhance topical access to fiction is discussed. (Author/MBR)

A wealth of African-American resources have remained "hidden resources," even as interest in and need for these rare documents has risen. Digitizing collections would make these materials available through the Internet and World Wide Web. Many of these materials reside in historically black institutions which oftentimes lack the…

A task force on school library media issues was appointed in Wisconsin to describe the current program status in the state; identify those factors that are preventing the fulfillment of the library media program's mission--that every student in public elementary and secondary schools in Wisconsin has a right to a comprehensive program of library…

A distributed union catalog is a network of bibliographic systems that cooperate to enable their users to discover sites that hold copies of known items. Some participating systems will be traditional union catalogs, others will be single sites with comprehensive collections, and others will be local or regional resource sharing systems. A…

The virtual Canadian union catalog (vCuc) project is a project among Canadian libraries to use Z39.50 (an information protocol standard) for searching distributed individual library catalogs and union catalogs. This paper summarizes the major technical, vendor, bibliographic data, and administrative issues that must be resolved before the…