Discusses a model telephone reference service focusing on the application of library experience to the design of an online system. The inclusion of current ready reference materials in the database of future automated systems is suggested, and 11 references are listed. (RAA)

An interactive search and editing system, 3RIP, is being developed at the library of the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm for large files of textual and numeric data. A substantial part (on the order of 10-E9 characters) of the primary file of the search system will consist of bibliographic references from a wide range of sources. If the…

Presents the results of a survey of small and medium-sized academic libraries conducted to determine the features of an online catalog considered most important by academic librarians. The major requirements of an online catalog most commonly cited by the librarians are discussed and a ranked list of desirable features is included.

This study of the computer/user interface investigated the role of the computer in performing information tasks that users now perform without computer assistance. Users' perceptual/cognitive processes are to be accelerated or augmented by the computer; a long term goal is to delegate information tasks entirely to the computer. Cybernetic and…

This report addresses the critical importance of measuring and evaluating information systems functioning within computer network environments. The focus is on the significant benefits associated with using automated monitoring as the primary information system measurement mechanism within such computing architectures. The large scale,…

This study explored the feasibility of scanning the OCLC Online Union Catalog (OLUC) to create subject heading validation files. Concluded that automatically generated subject heading files were practical and that such files could be used to verify subject heading strings constructed by catalogers, update subject headings in catalog maintenance,…

This analysis of trends in the Canadian library systems marketplace in 1986, compares installations of large integrated systems and microcomputer based systems by relative market share, and number of installations by type of library. Canadian vendors' sales in international markets are also analyzed, and a director of vendors provided. (Author/CLB)

Explains the criteria by which 50 public libraries were chosen as outstanding, and reports the results of a survey of the directors which focused on major problems in libraries; desired goals in administration and technical and public services; predicted trends; stage of computerization; and sources of information and new ideas. (CLB)

A survey of public library authorities located in the 34 London boroughs was conducted during the summer of 1982 to determine the characteristics and extent of library automation and to assess changes since a similar 1978/79 study. Replies were received from 33 authorities, of whom 30 reported using computerized techniques. Information on library…

Includes Lukac's overview of an online acquisition system, Robert Newhard on information and ordinary living, Theodore Bolton on interactive home television, a survey of the CTI computer backup system by Joseph Covino and Sheila Intner, and three articles about catalogs and cataloging by Kenneth Bierman, Herbert Hoffman, and Judith Hudson. (RAA)

This study to determine the hardware and computing facility costs of establishing and operating a British Columbia Library Network (BCLN) for current members of the B. C. Union Catalogue used empirical data regarding their performance of the DOBIS system and estimates of workload, and compared those data with the costs of obtaining current…

The second draft of the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) report proposes a national program to offer the most information service to the greatest number of people. Current status and problems in all kinds of libraries are reviewed, including: distribution of resources; uneven access to information; the influence of…

Alternative approaches to the building of monographic bibliography files for an on-line data management system using minicomputers at the University of Minnesota Libraries' Twin Cities Campus center are described. Secondary and primary sources of the Machine-Readable Cataloging (MARC) II records are considered--including Blackwell-North America,…

This study examined job descriptions (1975, 1981, 1990) of three paraprofessional jobs in an academic library technical services department at a small, private liberal arts college to determine changes occurring as a result of automation. It found no significant differences. Although changes were more idiosyncratic than expected, they may indicate…

In November 1982, questionnaires were sent to 1400 public, secondary school, academic, and special libraries in Massachusetts to determine their use of computers for various activities. Of the 778 respondents, 282 (36.2%) reported automation of some kind and an additional 105 (13.5%) indicated that they were planning some automation within a year.…