Presents findings of project aimed at improving subject access in online library catalogs by generating records with augmented subject descriptions, termed BOOKS records, and comparing them with MARC records. Procedures involved in the selection of subject descriptions to generate a BOOKS record are described and illustrated. Six references cited.…

Compares and evaluates the databases covering the literature of sports and recreation. Discusses information scatter in the discipline, exhaustivity of coverage within particular databases, and search strategies, vocabulary control, and database overlap. Included are nine data tables and four appendices illustrating search results. (JL)

Assesses the major databases for retrieval of mental health information (PSYCINFO, MEDLINE, NIMH) on the basis of journal coverage, controlled vocabulary, abstracts, and performance in actual searches. Thirteen references, database information (producer, availability/cost, coverage, updates/currency), comparison of journal coverage by selected…

Results of comparison of online and manual searching of same subject favor online searching, which found 87 percent of relevant titles versus 33 percent for manual search. A simple search strategy produced nearly as many citations as complex search, and over two-thirds of records came from two of 13 files searched. (EJS)

Summarizes the results of a study accessing music coverage in 11 databases--ABI/INFORM, AMERICA--HISTORY AND LIFE, ERIC, HISTORICAL ABSTRACTS, INSPEC, MAGAZINE INDEX, MLA BIBLIOGRAPHY, NATIONAL NEWSPAPER INDEX, PUBLIC AFFAIRS INFORMATION SERVICE INTERNATIONAL, PSYCHINFO, and SOCIOLOGICAL ABSTRACTS. Selection of search terms and relevance of items…

Describes a study evaluating the effectiveness of the Information Retrieval, Ltd. (IRL) Life Sciences Collection database in a field where BioSciences Information Service (BIOSIS) claims to offer comprehensive coverage of the international literature. The two databases are described, and the depth of controlled indexing is compared for the two

Presents survey of two groups of databases covering patent literature: patent literature only and general literature that includes patents relevant to subject area of database. Description of databases and comparison tables for patent and general databases (cost, country coverage, years covered, update frequency, file size, and searchable data…

Presents a preliminary analysis of differences between Disclosure II and Predicasts Annual Reports Abstracts (databases which provide online company information) as available from DIALOG Information Retrieval Services. Sources of online information, duplication of information, company coverage, currency of coverage, accuracy of coverage, and…

Describes a study conducted at the Drexel University Library assessing the ability of the ERIC and Library and Information Science Abstracts (LISA) databases to support the research needs of library science students. A list of search topics and strategies is appended. (Author/LLS)

Provides an overview of robots that retrieve World Wide Web documents and index data and then store it in a database. Nine robot-generated databases are described, including record content, services, search features, and sample search results; and sidebars discuss the controversy about Web robots and other resource discovery tools. (LRW)

Reviews two databases covering state and federal legislation--Electronic Legislative Search System and Legi-Slate--by comparing database coverage, documentation and training, pricing, and evaluation. Three additional databases offered by Public Affairs Information, S & FA Reporting Services, and Legislex are mentioned. Five sources are given. (EJS)

Two tables compare projected costs of online versus offline retrieval of citations from 50 databases using BRS and DIALOG. Data include database; databank; cost of access per hour; cost of 15-minute search with no retrieval; and cost of 15-minute search plus cost of 10 and 30 online or offline citations. (CLB)

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…

Evaluates criminal justice coverage in on-line, commercially available data bases using both "Hot Topics" and general profiles. Charts show topics covered, periodicals indexed by each data base, and recommendations for which data base to use for various topics; appendixes present indexing terms used by and annotations for selected data…

Categorizes software packages for microcomputer database creation by their typical features and strengths, and discusses appropriate applications of each category. A directory of vendors for each type of software--text retrieval, file managers, database management, information storage and retrieval, integrated bibliographic systems, and library…