The study reported here was made for the purpose of evaluating external, computerized, literature-retrieval systems to determine their usefulness in a library without a computer facility. (Author)

Representatives from three companies (Management Contents, ABI/INFORM, Predicasts) explain the coverage, content, thesauri, updating, products, and capabilities of their data bases. A panel of librarians from (1) a special library, (2) an academic library, and (3) a public library report on the use of business data bases in their respective…

The Mechanized Information Center, a department of The Ohio State University Libraries, offers to the campus community several batch-mode information services from commercially available data bases. The search request interview provides an opportunity for instruction regarding OSU's computer-based literature searches, automated library facilities,…

Five public libraries and three academic libraries were surveyed about their use and evaluation of the New York Times Information Bank. (PF)

An examination of OCLC's EPIC service and standard video reference tools revealed that EPIC was more comprehensive in finding video titles on the popular or specialized topics of bonsai, genealogy, karate, and holography, because of its keyword searching ability on the massive OCLC database. (11 references) (EA)

Reference librarians at Georgia Institute of Technology provide computerized reference service through the Georgia Information Dissemination Center. (PF)

Describes a course which provides students with hands-on experience at a computer terminal, and includes segments on how to conduct a reference interview using counseling techniques, how to evaluate and select information retrieval services and equipment, and discusses the impact of computerized information retrieval on libraries. (JAB)

A computer-based, integrated information system incorporating data and information about the data, SIPP ACCESS systematically links technologies of laser disk, mainframe computer, microcomputer, and electronic networks, and applies relational technology to provide access to information about complex statistical data collections. Examples are given…

Four operational systems for searching and retrieving information from the ERIC data base are described. (NH)

Description of use of Search Helper--a newly developed, user-friendly software package designed to enable a microcomputer to be used in searching Information Access Company databases on Dialog bibliographic retrieval service--at California State University--Long Beach (CSULB). Highlights six databases available, necessary hardware, and reference…

Summarizes methods of searching currently available for OCLC, provides list of questions that can be answered with terminal (monographic series, mock subject searching, bibliography, government documents, serials, microforms, music, birth/death dates, corporate bodies, name authority, variant editions, artistic transpositions), and demonstrates…

These planning and evaluative guidelines for online trainers utilize a sliding scale--from minimal to suggested to optimal--for five types of training sessions: (1) Search Service--Beginning; (2) Search Service--Advanced; (3) Search Service--Subject; (4) Database Producer; and (5) Independent Introductory Workshop. (RAA)

The Census Access Program at the University of Florida makes available the computerized 1970 U.S. Census of Population and Housing.'' Faculty, students, planning agencies and commercial interests make use of the system. Discussed are personnel and management requirements. (DH)

Urges that libraries become involved in providing access to machine-readable data files, such as statistics gathered by government agencies, research data gathered by scholars, and economic or business data, and describes how the Lawrence University Library developed a data collection and supportive services. Twenty-eight sources are appended.…

Presented are the results of a study which examined the scope of the ERIC data base. Recommendations include a more explicitly stated policy for selective indexing of data base and indexing procedures, and also a consideration of indexing, but not abstracting, relevant dissertations. (AP)