Describes the changes scientific abstracting and indexing services are making to develop new production systems for a marketplace which is influenced by the information superhighway and the demand for information in an electronic format. Descriptions are included of computer system and data input changes implemented by several database producers…

Provides an overview of the Canadian business environment and online sources of business information. The databases described cover the following areas: directories, financial information, stock quotes, investment reports, industrial and economic information, magazines, newspapers, wire services, biographical information, and government…

Describes three groups of databases sponsored by the European Communities Commission: Eurobases, a textual database of the contents of the "Official Journal" of the European Community; the European Community Host Organization (ECHO) databases, which offer multilingual information about Europe; and statistical databases. Information on…

Discusses the growth in nonbibliographic online databases and machine-readable data files (MRDF) that are accessed offline, and considers how libraries need to respond to the changing needs and expectations of researchers. Textual and numeric databases are described, and three possible levels of library service are outlined. (13 references) (LRW)

University Microfilms International (UMI) collects, creates, and preserves information from the fields of business, education, engineering, social science, and the popular media and makes it available in print and microform, as well as online, on CD-ROM, and on magnetic tape. The company also develops integrated information delivery systems. (KRN)

This paper examines EMERALD LIS and how it facilitates the use of information contained in LIS (library and information science) journals for improvements and progress. EMERALD LIS is a full-text database of journals in information management, library technology, library and information service management, and collection management/development.…

Examines problems encountered when setting up a hypertext link, called an identity link, for moving between bibliographic and full text databases. MEDLINE and CCML (Comprehensive Core Medical Library) are used as examples, BRS/SEARCH text retrieval software is explained, and problems with syntax are discussed. (two references) (LRW)

Presents two groups of text encoding problems encountered by the Brown University Women Writers Project while using Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) to create a database of book transcriptions: dual emendation and correction, and multiple hierarchies. Offers several possible approaches to these encoding problems and analyzes the issues…

Applies a prefix trie index, or trie hashing, to the problem of providing fast search times, fast load times, and fast update properties in a bibliographic or full-text retrieval system with inverted files. Statistics are given for a test database consisting of an online catalog at the University of Western Ontario. (Author/LRW)

Reviews selected research on the performance of bibliographic and full-text databases. A mathematical model for clarification of the relationship between user behavior and the performance measures of recall and precision is presented. (five references) (MES)

Describes a new signature file method, called the multiorganizational scheme, for accessing information from large databases containing both formatted and free-text data. Implementation issues are discussed, and computational results based on a mathematical model are presented, as well as results using a library database. (43 references) (MES)

Examines how online versions of databases vary on different systems. Differences are grouped into three categories: obvious differences, including easily available information such as updating, dates covered, and price; database choice, including subfile structure, field structure, and content; and system choice, including support and system…

The seven papers in these proceedings focus on the characteristics and potentials of non-bibliographic databases in the context of library and commercial networks. Following an introduction by Sandra K. Paul, this report presents the individual papers: (1) "User Perspectives and Requirements: Creator of Non-Bibliographic Databases Has To Share…

Discusses the probabilistic nature of information retrieval, and describes a front end system designed to permit searchers to attach probabilistically interpreted weights to query terms, which could be adapted for conventional information retrieval systems without requiring radical changes in current indexing procedures. (37 references) (CLB)

Reviews the literature that examines new capabilities and new problems associated with online catalogs, online searching of bibliographic databases, indexing, full text retrieval, and expert systems. The need for research that focuses on individual needs and that adopts an integrated approach which views indexing and retrieval as interrelated…