Recent advances in videoconferencing technology have resulted in a substantial increase in the use of live videoconferencing--referred to here as telepractice--to diagnose and treat speech, language, and hearing disorders. There is growing support from professional organizations for use of this service delivery model, as videoconferencing…

Do library catalogs compete with Google or is it the other way around? We know which came first but which will finish in the end? Only trained library professionals were considered qualified to develop reliable catalog records. However, with the increased sophistication of search engines, we are beginning to realize that a collaborative effort may…

As individuals become more and more comfortable mediating all kinds of situations online and through various technologies, their virtual selves increasingly overlap their "real" lives. Posting a "happy birthday!" message on Facebook is as automatic as dropping a card in the mail. E-mailing relevant links to co-workers happens as naturally as…

Discusses methods of evaluating commercial online databases and provides examples that illustrate their hidden dimensions. Topics addressed include size, including the number of records or the number of titles; the number of years covered; and the frequency of updates. Comparisons of Readers' Guide Abstracts and Magazine Article Summaries are…

Profiles the major wireless data communications (WDC) systems, provides an overview of how they work, and compares their communication features. Topics addressed include the market for wireless data; applications for WDC; wireless online searching; cellular data communication; packet radio; digital cellular; criteria for evaluating WDC systems;…

Describes the ERIC system, the ERIC Clearinghouse on Handicapped and Gifted Children (ERIC/CE), and the Exceptional Child Education Resources (ECER) database produced by ERIC/CE's sponsoring agency, the Council for Exceptional Children. Results of a search run on both databases are compared, and ways to avoid duplication of citations are…

Examines the similarities, differences, and full-text features of the three most-used online systems for full-text searching in general libraries: DIALOG, Data-Star, and NEXIS. Overlapping databases, unique sources, search features, proximity operators, set building, language enhancement and word equivalencies, and display features are discussed.…

Examines previous research on keyword-search techniques and evaluates a keyword classification scheme. Compiled a list of 1056 management information systems (MIS) keywords from 14,676 articles in 27 (MIS) journals and compared it to an existing list (Barki). Concludes that a comprehensive keyword-classification system is needed for enhanced MIS…

Discusses the use of bookmarks, or favorite places, and compares procedures for using them on the two main browsers, Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator. Describes how to organize favorite Web sites using folders, how to share bookmarks between browsers, and checking for Web page updates and link changes. (LRW)

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)

The last installment in a three part series compares commands and features for accessing and manipulating the results obtained from the DIALOG and QUESTEL information systems. Highlights include enhancements to syntax and defaults, options for output arrangement and retrieval, reformatting of selected data, memory, unique features, and examples.…

This second of a three-part series compares search features (i.e., truncation symbols, boolean operators, proximity operators, phrase searching, save searches) of two databases providing legal information. Search tips concerning charges and effective searching and tables listing functions of commands and proximity operators for both databases are…

Examines advanced Internet search techniques, focusing on six search engines. Includes a chart comparison of nine search features: "include two words,""exclude one of two words,""exclude mature audience content,""two adjacent words,""exact match,""contains first and neither of two following…

Patent information has never been so available, at such low cost, to so many people. Describes patent databases accessible on the Web (Micropatent, Source Translation and Optimization Questel-Orbit QPAT, Internet Patents/Community of Science, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office), lists their strengths and weaknesses, and recommends the best…

Reviews three database systems available for searching generic chemical structure representations: (1) Derwent's Chemical Code System; (2) IDC's Gremas System; and (3) Derwent's Markush DARC System. Various types of searches are described, features desirable to users are discussed, and comparison searches are described that measured recall and…