These two reports published by the Commission on Preservation and Access (CPA) include a comparison of digital and microfilm imagery, as well as discussions of chemical deacidification; ASCII (nonimage) files; and storage, conversion, and transmission considerations. A structured glossary of terms relating to media conversion and digital computer…

This paper describes methods used for maintenance of bibliographic records in online catalogs and compares them with maintenance in the conventional card catalog: addition of bibliographic records, identification and correction of errors, application of authority control, addition of information to records, and withdrawal of records from catalog.…

Describes a model which uses patron arrival rate, length of time on the terminal, and library service policies to determine the minimum number of terminals needed. The model is then used to compare the effects of various service policies on the minimum number of terminals. (CLB)

Presents results of a study that examined the effectiveness of adjacency operators in improving precision and recall in FirstSearch title keyword searches. Compared subject headings of retrieved items to sample title subject headings and discovered that when keywords were limited in meaning and adjacency operators were used, precision was…

Discusses resource sharing among libraries based on a study of data from the Illinois Library Computer Systems Organization (ILCSO). Highlights include differences in borrowing patterns based on the size of libraries, lending/borrowing ratios, and the volume of resource-sharing activity compared to other factors. (LRW)

Describes a survey that examined ways in which users interacted with the authority control of online catalogs developed commercially and locally. The two types of system are compared in terms of displayed messages related to authority control and system capabilities to aid users in understanding the relationships between headings. (CLB)

Using a basic vocabulary and simple model, this paper discusses four options available at the level of the individual bibliographic database for resolving conflicts in MARC exchange: addition, deletion, modification, and superimposition. Costs and benefits of each option and impacts on MARC exchange are noted. (Fourteen references are cited.) (EJS)

Discussion of Web databases, or search engines for the Internet, presents a series of questions that can be used to analyze these tools based on library literature. Six search engines are analyzed; collection methods, indexing, and abstracting are compared; and a proposal for a future ideal Web database is included. (Author/LRW)

Presents a comparative analysis of electronic access to theses and dissertations through CitaDel and FirstSearch. Highlights include the effectiveness and ease of use in providing enduser access; strengths and weaknesses of searching capabilities; coverage; pricing; and examples of direct retrieval comparison. (LRW)

Describes the results of surveys that examined how academic libraries are employing authority control, the impact of AACR2 and online catalogs on the need for authority control, and the effect of OCLC cataloging on a university library catalog established without authority control for corporate or personal names. (62 references) (Author/CLB)

Describes a study which examined (1) the percentage of personal and corporate name authority records in the Library of Congress authority file that do not contain any references, and (2) the percentage of references present on existing authority records that are not needed in an automatic right hand truncation, keyword searching environment. (CLB)

Describes a study that was conducted to determine the types of records found in OCLC and WLN (Washington Library Network) for new monographs being cataloged at the Central Washington University library. Highlights include a summary of pertinent literature; hit rates; classification numbers; duplicate records; and serial and monograph records.…

Establishes a research-based set of guidelines for design of World Wide Web pages, provides an analysis of what guidelines currently exist, and compares selected parts of these guidelines with a sample of existing Web pages. A literature review and a list of the 20 Web pages used for comparison are included. Contains 200 references. (Author/LRW)

This description of the automated acquisitions system used by Knox College Library provides a history of its development and compares the system to the OCLC Acquisitions Subsystem. The system's chief management tool--a dealer report and several permutations (sorts by publisher and fund)--is discussed. Six references are cited. (EJS)

Describes a project in which graduate students with knowledge engineering experience used five different microcomputer-based shells to build a prototype application of an expert system to assist library patrons with business reference questions. The strengths and weaknesses of each product are discussed and compared. (seven references) (CLB)